Apple Gooey Butter Cake

Instructions

For the Brown Butter

Add the butter to a pot and heat it over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt and come to a simmer. Simmer until the butter is foamy, giving off a nutty scent and has browned. The whole process should take about 5-6 minutes.
1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter
Remove the butter from the heat and transfer it to a large bowl. Pop it in the fridge and allow it to cool completely until it is solid but still malleable. It should be the same consistency as regular, softened butter.

For the Spiced Apples

Add the chopped apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and brown sugar to a medium pan.
2 cups (268 g) apples peeled and diced into ½ inch pieces, about 2 apples, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground allspice, 2 tbsp (28 g) brown sugar
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the juices have thickened and the apples are slightly tender. Remove from the heat and let cool while working on the batter.

For the Gooey Cream Cheese Layer

Add the cream cheese, egg and egg yolk to a large mixing bowl and mix on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, at room temperature, 1 egg, at room temperature, 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
Then sift in half of the powdered sugar. Mix on low then medium speed until all is combined. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar and repeat. Mix just until combined. Then set aside.
2 1/2 cups (325 g) powdered sugar

For the Brown Butter Spice Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then set aside the dry ingredients.
1 cup + 2 tbsp (141 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled , 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground allspice, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt
Once the brown butter has cooled, whip it with an electric mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
brown butter from above
Then add in the sugar and cream together on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
Then add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix on medium-high speed until smooth and pale in color, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
1 egg, at room temperature, 1 egg yolk, at room temperature, 2 tsp vanilla extract
Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing on low speed until all is combined and the batter is smooth.
1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
Pour half the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the apples over the the cake batter. Then pour the remaining cake batter over the apples and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Then pour the cream cheese mixture over top and spread it evenly.
Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes, or until the center is shiny, has a jiggle still, and the edges are a light golden brown color.
Then let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 45 minutes. Then transfer the cake to the fridge to cool for 2 hours.

For the Salted Caramel Sauce

While the cake cools make the caramel sauce. Add the granulated white sugar to a large sauce pan and heat it over medium-low heat. As the sugar is heating it will crystalize and then eventually all melt down and turn golden in color. When most of the sugar has melted, but there are still a few crystalized clumps, turn the heat down to low so the melted sugar doesn't burn. (Melting all the sugar takes around 20 minutes.)
1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
Once all the sugar has melted and turned golden in color, add in the butter right away. Stir quickly until the butter is incorporated.
5 tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Then add in the heavy cream and stir quickly again to incorporate everything together. (At this point, if you see the butter and cream start to separate from the sugar, turn the heat up to medium low and stir vigorously to combine everything together. This can happen if your butter and cream aren't room temperature.)
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
Lastly, add in the sea salt and vanilla and stir to combine.
1/4 - 1/2 tsp sea salt, depending on your preference, 1 tsp vanilla
Let the caramel simmer on low for 3-4 minutes, then remove it from the heat and allow to cool completely before using.

Assembling the Cake

Once the cake has cooled, use a butter knife to loosen the edges of the cake from the sides of the pan. Then remove it from the springform pan and transfer it to a serving plate.
Pour the caramel sauce over the top and spread it evenly with an offset spatula. Then serve!
(The cake is best served at room temperature, so if you're preparing the cake the day before and letting it chill in the fridge overnight, pull it out and let sit for a hour at room temperature, then pour the caramel over top and serve.)

Ingredients

For the Brown Butter

For the Spiced Apples

For the Gooey Cream Cheese Layer

For the Brown Butter Spice Cake

For the Salted Carmel Sauce

Instructions

For the Brown Butter

For the Spiced Apples

For the Gooey Cream Cheese Layer

For the Brown Butter Spice Cake

For the Salted Caramel Sauce

Assembling the Cake