candy apple vs confection

candy apple and confection both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
candy apple	Yes	No	No	No
confection	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, confection is a hypernym of candy apple; that is, confection is a word with a broader meaning than candy apple:

candy apple: an apple that is covered with a candy-like substance (usually caramelized sugar)
confection: a food rich in sugar

Other hypernyms of candy apple include sweet.

candy apple (noun)	confection (noun)
an apple that is covered with a candy-like substance (usually caramelized sugar)	the act of creating something (a medicine or drink or soup etc.) by compounding or mixing a variety of components
	a food rich in sugar

candy apple (verb)	confection (verb)
	make into a confection