Apple Gooey Butter Cake

This show‑stopping apple gooey butter cake is a soft and moist brown‐butter spice cake layered with spiced caramelized apples, a gooey cream cheese topping and a silky salted caramel sauce. It’s packed full of warm autumn apple flavor and melt‑in‑your‑mouth caramel with a wonderfully decadent texture from the gooey cream cheese layer. This over‑the‑top cake is the perfect thing to bake for apple season!

Ingredients

For the Brown Butter

• ½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter

For the Spiced Apples

• 2 cups (268 g) apples, peeled and diced into ½‑inch pieces (about 2 apples)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp ground allspice
• 2 tbsp (28 g) brown sugar

For the Gooey Cream Cheese Layer

• 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2½ cups (325 g) powdered sugar

For the Brown Butter Spice Cake

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp (141 g) all‑purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp ground allspice
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ⅛ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• Brown butter (from above)
• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup (120 mL) buttermilk, at room temperature

For the Salted Caramel Sauce

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
• 5 tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup (120 mL) heavy cream, at room temperature
• ¼–½ tsp sea salt (depending on your preference)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Make the Brown Butter

1. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Allow it to melt, come to a simmer, then continue simmering until the butter turns foamy and gives off a nutty aroma and is lightly browned — about 5‑6 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and transfer the brown butter to a large bowl. Cool it in the fridge until it’s solid but still pliable — like softened butter.

2. Prepare the Spiced Apples

4. Add the diced apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and brown sugar into a medium skillet/pan.
5. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the apples are slightly tender and the juices in the pan have thickened into a syrupy coating.
6. Remove from heat and allow the apples to cool while you prepare the other components.

3. Make the Gooey Cream Cheese Layer

7. In a large mixing bowl, add the room‑temperature cream cheese, egg and egg yolk. Mix on medium‑high speed until smooth (about 1‑2 minutes).
8. Sift in half of the powdered sugar and mix on low then medium speed until combined.
9. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until just combined — avoid over‑mixing so the mixture doesn’t become too runny. Set aside.

4. Make the Brown Butter Spice Cake Batter

10. Preheat your oven to 350 °F (≈ 175 °C). Grease a 9‑inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
11. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
12. With the cooled brown butter, use an electric mixer on high speed to whip it until pale and fluffy (about 1‑2 minutes).
13. Add the granulated white sugar to the whipped butter and cream together on high speed until pale and fluffy (about another 1‑2 minutes).
14. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix on medium‑high speed until smooth and pale in appearance (about 1‑2 minutes). Scrape down the sides as needed.
15. Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet ingredients — start and end with the dry ingredients — mixing on low speed until just combined and smooth.

5. Assemble & Bake the Cake

16. Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth it out with an offset spatula.
17. Sprinkle the cooled spiced apples evenly over the layer of batter.
18. Pour the remaining cake batter over the apples and smooth the top.
19. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the top of the cake batter and spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
20. Bake for 40‑45 minutes, or until the center is shiny and still has a slight jiggle, with the edges being lightly golden brown.
21. Remove from oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 45 minutes.
22. After 45 minutes, transfer the cake (still in the pan) to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours so the cream cheese layer has time to set.

6. Prepare the Salted Caramel Sauce

23. While the cake is chilling, prepare the caramel: In a large saucepan, add the granulated white sugar over medium‑low heat. Allow it to melt — it will first crystallize then gradually melt into an amber golden liquid (this can take ~20 minutes). Reduce heat to low if melting too quickly to avoid burning.
24. Once melted and mostly smooth (with a few small crystals remaining), add the butter and stir quickly to incorporate.
25. Add the heavy cream and stir until everything is fully combined (if mixture separates, increase heat slightly and stir vigorously to combine).
26. Add the sea salt (¼‑½ tsp depending on taste) and vanilla. Stir to combine. Let the caramel simmer on low for 3‑4 minutes.
27. Remove from heat and allow the caramel sauce to cool completely before using.

7. Final Assembly & Serving

28. Once the cake has chilled and set, carefully loosen the sides of the springform pan with a butter knife, remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a serving plate.
29. Pour the cooled salted caramel sauce over the top of the cake and spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
30. The cake is best served at room temperature — if you prepared it ahead of time and it has been refrigerated, remove it about an hour before serving.
31. Slice into 8 generous slices and serve.