Inspired by my mom's famous apple bundt and Yotam Ottolenghi's apple and olive oil cake, this simple fall apple cake is the perfect September recipe. A dense, apple-studded cake, filled with warming spices, topped with a classic cream cheese frosting and swirled with salted caramel.

RECIPE AND PHOTOS UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2021

I have a lot of very strong opinions about fall desserts. I love pulling on my boots, walking through crunchy leaves, and spices that warm you from the inside out, but —and I know that this might not be a popular opinion— pumpkin desserts are way overhyped. During the month of August, I drove past a local bakery marquee proudly proclaiming “Pumpkin is here!” In the month of August. In Florida. In 90 degree weather. Now, I am not a monster and I think pumpkins have their place in the fall dessert world, but I think that we miss a lot of wonderful seasonal produce in our mad-rush for everything pumpkin.

Late August and early September give us some of the year’s best tomatoes, end of season berries are begging to be stuffed into buttery little pie crusts, and it is prime apple season. This cake is here to help you take advantage of the apple bounty and ease you into fall at a leisurely pace. It was inspired by a spiced apple cake that my mom has been making for as long as I can remember and a really lovely apple olive oil cake created by Yotam Ottelenghi. Using olive oil gives the cake a moist, tender crumb while the egg whites provide a little extra structure and height. A slice of this is with a cup of coffee is a perfect start to your semi-fall morning and I promise, there will still be plenty of time for all that pumpkin.

how to make homemade salted caramel

A batch of homemade salted caramel in your fridge is the secret weapon of fall baking that you didn’t know you needed. It’s perfect for swirling into cream cheese frosting on this cake, drizzling over ice cream or dolloping into brownies and it’s actually quite simple to make.

Making homemade caramel can be a bit daunting the first few times you do it though, so I created a helpful little video to provide some guidance on your journey. For this recipe, we used the dry caramel process which simply means that there is no water added to the sugar when cooking. We cook the sugar in a skillet with a larger surface area and let it caramelize on its own, agitating it as little as possible to help prevent that pesky crystallization. Then, we whisk in heavy cream, cook it a bit more until it reaches that deep amber color we all know and love, and then whisk in butter and salt. It’s truly as simple as that and it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

a few tips for making perfect caramel

• Because caramel cooks so quickly, I like to get all of my tools and equipment ready beforehand. For this recipe, you'll need: a large skillet, a wooden spoon, a whisk, a cork or hotpad, bowls for your butter, sugar, and cream, and a clean bowl for your caramel to cool in.

• When cooking sugar, remember that agitation = crystallization, which is what we are trying to prevent. Stirring your sugar as little as possible before it has dissolved is key to smooth caramel.

• Out of fear of burning the caramel, many people don't cook their caramels long enough. I had a professor in pastry school who likened the process to adding cream to your coffee. When cooking the sugar, remember that you'll be adding cream which will lighten the color a bit. Cook your sugar until it is just one shade darker than you want your final product and then add the cream. I like my finished caramel to be a deep amber color (which you can see in the photos above).

• Cleaning all of your sticky, sugar-laden dishes can be a pain! For easy clean up, fill your skillet with water and plop your sticky tools inside. Bring the water to a boil and then pour it out and wash your dishes. All of the caramel should come right off with the hot water.