Autumn Cake {Fall Cake}

Learn how to make an easy tiered Autumn cake with apples. This fondant covered Fall cake is great for weddings, birthdays and even Thanksgiving parties.

*Thank you Craftsy for sponsoring today's post so I could share this recipe with all of you. As always, all opinions are mine.*

Since I am fascinated by cakes, I tend to spend hours looking at cake designs on the web. Last year, I saw an apple tiered cake by Kicca Cakes. Well, that cake has been on my mind ever since and I wanted to make something similar but add my own personal touch. I wanted to make it look more "rustic" and "antique-like" and really capture the season, and thus this beautiful cake was born. This Easy Rustic Cake and Chocolate Tree Cake also fall in the same category, if you would like more inspiration for this time of year.

How to make Autumn cake recipe from scratch?

1. Bake, cool, level, and stack cakes- In caramel icing.
2. Cover in brown fondant- Smoothly.
3. Insert pvc pipes- For support.
4. Add apples- On top of pvc pipes.
5. Insert a pvc pipe- In the center.
6. Add final cake- On top of the pipe.

How to make tiered cake? 

In order to make a secure tiered cake, you must use supports like pvc pipes or bubble tea straws. In this cake there are 6 pvc pipes. 1 is in the center and it's longer than the rest. The remaining 5 are hidden under each apple so as to prevent them from digging into the cake. The central pvc is glued to the base of the top tier. The bottom tier cake is 9x3 and the top tier is 6x3.

Variations for Fall cake

Try other cake flavors- Such as Chocolate Caramel Cake, Easy Ginger Cake {With Ginger Frosting}, or this Easy Spice Cake {Chai Tea Cake}.

Try other frosting flavors- Such as Brown Sugar Frosting {So fluffy!}, Easy Maple Frosting {4 Ingredients}, or Marshmallow Frosting.

Add a filling- I didn’t add a filling, but you could add Pumpkin Butter, Crockpot Apple Butter, or Homemade Caramel Sauce for even more flavor. You will need to slice each cake in half lengthwise and then add the filling. 

Replace fresh apples with mini pumpkins- Just try to make sure they are as uniform in size as possible.

Add gold candles- On the top tier for a birthday cake.

Tips and techniques for Autumn birthday cake 

You must use pvc pipes for support- Because it is the only way to withstand the weight of fresh apples. 

You can replace fresh apples with plastic ones- Because they are lighter. This way, you can add support in the cake with wooden dowels or bubble tea straws. You would still need a long central pvc pipe to create space and separation between the two tiers. 

Give this tiered apple cake a very "old" and "antique-y" look- I used the "wisping technique," which I learnt from Erin Gardner's Craftsy Class. In a plastic container, mix some brown and white gel colors until you end up with a golden brown shade. Now, dip your foam brush in this container. Start moving your hand right and left randomly across your fondant covered cake. Do this as many times as you like. Do some "wisping" on top of the cake too. Just move your foam brush swiftly in a circular motion. The cakes should look like they have streaks of gold. I also used a toothpick to add some texture and dents on the cake to make it look "old." 

I used curry leaves to add leaves to the apples- Because it's really hard to find apples with intact leaves. I used some royal icing to stick curry leaves into place. My main reason for using curry leaves was that they don't go limp quickly (such as mint leaves which go limp in about 20 minutes).

Cool cake completely before icing– Because it prevents the frosting from melting and sliding right off the cake.

Store-bought fondant vs. Homemade fondant- Either can be used. Homemade version just tastes better, in my opinion.

Storage of decorated Autumn wedding cake

Room temperature- Decorated cakes can be left at room temperature for 8-10 hours as long as there is no filling or element that requires refrigeration.

Refrigerate- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Please note that the fondant decorations will become slightly sticky due to moisture in fridge.  

Freeze- I don't recommend freezing a decorated cake. However, unfrosted cakes and frosting can be stored in sealed containers for up to 1 month. When you are ready to make this cake, just thaw to room temperature and assemble, as per instructions below.

More Autumn desserts/ Fall desserts

• Fall Cookies (Leaf Cookies)
• Chocolate Tree Cake
• Apple Pie Cake
• Chocolate Caramel Apples
• Easy Pumpkin Cake
• Fondant Turkey Topper
• Turkey Cake

Recipe