Thanksgiving Dessert

Thanksgiving Apple Spice Olive Oil Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream

A moist, warmly spiced olive oil cake studded with cinnamon-tossed apples, then crowned with a silky salted caramel buttercream. The olive oil keeps it tender for days, the spice blend makes the whole kitchen smell like the holiday, and the caramel swirl on top is the kind of finish that makes people assume you went to pastry school.

Serves 10–12 · 25 min active · 45–60 min bake · overnight cool

Made by Anna and the Kitch

Shopping List

Ingredients:

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•   2 Apples
•   2 Oranges
•   1 Lemon
•   3 Eggs
•   1 bottle Olive oil
•   1 bag Granulated sugar
•   1 carton Whole milk
•   1 bottle vanilla extract
•   1 bag All-purpose flour
•   1 box Baking soda
•   1 tin Baking powder
•   Ground cinnamon
•   Ground cloves
•   Ground nutmeg
•   1 bag Brown sugar
•   2 sticks Unsalted butter
•   1 bag Powdered sugar
•   1 jar Salted caramel sauce

Ingredients are subject to availability at local stores. Unavailable items will be automatically substituted at best-effort.

Use a good extra-virgin olive oil you’d actually eat on its own — the flavour carries through the cake. The butter for the frosting must be genuinely soft at room temperature, so take it out an hour or two ahead. Grate the apples on the coarse side of a box grater rather than dicing them if you want a more uniform crumb.

Directions

Prep the pan and apples

1. Preheat and line the tin: Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease an 8-inch round tin with oil and line the bottom with a parchment round.
2. Toss the apples: Dice 2 apples into small cubes and mix them in a bowl with 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp flour, and ½ tsp salt until every piece is evenly coated. Set aside.

Mix the batter

1. Combine the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups plain flour, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground cloves, and 1 tsp ground nutmeg until evenly distributed.
2. Whisk the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk 3 eggs, 1½ cups olive oil, 1¼ cups sugar, 1¼ cups whole milk, 1 Tbsp vanilla, the juice and zest of 2 oranges, and the zest of 1 lemon until smooth and fully combined.
3. Bring it together: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the cinnamon-tossed apples gently — stop as soon as they’re distributed. Overmixing here makes the cake tough.

Bake and cool

1. Bake immediately: Pour the batter into the prepared tin and get it into the oven right away. The baking soda and powder start working the moment they hit the liquid, so don’t let the batter sit on the counter.
2. Check at 45 minutes: Bake for about 1 hour, checking at 45 minutes to see whether the centre is set. A skewer inserted in the middle should come out with just a few moist crumbs.
3. Cool completely: Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely in the tin, ideally overnight. A warm cake will melt the buttercream.

Make the buttercream

1. Whip the butter: Beat 200g (1 cup) softened unsalted butter until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl once or twice.
2. Add the sugar: Add 100g (¾ cup) powdered sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated.
3. Finish the frosting: Add 1½ Tbsp whole milk or heavy cream and ½ Tbsp vanilla, then continue beating until the frosting is light, fluffy, and spreadable.

Frost and serve

1. Frost the cake: Spread the buttercream over the fully cooled cake, swirling it with the back of a spoon.
2. Swirl in the caramel: Drizzle over salted caramel sauce and swirl it through the frosting with a knife or skewer.
3. Finish and serve: Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if you like, then slice and serve.

Make-ahead: The cake itself is best baked a day ahead — it actually improves overnight as the spices settle and the crumb firms up. Wrap it tightly at room temperature. The buttercream can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated; bring it back to room temperature and re-whip before using. Frost and add the caramel swirl the day you plan to serve.