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This Caramelize Apple Spice Cake with Brie Icing is so delectable! Caramelizing the apples really lends a beautiful taste to an ordinary apple cake and the brie icing really drives this thing over the edge with a tangy sweetness that pairs exceptionally well with the spiced cake. Add some crunch with sugared pecans and this cake will be a show stopper.

caramelized apple spice cake

I had the opportunity to buy a giant box of Honey Crisp apples the other day for a super cheap price.  The great part of buying a giant box of Honey Crisps is that you now own Apple-Gold, the bad part….you have a GIANT box of apples and need to do something with them quickly before they spoil.  So, I decided I was going to make an Apple Spice Cake.

Being a food blogger brings perks.  Perks like the giant wedge of Brie I received last week from Ile de France Cheese.  These perks can sometimes end up in your hands too.  Like today for instance.  Today I’ll be starting a giveaway for 5, yes 5, baskets of assorted cheeses from the nice people at Ile de France.  Let me just say that the brie will knock your socks off.  It’s creamy and mild and delicious.  While making the icing, I sampled – a lot.

caramelized apple cake ingredients

Start by caramelizing some apples in butter, sugar, apple cider and vanilla bean.  I used Honey Crisps, but you could use Granny Smiths or Gala’s as well.

caramelized apple spice cake process to make

You are going for very golden brown.  The picture above wasn’t doctored.  They started out pale and turned a beautiful golden brown.  This takes about 20 minutes of low and slow.  You want all of the cider to be evaporated.  That’s when you know it’s time to turn off the heat.  Let the apples cool while you prepare the cake batter.

how to make an apple spice cake

Butter and flour 2 9-inch cake pans and set the aside.  Mix the dry ingredients together with a whisk.  Reserve 1/4 cup of flour and set both aside.  Crack your eggs in a bowl for easier addition while making the batter.

ingredients for an apple spice cake

2 sticks of butter plus white sugar and brown sugar = YUM!  Beat the butter and sugars really well until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.  Alternate the spiced flour mixture with the sour cream and end by adding 1/4 cup of the reserved spiced flour.  Add in the cooled caramelized apples and mix gently to combine.

baking an apple spice cake

Divide evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.  Test center with a toothpick to ensure doneness and remove to a rack to cool.  Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto the racks.  Cool completely before icing.

how to make brie icing or frosting for a cake

For the Brie Icing: add the cream cheese, butter, and brie (eat several bites of the brie off a knife) and beat well to combine.  Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.  Add the powdered sugar and mix until light and fluffy.  Ice the cooled cakes and top with sugared pecans.

apple spice cake with brie frosting

Caramelized Apple Spice Cake with Brie Icing & Sugared Pecans

by Heather Scholten
yield:12 Servings
prep time:35 minutes
cook time:45 minutes
total time:1 hour 50 minutes

Description

A beautiful caramelized apple spice cake with a tangy brie frosting and topped with sugared pecans. This stunner of a cake should be on the dessert table year round.
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Ingredients
  

For the Cake

  • 2 ½ sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 vanilla bean halved
  • 4 cups apples peeled, cored and diced small
  • ½ cup apple cider
  • 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ cup dark-brown sugar packed
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • ½ cup sour cream

Brie Icing & Sugared Pecans

  • 8 oz brie cheese rinds removed
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 cups powdered sugar sifted, plus more if needed
  • 1 cup pecans raw, unsalted, roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions

Cake Instructions

  • Put 1/2 stick butter into a large saucepan. Using a paring knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the saucepan and add the pod. Cook over medium heat until the butter is lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add the apples, cider and 1 cup of granulated sugar. Raise the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook until apples are golden and translucent and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Discard the pod and let cool.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans (or 8-inch if you don’t have 9’s). Dust with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Reserve 1/4 cup of spiced flour mixture. Set all aside.
  • Beat remaining 2 sticks of butter, remaining 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and the brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce to low and alternate the flour and sour cream in 2 batches each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and caramelized apples and fold gently to combine.
  • Divide batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake until tops are dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edges and turn cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Brie Icing & Sugared Pecans

  • In a medium bowl add the brie, cream cheese and butter and beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Add 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar and mix to combine until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar if needed to reach your preferred consistency.
  • In a small skillet, add the pecans and toast over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir quickly to coat. Turn out onto a piece of parchment paper and let cool completely.

Assembly

  • Place one layer of cake on a cake pedestal or plate. Top with 1/2 of the Brie icing and using an offset spatula, spread all the way to the edge. Place in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer and top with the second layer of cake. Top with the remaining icing and spread evenly over the top. Top with the sugared pecans and serve.

Notes

Cake recipe adapted from here
Share your creations! I’d love to see what you made!
Mention @farmgirlgourmet or tag #farmgirlgourmet!

Recipe By:

Heather Scholten

Co-Founder at Spiceology | More About Heather…

Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.

95 Comments

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  21. I like baked brie. I roll out puffed pastry, put brie in the middle and layer with jam, and brown sugar. Then I roll it up, bake it, and serve with fruit or bread. Simple but delicious.

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    Reply

  26. Brie frosting sounds amazing! My fav for brie is just simply topping a crisp apple or pear or paired with gorgonzola in an extra creamy sauce to top steak frites.

    Reply

  27. Reading all of these comments makes me want to get in the kitchen and bake some brie with caramel & pecans, your cake, brie with cranberries….they all sound so good!! The only way I’ve ever eaten brie was just baked.

    susitravl(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply

  37. Your cake look fabulous…I’ve not used brie for a frosting…but I will soon!

    I love to cover brie with either jam or a brown sugar/nut combo, wrap it in puff pastry and bake it. Perfect party appetizer and so easy too.

    Reply

  41. I love brie just about any way…smothered with raspberries and walnuts, in an apple and brie grilled cheese, and now I am going to have to try Brie cake frosting. I am scared and tempted all at the same time! Thanks!

    Reply

  46. I like brie just by itself, like Parmigiano Reggiano, but I don’t mind it wrapped in filo dough and baked until you get a wonderful combination of creamy, hot, and crispy.

    Reply

  66. I love brie straight out of the package, even better with fresh fruit! But I’ll take it any way I can get it! YUM!

    Reply

  68. brie icing?!?! i just died. how incredibly perfect is that?!?!!? i MUST try this.

    my fav brie dish is simply a wheel covered in dried fruit that’s macerated in grand mariner a bit and baked off in the oven. yummmmmm!

    Reply

  75. Wow, what awesome pictures you take, really love seeing the different stages of the recipe. Can’t wait to make it. Brie in the frosting sounds so yummy!

    Reply

  78. I love to take a wheel of brie, smother it in homemade cranberry sauce (made with whole berries), and wrap it in filo dough, then bake it until the outside is crusty and the inside is all melty goodness. This is my all time favorite Thanksgiving recipe.
    Katie Barnett
    Kalispell, Montana

    Reply

  81. This cake looks super delicious.
    My favorite brie dish is an appetizer a friend made. It was like a giant crescent filled with melted Brie cheese and hot fruit preserves.

    Reply

  89. This is the cake of my dreams. Sweet and savory, plus topped off by my all-time favorite cheese (love Brie and love Ile de France even more). What a creative recipe!

    Reply

  95. Oh holy crap, I think I just peed myself in excitement. Brie frosting? I bow down to you.

    My favorite dish with brie? Baked brie with carmel/pecan topping. I can’t contain myself, I could eat the whole wheel.
    ~Megan Pence

    Reply
5 from 1 vote

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