APPLE TOFFEE CRUNCH CAKE

4.7 From 11 Reviews

Apple Toffee Crunch Cake – fresh apple cake topped with crunchy pecans, cinnamon buttercream, and a caramel sauce drip.

• Author: Tessa Huff
• Yield: One 8″ Round Cake (4 layers)
• Category:

For the Apple Cake:

• 3 Cups all-purpose flour to be divided
• Two teaspoons of baking powder
• One tablespoon cinnamon
• One teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
• Four large eggs
• 1 Cup whole milk
• 3 cup apple slices (peeled and cut into 1 1/2 1 inch pieces or smaller)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

For the Pecan Crunch:

• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Three tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• Two tablespoons honey
• A pinch of salt

For the Cinnamon Buttercream:

• Six large egg whites
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 Cups unsalted butter Softened
• Two teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 3/8 teaspoon cinnamon or, according to your preference

For the Toffee Sauce:

• Six spoons of butter that is not salted
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• One teaspoon dark corn syrup (light corn syrup is also a good choice)
• 1/3 of a cup of heavy cream
• One tablespoon vanilla
• Two tablespoons of either bourbon or scotch (optional)
• Large pinch of salt

For the Assembly:

• Pecans chopped up or pecans left over from a pecan crunch
• Buttercream toffee (recipe for follow-up)

Make the Apple Cake:

1. The oven should be preheated at 350°F. Grease the sides of two 8-inch pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment. Then, grease and dust the sides and parchment of the pans. Set aside.
2. Take 1/3 cup of flour and place aside.
3. Sift the rest of the flour into baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
4. Utilizing an electric mixer mix the butter with an electric mixer until it is smooth. Then, add the sugar. Mixer on medium speed, combine the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract.
5. The mixer should be set to medium-low. Beat the eggs one at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape on the bottom of the bowl.
6. In alternating batches, Mix with some of the dry ingredients, followed with the milk. Incorporate the other part of the dry ingredient and mix until the ingredients are well blended.
7. Mix the diced apples in the flour you reserved. Add the pecans and the apples until they are evenly all over.
8. Divide the batter into two pans. Bake for between 32 and 35 minutes, until the top is golden and a thin knife that is inserted into the middle of the cake emerges clean. Cool on an unlined rack for about 15-20 minutes prior to taking the cakes out of their pans.

Make the Pecan Crunch:

1. The oven should be heated to 350 degrees. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper or a baking mat made of silicone and put it aside.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon.
3. Spread the Mix out over the pan you have prepared. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, mixing every so often, until the crumbs have a golden color. Allow to cool, then break into pieces in preparation for making use of them.

Make the Cinnamon Buttercream:

1. Add sugar and egg whites to the bowl of a mixer. Mix briefly with a hand mixer until they are well mixed.
2. Place a saucepan in some inches of water. Bring to a simmer at a moderate temperature. Set the mixer bowl over the pan to make the double boiler.
3. While whisking, continuously stir the egg mixture until it registers at 160 degrees on a thermometer for candy; after it is hot, gently transfer the mixing bowl back to its stand mixer.
4. Utilizing the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture at a high for between 8 and 10 minutes or until the bowl isn’t hot to touch and the meringue becomes fluffy and glossy and has an even peak.
5. Stop the mixer, and then swap the whisk attachment to the paddle.
6. While the mixer is on low and on low, add the cinnamon, vanilla, and butter, a few tablespoons at a.
7. After all the butter is added after the butter is added, turn the mixer to medium-high and Mix until smooth and silky. Be aware that if the mixture appears curdled, continue mixing until it’s soft (this could take five minutes). If it looks like it is soupy, put your mixer in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes before mixing until it is smooth.

Make the Toffee Sauce:

1. In a pot on medium temperature. When it is melted, Mix in the corn syrup and brown sugar. Increase the heat to a high setting. While stirring the mixture with using a spoon made of wood, cook the Mix to a boil. Cook for approximately five minutes until sugar melts.
2. Remove the pan from the stove and gently whisk into the cream. Turn the flame down to a low setting. Return the saucepan to the stove and whisk at a slow pace, but always. Let it simmer for around 8 minutes.
3. Take the mixture off the stove and then add the other ingredients. Place the mixture in a heat-safe container and allow it to cool and become thicker.

Assemble the Cake:

1. When the cakes are completely cooling, carefully slice the cakes horizontally using the help of a long, serrated knife. Put one of the layers on top of a cake plate or cake pedestal. Spread about 1 cup of buttercream and then sprinkle it on 1/2 cup crumble. Layer on the second layer of cake and repeat. Frost the cake stack using the buttercream with cinnamon, then put it in the fridge to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. When the toffee is cool but is still liquid, gently drip the sauce along areas of the cake. Pour the sauce into the middle and then use an offset spatula to smooth it out. The toffee sauce is thicker than normal caramel, so be careful not to pull or mix it with the buttercream when spreading the sauce over the top.
3. In the remaining buttercream you have, mix in a few tablespoons of leftover toffee sauce or to taste to make a toffee buttercream. Pipe it on the top of the cake with the unopened pointed tip, as well as sprinkle the top with a few chopped pecans or any leftover crunch.

• It is possible to reheat the sauce toffee as required gently using the microwave. It will help it pour if it is already established.
• Make sure you break the pecans into smaller pieces, or the cake may become difficult to slice.
• Place in refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.
• Once chilled and assembled, the sauce that was made with toffee will lose its sheen.
• If you’d like, bake the cake in two layers. Alternately, bake the batter using three pans of 8 inches. Change the bake time as needed.