Gluten-Free Mini Caramel Apple Cakes

Caramel apples are a fall favorite everywhere. But devastatingly, one cannot consume them whilst wearing braces (like my almost teen and her brothers before her).

The solution? These tiny caramel apple cakes!

I know that they aren’t exactly the same as a sticky caramel apple, but the flavor profile is. The cakes are moist and full of sweet tart apple chunks, and the sauce that’s drizzled over the top is, as my husband put it, like crack (as if he’d know).

These would be perfect to make for your fall bake sale, or a fantastic dessert for adults on Halloween night. Don’t forget about Thanksgiving…and Christmas…and Tuesday (because really they are easy enough to make on a weeknight). I made a larger version of this in my bundt pan (just double the recipe) and served it to the ladies on book club night.

And you know what? It was perfect for that too.

Gluten-Free Mini Caramel Apple Cakes

These sweet cakes just sing fall. Chock full of sweet tart apples and smothered in a rich caramel glaze, it's hard to stop after just one. If you don't have a mini-bundt pan, make cupcakes instead. To feed a larger crowd, double the cake recipe and use a large bundt pan.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced granny smith apples
• For the caramel glaze:
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 a stick)
• 3 tablespoons milk or half and half
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini bundt pan (the kind with 6 wells) with cooking spray. (Alternatively, make cupcakes and line a muffin pan with liners). Set aside.

Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown and fragrant. Set aside.

Mix the flour, sugars, cinnamon, xanthan, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and allspice in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, oil, apple sauce, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Gently mix in the apples and pecans by hand.

Spoon the mixture equally into the wells of your prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze. Heat the butter and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly, and remove from heat. Stir in the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar and beat with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cakes.

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