Apple Spice Olive Oil Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream
Wet Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups olive oil or ~ 360 ml (a neutral oil will also work)
1 1/4 cups sugar or ~250 grams sugar
1 1/4 cups whole milk or ~300 ml
1 tbsp vanilla
Juice and zest of 2 oranges
Zest of 1 lemon
Dry Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour or ~250 grams
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
For the spiced apples:
2 apples cut into a dice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
Frosting:
200 g butter or ~1 cup, it is important that this is soft/at room temperature
100 g powdered sugar or ~3/4 cup
1.5 tbsp whole milk or heavy cream
1/2 tbsp vanilla
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F
Prepare an 8-inch round tin with oil and a parchment round on the bottom.
Start by preparing the apples. Mix the diced apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, flour, and salt until well combined.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
Whisk the wet ingredients together: eggs, olive oil, sugar, whole milk, vanilla, orange juice and zest, and lemon zest.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until well combined. Lightly fold in the apples until just combined, don’t overmix.
Pour the mixture directly into the pan and into the oven. Do this quickly as the baking soda and powder begin working when combined with liquid, so it’s best to get it into the oven as soon as possible.
Bake for about an hour, checking at 45 minutes to see if the cake is set.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, ideally overnight.
Make the frosting: whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar in a little bit at a time until well combined. Add in the milk/cream and vanilla and continue to beat until you have a light and fluffy frosting.
Top the cake with the frosting, swirling in the caramel sauce. Top with flaky salt if you want and enjoy!
