Release the Caramel Apple pie Piecaken (in my best Liam Neeson voice)! This dessert consists of a homemade caramel apple pie with butter rum caramel sauce within a french vanilla cake. It is frosted with my homemade caramel apple buttercream frosting. This cake is rich, delicious, and full of calories. However, I am grateful to Chef Zac Young for inventing this masterpiece.
Ingredients and substitutions
- All-purpose flour: Cake flour can be substituted
- Lard
- Unsalted butter
- Spiced dark rum
- Hershey's caramel sauce: or make your own like this one.
- Confectioner's sugar
- Granny smith apples
Step by step instructions
This recipe is very time consuming. However, there are two options for making the Piecaken.
If you are more short on time, you can purchase a store bought cake mix and apple pie and assemble it accordingly.
But, if you want to make everything from scratch, just allow more time for this option. Nonetheless, I made everything from scratch except for the cake. So follow steps below to make the best Caramel apple Piecaken!
Pie crust
The pie crust (makes about 5 crusts) I used in this recipe was from my Great Aunt Marion. It is so tender and flaky and works really well with most pies and it is not hard to make.
First, In a large bowl, combine 1 lb of lard, 5 cups or flour, and ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Mix until that is all combined. Next, with a 1 cup measuring cup add a beaten egg, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice , and the rest with cold water until cup is full. Pour over dry ingredients and then mix with the pastry blender. Once completely combined, you split it up into two large balls and chill for an hour.
Remove dough from fridge and roll out one ball on a floured surface and place in the bottom of your pie pan (make sure to leave enough to have dough hanging over the edges). Set that aside along with the other ball of dough.
Butter rum caramel sauce
This sauce was literally the best caramel sauce I have ever eaten. I have to give a shout out to a friend of mine who gave me the recipe for the sauce and the apple pie filling. You guys, she's an amazing and personal chef here in the Milwaukee area. Please look her up Chef Lissie Vorberg!
First, add the sugar, corn syrup, water and lemon juice in a sauce pan. Put on medium heat and stir until the sugar completely dissolves. Bring to a boil until the sauce is a dark amber color. DO NOT STIR as it will crystallize. If you notice spots getting darker just lightly swirl!
Lastly, turn your heat to low and add your heavy cream. You will get splatter at this point so don't be alarmed. Continue to stir until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and add Captain Morgan rum, salt and Vanilla! Allow to cool.
Apple Pie filling
Finally, my favorite part of this recipe, the apple pie filling! The heart of any good pie!
First, add the spices and flour in a small bowl and whisk together. Then add lemon juice to your sliced and peeled apples. Pour spices on top and mix well. Put apples in the bottom of the pie crust.
Once the apples are in, vent the other rolled out dough and place on top of the apples. Make sure to pinch the edges together and cut off excess dough. You then can pour caramel apple sauce over the pie. It does get a little bit messy, so place pie on foil lined baking sheet.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce your heat to 350 and bake for another 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. This pie is best refrigerated overnight before being assembled into the piecaken.
Betty crocker French Vanilla cake mix
Well...... not much to it, prepare cake mix as directed. Now I added some ground cinnamon to give it that extra flavor!
If you prefer to make your own french vanilla cake, go for it!
Assembly of piecaken
This part had me a bit nervous as I was scared that I was going to destroy my pie, but thankfully I didn't!
First, add half of the vanilla batter to the bottom of a greased 9 in springform pan, gently place the apple pie upside down on top of vanilla batter, and then put the rest of the batter on top.
Place in oven at 350 and bake for 90 minutes or until cake in the center is set. Half way through make sure you cover the sides of the cake with foil as they bake faster than the center!
Remove from oven and I recommend to let it cool for several hours before frosting. If frosted too soon, piecaken is still too warm and frosting won't set right.
Caramel apple buttercream frosting
Yummy! With your kitchenmaid stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and salt until light and fluffy. Add in your confectioner's sugar 1-2 cups at a time.
Lastly, add in you apple juice concentrate and Hershey's caramel syrup. You may have to add more confectioner's sugar to get your desired consistency. Once cake has cooled, pipe or spread on top of the piecaken. Serve and enjoy!
Variations
- Check out my Valentine's Day piecaken for another variation.
- Frost with a caramel buttercream or even a cream cheese frosting.
- Add in nuts if desired.
- Add in three layers or cake or pie as well.
FAQ's
Check out this link to explain more about what this hybrid dessert is all about!
Caramel apple pie piecaken
Equipment
- Electric mixer with beaters
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Home Decor
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatula
- 9 in pie pan
- 9 in springform cake pan
- Whisk
- Sauce pan
- flat spatula
- cake decorating plate and decorating stand
- apple corer and peeler
- Rolling pin
- pastry blender
Ingredients
Homeade pie crust
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 lb lard can substitute with shortening
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ice cold water please see directions on how to add
- 1 egg beaten
Butter rum caramel sauce
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 tablespoon corn syrup
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ cup spiced dark rum
Apple pie filling
- 7 cups granny smith apples peeled and sliced
- 3 tsbp flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
French Vanilla Cake mix
- 1 box Betty Crockers cake mix
Caramel Apple buttercream frosting
- 1 cup butter, room temp 2 sticks
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4-5 teaspoon apple juice concentrate
- ½ cup hershey's caramel sauce
- 5 cups confectioner's sugar
Instructions
Pie crust
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the lard, 5 cups of flour and granulated sugar. Set aside.
- In a measuring cup (1 cup) put your beaten egg in, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and then fill the rest with ice cold water until full.
- Pour over dry ingredients and mix with pastry blender until a large ball of dough is formed and all the flour is combined. Dough should not be sticky. Chill for an hour and separate into 2 balls.
- Place one dough on a floured flat surface and roll out flat until it is about as thin as a quarter. Place 9 in pie pan on top and cut out circle around pie pan. Place dough at the bottom on the pie pan with extra dough hanging over the edges.
Butter Rum caramel sauce
- Combine the granulated sugar, water, corn syrup and lemon juice in sauce pan. Place on medium heat and stir ONLY until sugar has dissolved.
- Bring to a boil WITHOUT STIRRING until mixture is a deep amber color. If you notice that one spot is darkening and the rest is not, pick up the pan and gently swirl. Don't stir as it will crystalize!
- Turn the heat to low and add the heavy cream. Be careful as it is going to splatter. Continue to cook while stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened. Once it has thickened, remove from the heat and add the salt, vanilla and rum. Stir until well combined and allow to cool.
Pie filling
- Preheat the oven to 425°. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour and the spices. In a separate bowl, coat the apple slices with the lemon juice. Next toss the apples with the flour mixture. Place the apples into the prepared pie plate with bottom crust.
- Roll out the remaining dough on the floured surface and vent with at least 3 holes (I used a piping top). Place on top of apples in crust. Trim the edges of both the bottom and top crust and pinch together to form a nice edge.
- Pour in 1½ cups of butter rum caramel sauce over the pie letting it drip down in the pie. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 350°and bake until the crust is a golden brown in color. Approximately 35 minutes. This does get very messy, so place pie on a full lined baking sheet. Allow pie to completely cool. I placed it in the fridge with a light foil on top overnight. This works better when making the piecaken.
Caramel apple buttercream frosting
- In the stand mixer combine the butter and salt. Mix on a medium speed until the butter is light and fluffy. Scraping down the mixture.
- Slowly add in the confectioner's sugar 1-2 cups at a time while the mixer is on medium. Stopping to scrape down the bowl if needed.
- Once confectioner's sugar is mixed, add in the apple juice concentrate and hershey's caramel and turn the speed up to high. If mixture seems to wet, just add more confectioner's sugar to get your desired consistency.
Betty Crocker French Vanilla cake mix
- Prepare mix as directed. I did add one teaspoon of cinnamon to my mix.
Piecaken
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease your 9 in spring pan with crisco. Pour ½ of the french vanilla cake mix into the bottom of the pan. Place your caramel apple pie upside down on top of the batter. Then lastly add the rest of the french vanilla batter on top. Don't worry if it seems like a tight fit, the batter will fall around the pie and bake over it.
- It will bake for 90 minutes. Half way through be sure to put aluminum foil around the edges as they bake much faster than the center. Once the center is set the cake is done.
- Allow to cool for about 1-2 hours and then frost.
Notes
- Make pie the day before as it has time to set and cool.
- I recommend that once the dessert is done to let it cool for 1-2 hours and then store in an airtight container and frost the next day.
- Will stay good when stored in the airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Hybrid desserts to enjoy!
Fun Fact of the day!
Honeybees have a type of hair on their eyes!
Recommended Products
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