Apple Bundt Cake is a made-from-scratch cake filled with tart apples and topped with a buttery caramel glaze. This recipe is perfect any time of the year, but I especially love it in the fall! If you love caramel apple desserts, be sure to also try my Caramel Apple Dump Cake and Caramel Apple Cake.
Apple Bundt Cake
This Apple Bundt Cake has been a family favorite for years, one that my great-grandmother used to make! I would ask her, “How do you make a bundt cake, Grandma?” And she would lean in with a gleam in her eye and whisper, “You just stand by me and I’ll show you!” For another delicious apple dessert, try my Apple Crisp!
Apple Bundt Cake Ingredients
Apples: I love a good Granny Smith apple because it holds its shape and texture better than other varieties. You can certainly try other kinds of apples, but the texture of the cake may change.
Caramel Glaze: I topped this cake with a delicious caramel-flavored glaze. It gives you a hint of that classic caramel apple flavor that reminds me of fall! You could also serve it without the glaze if desired.
Best Apples for Apple Cake
It is important to use tart apples in order to get that tang that contrasts well with the buttery caramel topping in an apple cake. I recommend Honeycrisp or Granny smith.
- Honeycrisp- they are crisp and juicy with a honey-sweet and tart flavor
- Granny Smith- they are crisp and sour
- Golden Delicious – sweet
What’s the Best Bundt Cake Pan?
I recommend using a non-stick Bundt pan so the cake slides right out, and I use different pans depending on the size of the cake. For a 9-inch cake (like with this recipe), I use a Bundt pan from Anolon, which costs around $25 at Walmart. For a 10-inch cake, I go with this option from USA Pan, which is around $40.
How to Store and Freeze Apple Bundt Cake
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze this cake, I recommend not adding the glaze until you are ready to serve. Place the whole cake or individual pieces in an airtight container or freezer-safe sealable plastic bag. Try to remove as much air as possible. Be sure to label and date the container. The cake will freeze well for up to 3 months. When ready to thaw, remove the cake from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator overnight and allow it to come to room temperature before serving.
More Apple Desserts
Apple Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch Bundt pan I like this affordable nonstick pan!
- Small saucepan I recommend this one from Kitchenaid
- Hand mixer This is a good budget option from Hamilton Beach!
- Wire rack Like these cooling racks
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ cups (327 g) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
Caramel Glaze
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons heavy cream, room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly spray a 9-inch bundt pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat the sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend until just combined.
- Gently fold in the diced apples by hand until just combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 55-70 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for about 15-20 minutes in the pan and then invert it onto a wire rack. While the cake is cooling, prepare the caramel glaze.
Caramel Glaze
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar to a gentle boil, stirring occassionall until the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove the pan from heat, and add vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Allow the caramel glaze to sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken.
- Drizzle over the warm cake and serve.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Can this be made in a different pan? If so what size?
I haven’t tested it in other pans so can’t say for certain.
Can you add walnuts to this recipe
This apple cake is so darn good! Don’t skip serving it warm with vanilla ice cream and that caramel sauce!! We ate it for dessert, breakfast and snacks!Gets better the next day. Was a hit with my family, didn’t last long. Superb autumn recipe!!
Can I use Fuji apples for this delicious looking bundt cake?
Thanks,
Kelly
WOW,that’s a lot of oil! Is that a typo?
Nope. And as you can see from the reviews, it’s an excellent cake! 🙂
Do I need to refrigerate the cake?
Not if you are eating it. 🙂
This 👆🏻!
I loved the simplicity and the back story of this recipe! I saw a similar one, but still liked yours better! Thanks Grandma! I liked your idea with the apple pie spice, but didn’t have the ingredients to make my own, so I doubled the cinnamon and added 1/2 tea of nutmeg because I like a lot of spice. Thank you for this recipe!
The cake was out of this world and SO easy to make. I was really worried it wasn’t going to get done when it was still soupy after an hour in the oven, but everything firmed up in the last 15 minutes. The caramel topping did not work out for me – the sugar never dissolved and though I reheated and tried again, it never got there. I used another recipe that’s a tried and true and together it was perfect.
This cake is absolutely delicious! I baked it in my Nordicware bundt pan, and it came out beautifully. I used 2% milk in the glaze because I didn’t have heavy cream, and it came out great. This cake is so good, it will be my go-to cake recipe from now on!
Thrilled to hear it, Liz!
I’ve made this 4 times now, and it’s always amazing!
I’m not a strong baker, so tonight when I made it, it came out a little crumbly even though it’s moist (and still delicious!). I’m Not sure what I did wrong? Should I be using cake flour instead of all-purpose? Thanks for any suggestions you can provide!