Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour packed (280 g)
• ¼ cup Cornstarch (40 g)
• 1 tsp Baking Powder (5 g)
• ½ tsp Baking Soda (3 g)
• ¼ tsp Salt (1 g)
• 5 Eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar (215 g)
• ½ cup Brown Sugar (120 g)
• ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp Ground Cloves
• ⅛ tsp Ground Ginger
• ¾ tsp Vanilla Extract (3.75 ml)
• 1 cup Butter, melted (227 g)
• 1 cup Milk (237 ml)

• 4 medium Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick (681 g)
• 2 Tbsp Butter, melted (28 g)
• 2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice (10 ml)

• 1 lb unsalted Butter, softened (454 g)
• ½ cup Caramel Sauce or topping (118 ml)
• ½ tsp Vanilla Extract (2.5 ml)
• ⅛ tsp Fine Sea Salt
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar (150 g)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray four 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray. If you don’t have four pans this can be done in batches.
3. Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Add eggs, sugars, spices and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high speed until the mixture has thickened and leaves light trails, 2-3 minutes.
5. Whisk in butter and milk on low speed until just combined. Then add half of the dry mixture and whisk until mostly combined before adding the rest and mixing until a smooth batter has formed.
6. Divide batter evenly between the pans, about 1⅓ cups per pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool a few minutes in the pan before turning out onto a rack to cool completely. (If cooking the cakes in batches keep the batter at room temperature until ready to bake.)
7. While the cakes cool, toss the apples in lemon juice and butter, then place on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 15-20 minutes, until just soft throughout but still hold their shape. Allow to cool completely.
8. To make the buttercream, add butter, caramel, vanilla and salt to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl once. Add powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the sugar is absorbed, then mix on high speed until the buttercream is light and airy, about 5 minutes.
9. To assemble the cake, place one layer, bottom up, on an 8-inch cake round or plate. Pipe buttercream in the center of the top leaving about ¾ inch of cake bare along the edge. Arrange slices of apple in a circle around the edge and one in the middle. Repeat this with the next two layers of cake. For the top, leave a little more of the cake edge bare and top with apples in a circle.