The Broken Scale · Good food. Plenty of personality.
Caramel-Glazed Grated Apple Cake
Grated apples distribute through this square cake rather than sitting in a separate layer. Once the cake has cooled, turn it out and finish the flat underside with a brown-butter caramel glaze and a little flaky salt.
- Serves
- 8 servings
Grate the apples
Peel the apples and use the large holes of a box grater. Stir the shreds through the batter without leaving dry flour pockets.
At the table
Glaze the cooled cake on its flat underside, let the topping settle briefly and cut into squares.
The full recipe
Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.
Caramel-Glazed Grated Apple Cake
A square apple cake with grated apples, brown sugar and a warm brown-butter caramel glaze.
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour 125 grams- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon optional
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt use half this amount if substituting Morton kosher salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed, 100 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large apples about 1 pound total, preferably Granny Smith; peeled and coarsely grated
Glaze
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed, 100 grams
- kosher salt a pinch, for the glaze
- flaky sea salt for finishing
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan, preferably metal, with two crossed sheets of parchment, leaving overhang on all sides. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, optional cinnamon and measured salt together.
- Melt the 6 tablespoons cake butter in a small skillet over low heat. Pour it into a large bowl and keep the skillet for the glaze. Whisk the vanilla, granulated sugar and cake portion of the brown sugar into the melted butter, then whisk in the eggs.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until mostly combined. Stir in the grated apples until evenly distributed with no dry flour showing. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until a tester in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan. Turn it out onto a platter and peel away the parchment, leaving the flat underside facing up for glazing.
- Just before serving, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the reserved skillet over medium heat. Stir as the milk solids turn deep brown, about 3 minutes. Add the cream, a pinch of salt and the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the glaze has thickened slightly, about 1 to 2 minutes; a thermometer should read about 225°F.
- Pour the glaze over the cake and spread it to the edges. Finish with flaky salt and let the glaze cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
Notes
Cut into eight generous pieces or ten smaller ones.
Allow 30 to 35 minutes for baking plus preparation, cooling and glazing. Let the cake cool in the pan before turning it out.
The cake uses six tablespoons butter and the glaze uses two; the brown sugar is split equally between them.
Prepare the caramel just before glazing.
