Caramelized Cinnamon Apples with Brown Butter Buttermilk Cake
Indulge in the perfect blend of flavors with our Caramelized Cinnamon Apples atop a rich brown butter buttermilk cake! This delightful treat showcases sweet, tender apples caramelized to perfection and nestled in a moist cake infused with nutty brown butter. Get ready to impress your taste buds and your guests with this heavenly dessert!
Prep
30
min
Cook
85
min
Serves
8
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 8🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- 575g (about 4 medium-large) apples, peeled, cored and diced into roughly ⅓-inch pieces (I used ~350g Granny Smith + 225g Honeycrisp) (20.3 oz)
- 2 tsp (10g) fresh lemon juice (10 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(8)
- 3 Tbsp (42g) unsalted butter (42 g)
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, before browning (170 g)
- 10 Tbsp (140g) unsalted butter, melted (140 g)
- 6 Tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temp (84 g)
- ¾ cup (180g) full-fat buttermilk, room temperature (170 g)
- 3 large eggs (150g without shells), room temperature
- ½ cup + 1 Tbsp (135g) heavy cream, room temp or slightly warmed (120 ml)
- ½ cup (120g) full-fat sour cream, room temperature (120 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(13)
- 2 tsp (8g) baking powder (10 ml)
- ½ tsp (3g) baking soda (2.5 ml)
- ⅓ cup packed (70g) light brown sugar (66 g)
- ½ cup packed (110g) light brown sugar (100 g)
- ¾ cup packed (160g) light brown sugar (150 g)
- 2½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour (312 g)
- 1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour (188 g)
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar (150 g)
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar (50 g)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (200 g)
- 2 tsp (8g) vanilla extract (10 ml)
- 1 Tbsp (12g) vanilla extract (15 ml)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(9)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (10 ml)
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon (7.5 ml)
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg (0.62 ml)
- ¼ tsp (1.5g) fine salt (1.25 ml)
- ¾ tsp (4.5g) fine salt (3.75 ml)
- Pinch fine salt
- ½ tsp (3g) fine salt (2.5 ml)
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste (3.75 ml)
- Flaky sea salt for finishing, optionaloptional
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
465
Protein
4g
Carbs
54g
Fat
27g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Add a parchment collar around the inside of the pan extending about 1 inch above the rim.
- 2
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cook for approximately 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally. The apples should soften slightly but still have some bite. Add the vanilla and lemon juice during the final minutes.
- 3
Place the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Melt, then continue cooking until the milk solids turn deep golden brown. Pour all of it into a heatproof bowl and let cool until lukewarm but still liquid.
- 4
Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the melted regular butter and vanilla. Stir until the mixture becomes thoroughly moistened.
- 5
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, combine the cooled browned butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Whisk thoroughly. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla until smooth.
- 6
Assemble from bottom up: 55% of batter, cinnamon mixture, 40% apples, 25% of crumb, rest of batter, apples, and crumb. Bake for 70-85 minutes.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Brown your butter to 350-365°F (175-185°C) until the milk solids are deep golden brown, not just tan. This develops nutty, caramelized flavors that complement the apples and prevent a greasy, underdeveloped cake crumb.technique350-365°F | milk solids golden brown
- ✓Cook your diced apples for exactly 5-7 minutes over medium heat—this allows pectin to soften (reducing firmness by ~30%) while maintaining structural integrity. Overcooking past 8 minutes causes apples to collapse into mush and lose the textural contrast against the cake.timing5-7 minutes | 30% firmness reduction
- ✓Use a 350g Granny Smith to 225g Honeycrisp ratio (60:40) because Granny Smith apples have higher acidity (pH 3.1-3.3) and pectin content, preventing the filling from becoming too sweet while Honeycrisp adds subtle honey notes and natural sugars that caramelize faster.ingredient60:40 ratio | pH 3.1-3.3
- ✓Add lemon juice in the final 1-2 minutes of apple cooking to prevent enzymatic browning of the apples and to lower pH, which slows pectin breakdown and keeps fruit pieces distinct rather than merging into the batter.timingFinal 1-2 minutes
- ✓Cool your browned butter to 110-120°F (43-49°C) before whisking into the batter. Butter above 140°F will partially cook the eggs (setting proteins), reducing emulsification and resulting in a dense crumb with 15-20% less rise.technique110-120°F | prevents 15-20% volume loss
Share this recipe
Prep
30
min
Cook
85
min
Serves
8
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Caramelized Cinnamon Apples with Brown Butter Buttermilk Cake
Indulge in the perfect blend of flavors with our Caramelized Cinnamon Apples atop a rich brown butter buttermilk cake! This delightful treat showcases sweet, tender apples caramelized to perfection and nestled in a moist cake infused with nutty brown butter. Get ready to impress your taste buds and your guests with this heavenly dessert!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 8🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- 575g (about 4 medium-large) apples, peeled, cored and diced into roughly ⅓-inch pieces (I used ~350g Granny Smith + 225g Honeycrisp) (20.3 oz)
- 2 tsp (10g) fresh lemon juice (10 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(8)
- 3 Tbsp (42g) unsalted butter (42 g)
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, before browning (170 g)
- 10 Tbsp (140g) unsalted butter, melted (140 g)
- 6 Tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temp (84 g)
- ¾ cup (180g) full-fat buttermilk, room temperature (170 g)
- 3 large eggs (150g without shells), room temperature
- ½ cup + 1 Tbsp (135g) heavy cream, room temp or slightly warmed (120 ml)
- ½ cup (120g) full-fat sour cream, room temperature (120 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(13)
- 2 tsp (8g) baking powder (10 ml)
- ½ tsp (3g) baking soda (2.5 ml)
- ⅓ cup packed (70g) light brown sugar (66 g)
- ½ cup packed (110g) light brown sugar (100 g)
- ¾ cup packed (160g) light brown sugar (150 g)
- 2½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour (312 g)
- 1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour (188 g)
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar (150 g)
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar (50 g)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (200 g)
- 2 tsp (8g) vanilla extract (10 ml)
- 1 Tbsp (12g) vanilla extract (15 ml)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(9)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (10 ml)
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon (7.5 ml)
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg (0.62 ml)
- ¼ tsp (1.5g) fine salt (1.25 ml)
- ¾ tsp (4.5g) fine salt (3.75 ml)
- Pinch fine salt
- ½ tsp (3g) fine salt (2.5 ml)
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste (3.75 ml)
- Flaky sea salt for finishing, optionaloptional
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
465
Protein
4g
Carbs
54g
Fat
27g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Add a parchment collar around the inside of the pan extending about 1 inch above the rim.
- 2
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cook for approximately 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally. The apples should soften slightly but still have some bite. Add the vanilla and lemon juice during the final minutes.
- 3
Place the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Melt, then continue cooking until the milk solids turn deep golden brown. Pour all of it into a heatproof bowl and let cool until lukewarm but still liquid.
- 4
Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the melted regular butter and vanilla. Stir until the mixture becomes thoroughly moistened.
- 5
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, combine the cooled browned butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Whisk thoroughly. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla until smooth.
- 6
Assemble from bottom up: 55% of batter, cinnamon mixture, 40% apples, 25% of crumb, rest of batter, apples, and crumb. Bake for 70-85 minutes.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Brown your butter to 350-365°F (175-185°C) until the milk solids are deep golden brown, not just tan. This develops nutty, caramelized flavors that complement the apples and prevent a greasy, underdeveloped cake crumb.technique350-365°F | milk solids golden brown
- ✓Cook your diced apples for exactly 5-7 minutes over medium heat—this allows pectin to soften (reducing firmness by ~30%) while maintaining structural integrity. Overcooking past 8 minutes causes apples to collapse into mush and lose the textural contrast against the cake.timing5-7 minutes | 30% firmness reduction
- ✓Use a 350g Granny Smith to 225g Honeycrisp ratio (60:40) because Granny Smith apples have higher acidity (pH 3.1-3.3) and pectin content, preventing the filling from becoming too sweet while Honeycrisp adds subtle honey notes and natural sugars that caramelize faster.ingredient60:40 ratio | pH 3.1-3.3
- ✓Add lemon juice in the final 1-2 minutes of apple cooking to prevent enzymatic browning of the apples and to lower pH, which slows pectin breakdown and keeps fruit pieces distinct rather than merging into the batter.timingFinal 1-2 minutes
- ✓Cool your browned butter to 110-120°F (43-49°C) before whisking into the batter. Butter above 140°F will partially cook the eggs (setting proteins), reducing emulsification and resulting in a dense crumb with 15-20% less rise.technique110-120°F | prevents 15-20% volume loss