Apple Layer Cake

What Makes This Cake Great

• A quick apple compote filling really makes apple the star of the show. Warm spices and a splash of bourbon enhance the apples for a good-enough-on-its-own filling similar to an apple pie filling.
• Apple butter in the cake not only makes for a moist and fluffy cake texture, but it adds a rich concentrated apple flavor throughout.
• A super silky cinnamon buttercream brings everything together

Making Apple Butter Cake

Instead of chunks of apple dotted here and there, this apple butter cake has a deep apple flavor throughout! Apples themselves can have a lot of moisture and can be tricky to mix into a cake as is successfully.

What is Apple Butter?

Apple butter, on the other hand, is really just super-duper concentrated apples – apples are simmered for hours until most of the water is evaporated out and what is left is this thick, buttery apple spread.

I make my own apple butter (you can find the recipe here, in my apple cider donuts recipe) for a few reasons:

1. It’s ridiculously easy if you have a crockpot. Throw everything in and let it sit for hours until the apples are ready for a quick blend.
2. I can adjust the amount of spices and sugar to create a balanced apple flavor.
3. It makes the house smell absolutely incredible. There’s no better way to celebrate apple season than your whole house filled with apple cinnamon for the day. When you say “fall vibes” it’s this.

Make a big batch and use it in a few different bakes, or just as a topping on some toast. But if you don’t have the time, patience, or interest in making your own apple butter, there is a variety of options available at the store! Skip the simmering and get straight to the cake making!

Making the Cake Batter

This apple cake uses a similar ratio to my standard golden cake batter, with a few small adjustments:

• Because apple butter has sugar as well, I decreased the amount of sugar in the cake base for better balance.
• Apple butter also takes the place of my cake “moist-maker” ingredient. I always add something that ups the soft and fluffy quality of a cake – whether it is sour cream, yogurt or whipped cream, I refuse to have a dry cake.

Start by sifting together your dry ingredients, including the cake flour, leavening agents and cinnamon. I love to use cake flour for a lighter and fluffier final cake texture.

Whip together room temperature butter and the sugar. Add the oil and vanilla, then the eggs.

Next, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the whole milk. Start by adding 1/3 of the dry mixture, when that is nearly mixed in, add 1/2 of the milk – repeat the process until finished: dry – milk – dry – milk – dry.

The reason to alternate is to avoid splitting the batter and overmxing into a tough cake.

Apple Compote Filling

This apple pie style filling is just a quick apple compote! To make the compote, combine diced apples, sugar, spices and a splash of bourbon or whiskey (if you like, not a requirement!) in a small pot and let simmer on low just until the apples are softened, but not completely falling apart.

If we simmer too long, we get apple sauce, which is lovely, but I like still having a bit of texture.

Cinnamon Buttercream

I use my tried-and-true Swiss meringue buttercream recipe here. It’s my go-to for a reason: the buttercream is silky smooth, not too sweet and is a great counterpart to the cake and filling.

Because the this standard buttercream recipe is a great blank canvas for flavoring, I added a bit of cinnamon to complement the apples throughout.

Creating the Layer Cake

Layer cakes can be slightly intimidating if you haven’t made one. I go through all the details in depth in my How to Make Level Layer Cakes post too! There are a few tools that help make the job easier, but are not required:

• Cake turntable: A turntable is really key for a smooth, clean-lined buttercream finish. I like this one with a cast-iron base because it’s more sturdy. Without one, I skip that super-smooth finish and just go for a “painted” knife design. Don’t fight for a finish that’s harder than necessary!
• Bench scraper: Along with a turntable, a bench scraper is really key to that crisp buttercream finish. I like a style like this without a separate handle extending beyond the edge. Having the flush handle means I can set it against the table at a 90° angle. Hold the scraper straight-up and down parallel to the cake. Rotate the turntable and gently press the scraper into the cake until the buttercream smooths out.
• Piping bags/Ziplock bags: In order to create a barrier “dam” for the apple compote, pipe a ring of buttercream on the outside edge. This is done with a piping bag or a Ziplock bag with the corner trimmed off.
• Offset spatula: An offset spatula is really helpful for a flat layer of buttercream between layers and on the top of the cake. Once you have smoothed out the sides of buttercream, level out the top with the offset spatula. It’s best to work from the outer edge inward with a clean spatula on each swipe for a clean corner.
• Long serrated knife: Having a long knife is easiest to trim the cakes into a perfectly flat layer. Even when they baked pretty level, I still trim the tops when I stack the cakes for the most finished look.

Again, this is just how I achieved the finish shown here. Is it necessary for a delicious cake? Absolutely not in the slightest! When I’m not taking photos, my cakes are much more casual.