I love caramel, apples, snacks, and cake, so a caramel apple snack cake just makes sense.
The cinnamon/caramel/apple flavor combination is essentially the epitome of fall. The smell of this snack cake baking in the oven will make you want to grab some friends, go on pretty fall walk, and jump in piles of crisp leaves.
Maybe those crisp leaves are now buried under a pile of snow?? A walk is still a good idea.
So go do that as these are cooling. Then when you come in you can enjoy a slice with mugs of steamy coffee and your favorite people.
To make these I took a basic blondie recipe (1 stick butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup flour) and added in some cinnamon, a shredded Zestar apple, and some caramel bits (these things). The moisture from the apple made these light and cakey rather than gooey and dense like blondies typically are.
Which is why I am calling it a snack cake.
Side note: Make sure to squeeze the excess moisture out of the shredded apple!
On a semi-related note, Katie and I had friends visiting this weekend from California (hi Ellie & Oliver!), so we drove towards the mountains for short, yet scenic hike at St. Mary’s Glacier. It was so, so beautiful. We took lots of pictures and stopped for lunch near the glacier. Naturally, I packed pieces of this caramel apple snack cake for dessert.
It was such a fun afternoon. I don’t think the beauty of the mountains will ever stop surprising me. Never, ever.
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 medium apple, shredded (I used a Zestar)
- ½ cup caramel bits
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8” baking pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
- Mix the melted butter, brown sugar, and egg together until everything is combined.
- Stir in the flour and cinnamon until incorporated.
- Fold in the shredded apple and caramel bits (saving a bit to put on top).
- Place batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle on the remaining caramel bits and a little bit of sea salt.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the center is set.
- Cool completely in the pan, then cut and serve!
