This Coca-Cola and amaretto apple cake recipe comes from Jacob Barlow, executive chef at Pacci Italian Kitchen + Bar in Savannah, Georgia.
As soon as I read the words “Coca-Cola and Amaretto Apple Cake,” you had my attention.
Jacob Barlow, the new executive chef at Savannah, Georgia’s Pacci Italian Kitchen + Bar (part of the luxe Kimpton Brice Hotel) shared this recipe with Food Fanatic so you could make this memorable and distinctive dessert at home.
Why trust him? Barlow has almost two decades of culinary experience in the Southeast and is Le Cordon Bleu–trained. He brings a “flavor-forward approach rooted in Southern tradition and global inspiration,” according to the Kimpton, and he quickly launched a new menu at their hotel by Savannah’s Washington Square. (I have yet to visit the hotel, but if you haven’t been to Savannah yet, it is definitely a bucket-list vacation spot, and one I’ve returned to frequently.)
Among his changes to the menu (which also includes “expanded vegan and gluten-free offerings”) are a batch of scratch-made, in-house desserts (often not a given even at places like this). And this amaretto apple cake with Coca-Cola caramel and whipped cream is one that you can fairly easily replicate at home in a relatively short amount of time.
Tip: Explore more of our dessert recipes.
“My mother inspired me to cook, and it’s her legacy of comfort, resilience, and heart that I bring into every kitchen,” Barlow said in a press release. “With Pacci, we’re creating dishes that are rooted in tradition, but unafraid to explore — where locals can gather, travelers can indulge, and everyone can feel at home.”
Sweet — literally. Sign me up.
Thank you to the Kimpton Brice and Barlow for sharing this recipe with us and letting it run with permission!
(As always, this is not sponsored content and we received no form of compensation for running the recipe. It’s just part of our ongoing commitment to bring you recipes and inspiration from chefs and cooks across the country and world!)
Related: This is the best apple peeler money can buy.
Coca-Cola and Amaretto Apple Cake
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer
- 1 springform pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 4 eggs
- 10 apples peeled and cut into 8 pieces each
- ½ cup melted butter
- 2 cups sugar
- ⅔ cup milk
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 lemon zested
- 2 oz amaretto
For the caramel
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup water
- 4 oz butter
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup Coca-Cola
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, whisk eggs and slowly add in sugar until the mixture becomes pale yellow.
- Add all dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.
- Fold in the melted butter, milk, and half of the apples.
- Pour batter into a greased springform pan, layer remaining apples on top, and bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- While the cake bakes (or before), make the caramel (see below).
- Let the apple cake cool before removing from the pan. Drizzle Coca-Cola caramel over the top of your cake.
- Slice and serve; store in a reach-in cooler or refrigerator.
To make the caramel
- In a pot add sugar and water, then bring to a boil. Reduce mixture till you start to see amber color bubble on the top.
- Whisk in your butter, heavy cream, and salt — be careful as mixture is extremely hot.
- Once combined, add in Coca-Cola and refrigerate until it thickens slightly.