Wicked toffee-apple cake with caramel peanut-brittle buttercream and snow-white apples

October 9, 2015 (Last Updated: January 11, 2019)
Wicked toffee-apple cake recipe

Wicked toffee-apple cake with caramel peanut-brittle buttercream and snow-white apples is so delicious it’s frightening. This sticky and sweet delight is perfect for Halloween. 

Wicked toffee-apple cake with caramel peanut-brittle buttercream and snow-white apples

Serves: 8 - 10
Cooking Time: 1 hr 30 mins + cooling time

Ingredients

  • Toffee-apple cake

  • 210g butter, softened
  • 270g demerara sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
  • 200g self-raising flour, sifted
  • 2,5ml (½ tsp) bicarbonate of soda
  • 15ml (1 tbsp) cinnamon
  • 2,5ml (½ tsp) nutmeg
  • 80ml milk
  • 145g Golden Delicious apples, finely grated and squeezed well
  • 75g flaked almonds, toasted
  • Peanut-brittle buttercream

  • 240g sugar
  • 250ml (1 cup) water
  • 375ml (1½ cups) fresh cream
  • 250g butter, softened
  • Snow-white apples

  • 8 wooden skewers/clean sticks
  • 8 small lunch-box apples
  • 200g white chocolate, chopped
  • peanut brittle, crushed, to serve

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease and line three 20cm sandwich cake tins.

2

For the cake, cream the 210g butter and the demerara sugar together until very light and fluffy, 8 – 10 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

3

Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices and stir into the cake batter, alternating with the milk. Stir in the squeezed apple and almonds. Divide the batter among the 3 tins and bake in the oven until a skewer inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

4

For the buttercream, place the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer, without stirring, until the mixture begins to caramelise. Once the syrup reaches a dark toffee colour (137°C on a sugar thermometer), remove from the heat and carefully pour in the cream (the mixture will bubble up furiously). Swirl to combine. Allow to cool completely before halving the toffee sauce.

5

Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool completely before taking out of the tins.

6

Returning to the buttercream, cream the 250g butter until very white and fluffy, 8 – 10 minutes, then add one half of the toffee sauce and whip to combine. The buttercream should be very light and fluffy.

7

To assemble, sandwich the cake layers together with the buttercream, sprinkling a little peanut brittle in between each layer. Cover the top and sides with the remaining buttercream. Decorate one half of the cake with the remaining peanut brittle.

8

For the apples, insert the sticks into the apples then set aside.

9

Melt the white chocolate gently over a double boiler then dip each apple into the chocolate. Allow to drip thoroughly before placing on a lined baking sheet to set completely.

10

Place the apples on top of the cake then drizzle with the remaining half of the toffee sauce to serve.

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