Apple Snacking Cake with Luscious Brown Butter Frosting

This might be the most GORGEOUS cake that will make your house smell like a fall paradise.

Ingredients · Servings 16

Wet Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (56 grams) salted butter, melted
1 cup (250 grams) unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup (156 grams) pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups (210 grams) all purpose flour (or sub gluten free all purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Mix-Ins:
2 cups chopped honeycrisp apple (from 1 large apple), peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch pieces
For the Salted Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 tablespoons (56 grams) salted butter, sliced
4 ounces (112 grams) cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups (170 grams) powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
For topping:
Cinnamon
Flaky sea salt

Method · 1 h 45 min

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until well combined: melted butter, applesauce, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the chopped apples.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
While the cake cooks and cools, brown the butter for the frosting: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk constantly; the butter will begin to crackle, then foam. After a few minutes, the butter will begin to turn a golden amber color. As soon as the butter turns brown and gives off a nutty aroma, 5 to 8 minutes total, pour the brown butter into a small bowl and transfer to the fridge for 45 to 60 minutes to allow the butter to resolidify so that it’s similar to room temperature butter but not completely hardened (poking it should leave an indent). If it hardens too much, allow it to soften up at room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer), beat the cooled brown butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the cream cheese and beat on high until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Sprinkle a light dusting of cinnamon and a big pinch of flaky sea salt on top, then cut the cake into 16 slices and enjoy! Leftover cake should be stored covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

But you know I didn’t stop there. This incredible apple snacking cake also gets topped with a fluffy brown butter cream cheese frosting that just so happens to be on my favorite pumpkin cake in my cookbook! It takes an extra step to brown and chill the butter before whipping it into the frosting, but trust me, it’s SO worth it.

Top the cake with a sprinkle of cinnamon and flaky sea salt, slice it up, and enjoy with a warm cup of coffee, or add this to your holiday dessert table. Trust me, it’ll be gone in minutes.

Ingredients in this beautiful apple snacking cake

We’re packing in warming spices and crisp apple into this incredible apple snacking cake, then topping it all with my newly famous brown butter cream cheese frosting. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

Butter: you’ll need butter both for the cake itself and for that luscious frosting.
Apples & applesauce: add extra apple flavor and moisture to the cake with unsweetened applesauce, plus chunks of honeycrisp apple baked right in.
Eggs: we’re using 2 eggs to help the cake bake up properly.
Sweetener: we’re also naturally sweetening this cake with some pure maple syrup.
Flour: the base of this cake is made with regular all-purpose flour. See below for an easy gluten-free swap!
Spices: get those cozy fall flavors from ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
Baking staples: don’t forget the vanilla extract, salt, and both baking powder and baking soda.
For the frosting: this epic brown butter cream cheese frosting is from my absolute favorite pumpkin cake from my cookbook! To make it, you’ll need butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.

Make this apple cake gluten-free

This cake can easily be made gluten-free by simply swapping the all-purpose flour for gluten-free all-purpose flour. So easy!

Can I make it dairy-free or vegan?

To make dairy-free: use dairy-free butter in the cake itself and in my regular Cream Cheese Frosting, along with dairy-free cream cheese.

Try these amazing mix-ins

Looking to get a little ambitious? Mix in ½ cup of butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or even chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans.

This cake would also be delicious with chopped pears instead of apples — simply prep them the same way you would with the apples!

How to brown butter for the frosting

The cream cheese frosting is made extra special with brown butter! It adds a rich, caramel-like flavor that’s truly irresistible. Get all of my tips and tricks for browning butter in this post and get ready to add it to literally everything.

The best apple snacking cake in 5 steps

Mix the wet ingredients. Mix all of the wet ingredients in a bowl until smooth and creamy.
Make the batter. Whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold in the apples. Be sure to not overmix the batter.
Bake it up. Pour the batter into a prepared 9×9 inch baking pan, then bake and cool it.
Make the frosting. While the cake is baking and cooling, brown your butter and store it in the fridge for 45-60 minutes until it solidifies to look like the texture of room-temperature butter. Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), then beat in the cream cheese until creamy. Finally, beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy.
Frost & serve. Frost the cooled cake, sprinkle with cinnamon and flaky sea salt, slice, and serve!

Storing & freezing tips

To store: I recommend storing this cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze: let the cake cool and then wrap it well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Place the full cake in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag. To serve it, thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight, then let the cake come to room temp before adding the frosting and serving it.