Warm Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Gelato | A delectable dessert recipe by Carrie Sellman for TheCakeBlog.com

Today’s indulgent recipe is proudly sponsored by Unilever Ice Cream.
We’re celebrating National Dessert Day in style with Breyers® Gelato Indulgences™.

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Warm Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Gelato: Your Ultimate Dessert Indulgence

There’s an undeniable magic to dessert. It’s the grand finale to a meal, a moment of pure joy, and often, the highlight of a gathering. And when a national holiday gives us the perfect excuse to indulge, who are we to say no? Today marks National Dessert Day, a glorious occasion that calls for something truly special, something that transcends the ordinary and becomes an unforgettable experience. Prepare to impress everyone at your table and elevate your dessert game with a recipe that is as comforting as it is elegant: a Warm Apple Cake crowned with luxurious Salted Caramel Gelato. This isn’t just a dessert; it’s a declaration of love for all things sweet, warm, and utterly delicious.

Imagine freshly baked individual bowls of heaven, brimming with tender apple chunks, rich brown sugar, and aromatic cinnamon. The aroma alone is enough to transport you to a cozy autumn day, even if it’s not fall. But the true star of this show, the secret to achieving dessert rockstar status, lies in its simplicity and its magnificent pairing. This is a one-bowl apple cake recipe – yes, you read that right – designed for ease without compromising on flavor. And when it emerges from the oven, warm and fragrant, it’s destined to meet its soulmate: a generous scoop of Breyers® Salted Caramel Truffle Gelato Indulgences™. This isn’t just a topping; it’s a cold, creamy revelation that melts into a decadent frosting and a luscious caramel sauce all in one, transforming each bite into a symphony of textures and temperatures. Get ready to embark on your journey to dessert stardom!

The Irresistible Allure of Homemade Warm Apple Cake

Every great dessert begins with a foundational element, and for us, it’s the warm apple cake. This isn’t just any cake; it’s a recipe so essential, it deserves a permanent spot in your baking repertoire. It’s the kind of dessert that tastes like it took hours of effort, yet comes together with astonishing ease. With a simple mix-with-a-spoon batter, you can create a masterpiece that delivers complex flavors far beyond its humble preparation. Each spoonful is a celebration of the season, bursting with the natural sweetness and slight tartness of substantial apple chunks, the comforting embrace of warm cinnamon, and the subtle, smoky molasses notes from brown sugar.

The beauty of this particular apple cake lies in its thoughtful design: individual portions. These make for elegant presentation and perfectly portioned indulgence. Preparing these delightful single-serving cakes means less fuss, easier serving, and a personalized experience for each guest. The anticipation builds as the aroma of baking apples and spices begins to waft through your home, filling every corner with an inviting scent. Those 35 minutes in the oven might feel like an eternity, but trust us, the moment you lift your spoon in triumph to enjoy that first warm, tender bite, every second will have been worth it. This warm apple cake recipe is not merely a dish; it’s an experience, a delightful journey from kitchen to palate.

Mastering the Perfect Apple Cake: Tips for Success

Achieving a truly remarkable apple cake involves a few simple considerations that elevate the experience. First, selecting the right apples is key. While we recommend a blend of Granny Smith and Gala for their balance of tartness and sweetness, feel free to choose your favorite baking apples. Granny Smiths hold their shape well and offer a bright tang, while Galas provide a softer texture and a sweeter profile. Ensure your apples are peeled and chopped into good-sized chunks—not too small that they disappear into the batter, and not too large that they overwhelm it. These substantial pieces are what give the cake its wonderful texture and bursts of apple flavor.

When mixing the batter, remember that it will be quite thick. This is perfectly normal and contributes to the cake’s dense, moist texture. Avoid overmixing once the wet ingredients are combined with the dry; just mix until everything is well blended. Overmixing can develop the gluten too much, leading to a tougher cake. Gently fold in the chopped apples at the very end to ensure they are evenly distributed without bruising them. For individual cakes, portion the batter into six-ounce baking dishes, filling them no more than two-thirds full to allow for proper rising. This ensures each cake cooks through evenly and achieves that perfect golden-brown crust. And while it’s tempting to dive in immediately, allowing the cakes to cool for just five minutes on a wire rack allows them to set slightly, making them easier to handle and ready for their glorious topping.

Elevating Dessert with Breyers Salted Caramel Truffle Gelato Indulgences™

Once your warm apple cakes have cooled just enough to handle, the moment arrives to introduce the game-changer: a generous scoop of Breyers® Salted Caramel Truffle Gelato Indulgences™. If you’re new to the world of gelato, prepare for a delightful revelation. Think of it as ice cream’s sophisticated cousin – denser, richer, and with an incredibly silky-smooth texture that truly elevates the dessert experience. Breyers Gelato Indulgences takes this a step further by combining a magnificent trio of textures: exquisitely creamy gelato, luscious sauces swirled throughout, and gourmet toppings, which in the case of the Salted Caramel Truffle flavor, are delightful mini chocolate truffles. This combination creates a multi-layered sensory journey in every bite.

The choice of Salted Caramel Truffle Gelato is no accident; it was, in essence, destined to meet this warm apple cake. While technically crafted for salted caramel aficionados everywhere, it finds its true calling when paired with the sweet, spiced warmth of the apple cake. The complex notes of rich caramel, perfectly balanced by a hint of sea salt, provide a striking counterpoint to the sweetness of the apples and brown sugar. This harmonious blend of flavors creates a sophisticated profile that tantalizes the taste buds, making each mouthful an adventure. The salted caramel acts not just as a flavor enhancer but as a textural complement, promising to make this dessert an unforgettable experience.

The Magic of the Melt: Gelato as a Dynamic Topping

The moment the cold, creamy gelato meets the warmth of the freshly baked apple cake, a captivating transformation begins. The gelato doesn’t just sit there; it instantly starts to soften, gracefully melting into a glistening, creamy river of deliciousness. As it melts, the intricate salted caramel drizzles and charming mini chocolate truffles from the Breyers® Gelato Indulgences™ begin to swirl and seep into the cake, creating an impromptu, yet incredibly sophisticated, caramel sauce and a rich, chocolatey accent. This dynamic interaction eliminates the need for any separate frosting or additional caramel sauce, providing a truly all-in-one topping solution that is both convenient and intensely flavorful.

But the magic doesn’t stop there. Prepare for a sensory delight as your palate experiences the delightful “warm-cold tango” that unfolds with every spoonful. The soothing warmth of the apple cake beautifully contrasts with the refreshing coolness of the melting gelato, creating a textural and temperature interplay that is utterly addictive. This contrast is a hallmark of truly exceptional desserts, and this pairing masters it perfectly. It’s a dreamy, creamy, and undeniably luxurious dessert worthy of not only National Dessert Day but any day you crave a touch of indulgence. Once you experience this perfect fusion of flavors and temperatures, you’ll understand why this combination is nothing short of dessert perfection.

Recipe: Warm Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Gelato

This effortless recipe by Carrie Sellman yields 10 perfectly portioned, individual apple cakes, making it ideal for entertaining or simply enjoying a delightful treat.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or high-quality vanilla extract
3 cups apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped (a mix of Granny Smith and Gala works beautifully)
Breyers® Salted Caramel Truffle Gelato Indulgences™, for serving

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175°C). Thoroughly grease and flour 10 six-ounce baking dishes or ramekins.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Whisk these together until they are well combined and there are no lumps.
Add all the wet ingredients directly into the bowl with the dry mixture: eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla bean paste (or extract). Using a sturdy wooden spoon, mix until all ingredients are just well blended. The batter will be noticeably thick.
Gently fold in the chopped apples until they are evenly distributed throughout the thick batter. Be careful not to overmix.
Divide the batter evenly among the 10 prepared baking dishes, ensuring each dish is filled no more than 2/3 full to allow for proper rising.
Bake for 28-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, indicating it is fully cooked.
Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in their baking dishes on a wire rack for precisely 5 minutes. This brief cooling period allows them to set slightly.
While still warm, top each individual apple cake with a generous scoop of Breyers® Salted Caramel Truffle Gelato Indulgences™ and serve immediately. Devour while the warm-cold contrast is at its peak!

Chef’s Notes & Tips:

Make Ahead Option: The cake batter can be prepared several hours in advance. Simply divide it into your prepared baking dishes, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, bake as directed. If baking from cold, you may need to add an extra few minutes to the bake time.
Reheating Baked Cakes: Alternatively, these apple cakes can be baked entirely in advance. When you’re ready for a warm treat, reheat individual cakes in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds each, or until pleasantly warm through the center.
Apple Varieties: We enjoyed this recipe with a mix of Granny Smith and Gala apples for their complementary flavors and textures. However, feel free to experiment with your favorite baking apples, such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Braeburn.
The Gelato is Essential: Seriously, do not skip the gelato! The Breyers Salted Caramel Truffle Gelato Indulgences™ is not just a garnish; it is an integral component that completes this dessert, adding an unmatched creamy texture, a delightful temperature contrast, and an explosion of salted caramel flavor. It truly elevates the entire experience from good to extraordinary.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Unilever Ice Cream. All opinions, original text, the delightful recipe, and compelling photography are entirely my own, reflecting my genuine love for this dessert.

Homestyle Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Gelato