Wicked Toffee-Apple Cake with Caramel Peanut-Brittle Buttercream and Snow-White Apples

Indulge in a wickedly enchanting Halloween treat — layers of spiced toffee-apple cake wrapped in a swirl of caramel buttercream and crowned with ghostly white chocolate apples. It’s a showstopper that casts a sweet spell on every guest.

Wicked Toffee-Apple Cake with Caramel Peanut-Brittle Buttercream and Snow-White Apples

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Total Time 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings: 10 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Fusion

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

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For the Toffee-Apple Cake

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

For the Peanut-Brittle Buttercream

• 240 g sugar
• 250 ml water
• 375 ml fresh cream
• 250 g butter softened

For the Snow-White Apples

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

Method

 

Make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line three 20 cm sandwich cake tins.
2. Cream together the butter and demerara sugar until very light and fluffy (about 8–10 minutes).
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. Combine dry ingredients: Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
5. Fold into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Stir in the grated, well-squeezed apple and toasted almonds.
6. Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Make the toffee caramel:

1. In a saucepan, heat the sugar and water gently until the sugar dissolves.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer (without stirring) until it turns a dark toffee colour (around 137°C on a sugar thermometer).
3. Carefully pour in the cream (it will bubble up) and swirl to combine.
4. Allow to cool completely, then divide the toffee sauce into two halves.
5. Cool the cakes completely before removing them from the tins.

Prepare the buttercream:

1. Beat the butter until very white and fluffy (8–10 minutes).
2. Add one half of the cooled toffee sauce and whip to combine. The buttercream should be light and airy.

Assemble the cake:

1. Sandwich the cake layers together with buttercream, sprinkling a little crushed peanut brittle between each layer.
2. Cover the top and sides with the remaining buttercream and decorate one side with more peanut brittle.

Prepare the apples:

1. Insert wooden sticks into the apples and set aside.
2. Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler. Dip each apple into the melted chocolate, let excess drip off, and place on a lined baking sheet to set completely.

Decorate:

1. Place the coated apples on top of the cake and drizzle with the remaining half of the toffee sauce. Serve and enjoy!

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