I have been waiting for this moment all week, friends. The moment I get to share this Apple Butter Cinnamon Roll Cake with you. It’s a combination of all the wonderful things I love about fall. Apples and cinnamon and, you know, cake. It makes your kitchen smell SO heavenly. I *almost* didn’t want to take it out of the oven. 😉
I often mention the line of food-scented candles that I would love to create one day. A few of the potential flavors are toasted coconut, hummingbird cake, and like anything with browned butter in it. Apple + cinnamon roll will totally have to be a thing.
Just look at it. I’m actually kind of sad I only tested one slice and gave the rest away. (Lindsey, if you’re reading this, do you ummmmm, maybe have any left?)
I just really love the way the cinnamon filling sinks into the batter while this cake is baking. Remember awhile back when everyone was freaking out about cinnamon roll pancakes on Pinterest? It’s kinda like that. After the batter is whipped up and poured into a springform pan, I piped a nice big swirl of cinnamon + sugar filling on top using a squeeze bottle.
Then it goes into the oven to bake and magically transform into a giant, fluffy, apple cinnamon cloud. ♥
There are four parts to this cake. The apple butter, cake batter, cinnamon filling, and glaze. They each come together pretty easily, but I think you could break it up into two days if you need to. Or purchase apple butter instead of making your own.
There’s a recipe for a small batch of apple butter (it literally makes 1 cup) below, which you could make the day before and store covered in the refrigerator. The cake is fairly simple, and the cinnamon-sugar filling is just butter, cinnamon, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Then while the cake is cooling, you can whisk together the glaze.
Can you imagine eating a slice of this with a cup of coffee and a big blanket, while wearing a comfy sweater and scarf and looking out at all the colofrul autumn leaves? Omg. <3
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Apple Butter Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
small batch stove-top apple butter
- 2 large apples peeled, cored, and chopped
- ½ cup apple juice or water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Pinch nutmeg
cinnamon filling
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
apple butter cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup butter softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup apple butter
vanilla glaze
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
small batch stove-top apple butter
- Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and slightly reduce heat. Let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft. Mash apples and continue to cook until mixture has thickened. It should be the consistency of really thick applesauce, and be able to coat the back of a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. (It's okay if it's lumpy!) Remove from heat and let cool.
cinnamon filling
- Stir together all ingredients and transfer to a squeeze bottle or piping bag. Set aside.
apple butter cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 or 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
- Whisk together flour baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
- Beat butter on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and mix until fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. Then add flour mixture and milk; mix until combined. Add apple butter and mix until incorporated.
- Pour batter into the prepared springform pan, and place the pan on a baking sheet. Using the squeeze bottle or piping bag, pipe a spiral of cinnamon filling on the top of the cake. (I piped a thin spiral first, and then went back and make it thicker.)
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until center has set and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake (not the cinnamon part) comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes.
vanilla glaze
- Whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cake and serve!
Notes
Well, I really don’t do apple butter…but Stephen is going to bug me about trying to make this cake if he sees it! It’s gorgeous!
Molly | Hey There Sunshine
All those candle flavors! I would buy em! haha
And this cake! Holy cow it looks delicious! So much fall goodness!
This is a big cake of deliciousness!
This is sooo cool! I LOVE it Beth!
I wish this cake was sitting on my kitchen counter because I totally want to eat it with a piping hot cup of coffee.
Great idea! I thought it was a cinnamon roll at first.
Yes please! I want a piece of this with the blanket, cup of coffee and fall leaves too! Just spectacular…
This is so awesome! The writing, photography and recipe! I really want to make this cake. ?
Let me know when you finally create that candle line, because I would buy them all! Cinnamon roll cakes are the best! Love the addition of apple butter!
An apple / cinnamon roll-scented candle certainly sounds divine! Great idea 🙂 This cake looks like a great idea too, love the cinnamon swirl on top!
WHOA!!! That’s all I have to say.
Okay, this is one babely cake! I am dying over that swirl 😉
So I just tried making your Apple Butter Cinnamon Roll Cake and I think you have the oven temperature incorrect. Your recipe says to preheat to 250. I thought this was odd but went ahead and tried it. Um, it didn’t cook too well. Should the temperature be 350?
Hi Diane, I am SO incredibly sorry. You are correct, it definitely should be 350. I’ve changed it now, and thanks for bringing that to my attention. I’m so sorry your cake did not turn out!!
Once I realized it should have been 350, I just turned up the oven and continued baking it. Took it to work and everyone loved it, so it turned out anyway! 🙂
I made this last week for my Hubs and WOW was it ever great! It was perfect from the get go so it seems silly to say this, but I swear it got better sitting on my counter as the week wore on. It’s so moist and flavourful.
If I had food scented candles, I would eat all the time :). These looks so yummy!
Hi Beth, yummy recipe but my swirl didn’t stay nice looking at all. Do you have any tricks to make the swirl stay intact?