Originally published in 2014, this deliciously moist and spiced apple Bundt cake is smothered in a buttery brown sugar glaze. Use your favorite apple variety such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. It’s like a denser, more cinnamon-y (technical terms!) version of this fresh apple cake.
I love old-fashioned desserts. The kinds of desserts grandmas make so well, often memorized in their heads. Like buttery homemade caramel corn, banana bread, and apple pie. Or peach cobbler, cornbread, and teeth-rotting sweet chocolate fudge. Yum.
Today’s recipe is just that. It’s like a big, sweet hug from grandma’s kitchen.
If you’re a regular reader, you know what my favorite dessert is. Do I talk about it all the time? Probably too much. Apple pie, apple pie, apple pie. And I’ve even written extensively about the pie crust that accompanies this holy grail of desserts.
Let me continue. Today’s apple Bundt cake was inspired by my Brown Sugar Glazed Apple Bread recipe in my cookbook. The first recipe in my cookbook because it’s the best. Soft, dense, and absolutely packed with apples. It’s the kind of bread you bake on lazy Sundays not only because it’s so good but because it makes your house smell so good.
And this cake is exactly like it. It’s a combination between buttery pound cake and apple pie. It is, simply put, the quintessential recipe to make in the fall season. Sweetened mostly with brown sugar, this cake will melt in your mouth. Cinnamon spice and apple chunks are in every bite. Seriously, I do not skimp on apple chunks in my apple dessert recipes. They’re the best part, yes? The cascade of brown sugar glaze was an afterthought, but might just be the best decision I’ve ever made.
Because the Bundt cake is so large, it will take a good amount of time in the oven. Larger recipes like this have bake times that vary greatly between ovens, but I find 1 hour and 10 minutes is the perfect number. Your bake time may be higher or lower and that’s normal, so don’t get discouraged as you watch the clock.
What Kind of Apples to Use in Apple Bundt Cake?
You can use your favorite apple variety in this apple Bundt cake. Some friends and I went to the apple orchard a couple weeks ago and picked some juicy Jonagolds and Granny Smiths. If they had Honeycrisps available that day, I would absolutely have made this cake with those. All hail the Honeycrisps! For a detailed list of my favorite apple varieties, and when to use each, you can visit my post on the best apples for baking. If you find yourself with a plethora of apples like I did, you should also make these apple cinnamon scones for breakfast.
Enjoy, my fellow apple dessert lovers. See all my apple recipes and a list of 30+ fall cake ideas.
More Bundt Cakes to Love
- Peach Bundt Cake
- Lemon Berry Yogurt Cake
- Chai Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Marble Banana Bundt Cake
- Hummingbird Bundt Cake
Glazed Apple Bundt Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Tender and moist homemade apple Bundt cake smothered in a buttery brown sugar glaze. Your new favorite cake for the crisp fall weather.
Ingredients
Apple Bundt Cake
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, 1 full Tablespoon)
- 3 cups (360g) peeled and chopped apples, about 2–3 large apples
Brown Sugar Glaze
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (60g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Spray a 10-to-12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, yogurt, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until combined and creamy. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and slowly whisk until no large lumps remain. Try to avoid over-mixing. Carefully fold in the apple chunks. If you feel 3 large apples is too much, feel free to cut down to 2 apples. I like a lot of apple chunks in my cake!
- Spoon/pour the thick batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 55–75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. The baking times may vary depending on your oven, if you used a 10 cup bundt pan or 12 cup, or if you used less apple chunks. Keep your eye on the cake after 55 minutes. Feel free to cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil about halfway through to prevent heavy browning on top. Allow the cake to cool in the pan set on a wire rack, then invert onto a serving plate once cooled and ready to serve.
- Make the glaze: As the cake cools, prepare the brown sugar glaze. Combine the butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter has melted, and then stop stirring and let the mixture come to a rapid boil. Boil for 1 minute. Turn the heat down to low, give it a quick stir, and let simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Allow glaze to cool and slightly thicken for at least 10 minutes. Spoon glaze over the cake right before serving. (Cake can still be warm when glazing.) If your glaze thickened up too much as it cooled, warm in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir until smooth.
- I like this cake warm, at room temperature, and even cold. Cover leftovers and store at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Flavor is outstanding on day 2!
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cake freezes well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 10- to-12-Cup Bundt Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Rubber Spatula | Cooling Rack | Saucepan | Fine Mesh Sieve
- Nuts: For some texture, add 1 cup of your favorite chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts.
- Yogurt: I prefer plain Greek yogurt here, but regular plain yogurt or sour cream works as well.
- Apples: I prefer a mix of tart and sweet in my apple dessert recipes. Here are the best apples for baking.
- Sheet Cake or Cupcakes: Try my similar recipes for apple cake or apple spice cupcakes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This cake was amazing – my friends were raving about how soft and moist it was, even after making two days in advance.
The supermarket didn’t have any greek yogurt, so i subbed with icelandic Skyr, which has the same consistency. My apples added up to around 3.5 cups and I also threw in a handful of chopped pecans and a tablespoon or two of poppy seeds for some extra texture.
I also didn’t want it to be too sweet because my apples were already really sweet, so i skipped the white sugar, crossed my fingers and upped the Skyr to 150g. I think i had to add an extra 20 min of baking time, but then i just covered it loosely with aluminum foil to keep the top from burning (which I learned from this site!).
Topped it with the butter rum glaze from another recipe, toasted sliced almonds and baked apple rings.
Can I use applesauce instead of apples for this recipe?
Hi Nancy, that would be too much liquid in the batter. I recommend sticking to the recipe and using chopped apples. Here are all of my recipes that call for applesauce if you’re interested.
Can I use vanilla Greek yogurt and eliminate the vanilla.
Hi Helen, You could use vanilla yogurt and then perhaps cut the vanilla extract in half – I wouldn’t leave it out completely. Let us know if you try it!
This cake is delicious, and much better if you make it two days in advance and let it sit. The icing is very very sweet on the cake and next time I might just sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake. I used two medium Gala and two Granny Smith apples and it was perfect. Next time I’d like to add some walnuts, too.
I’m going to try this with pears instead. Have you?
Hi Amy, You can definitely replace the apples with pears. Enjoy!
Can this be baked in a 9×13 pan with a crumb topping? If so, for about how long?
Yes, definitely! No changes to the batter necessary. Bake time will be similar to this spice cake recipe. 45-50 minutes.
Absolutely delicious. It came out perfectly. I made this yesterday for girlfriends and they LOVED it! Then my husband came home and had some and he LOVED it! This is as you say “the perfect fall dessert”.
Hi Sally! My glaze doesn’t seem to be thickening up. Do you have any idea of what I could do?
Thanks
Hi Emily! Since it’s made with butter, the glaze thickens as it cools since butter is solid at room temperature. Did it thicken after it cooled? If not, you can whisk in a little more sifted confectioners’ sugar to thicken.
So yummy! Could you freeze the glaze also? Am making minis for gifts. Debating about going ahead with glaze or waiting.
Just made this today…. omg soooo good! My husband and kids gave it a 9.5 out of 10… not because there was anything wrong with it, but just because they like to “tease” me. Amazingly moist and flavourful!
This is incredible!! So moist, such a lovely spiced flavour, and the GLAZE! I want to put this on every cake I make from now on.
I made this cake today and it turned out really good. Great flavor and moist cake, the glaze is the star though… thanks again Sally. My family and I enjoyed this one.
Hi Sally, I only have a small Bundt pan- 6 inches across…Do I just cut all the ingredients in half? Also, will this recipe work as cupcakes ?
Thanks Sally- Love ALL your fantastic, delicious recipes.
Hi Michele! I think half of this batter would still be too much, but you could always halve the recipe, fill your pan about 2/3 full, then use any extra batter for cupcakes. This batter can make cupcakes, yes, but I also have these apple spice cupcakes.
Without a doubt this cake is a family favorite and the most requested fall cake recipe I prepare.
I truly appreciate your generosity in the sharing of your recipes.
Karen
Thank you Sally for all your wonderful recipes!
Would coconut yogurt be an acceptable substitute for yogurt/sour cream for a diary free version?
Absolutely! You can use coconut yogurt if needed.
I have about 3 cups of leftover apple pie filling I made for hand pies. Can I use that instead of fresh apples. This cake sounds amazing.
Hi Susan! I fear the apple pie filling is simply too wet to use in this cake. You could try blotting them a bit, but I know they’re probably sweetened and mixed with spices, too. If you try anything, let me know.
Hi! Does the texture change if we choose plain yogurt instead of sour cream and which one gives a better taste ?
I prefer sour cream for an extra tender crumb, but yogurt works wonderfully in its place. Still plenty moist!
Absolute perfection! I made this amazing cake last evening utilizing Honey Crisp apples. I used the amount called for in the recipe and at first glance, thought perhaps I was using too many…. I was so wrong! The volume of apples is just right! I did make one adjustment because I was completely out of yogurt and sour cream. I did have heavy cream on hand, so I created clotted cream by adding 1-1/2 tsps of cider vinegar and enough heavy cream to measure 1/2 cup as called for in the recipe. The cream clotted well and was a great substitution. Instead of the glaze, I used Sally’s recipe for caramel sauce and drizzled it (still warm) onto the cake just before serving. This cake is fantastic and highly recommended!
Incredible cake! We used honeycrisp apples. The cake had great flavor and was easy to make. The glaze was delicious!!
The cake looks delicious!!! If I want to use it tomorrow should I wait to do the glaze until tomorrow too? And what is the best way to keep it at room temp – in a tupperware cake holder?
Hi Jan! Yes, for best taste and presentation, it’s best to glaze it the day you’re serving it. And yea, I usually place it in a large tupperware container for storing.
Hi, Sally,
Thanks for all of your trustworthy, delicious recipes. Can this recipe be made in mini Bundt pan molds?
Yes, it can! I’m unsure of the bake time needed but bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Do you think this brown sugar glaze would be good on the giant cinnamon roll from your giant cinnamon roll recipe?
I think it would be delicious! Let us know how it goes 🙂
We look forward to this apple cake every summer and make it when September starts. Great with a hot cup of coffee. I love the apple bread from your cookbook too Sally! Thanks for the great recipes.
This Bundt cake turned out so well! I used 3/4 cup oil and 1/2 cup apple sauce and reduced the brown sugar to 1 cup. 2 apples gave me 3 cups (cut small) as well. Thanks for this delicious, easy recipe and for all the substitution options!
Full proof recipe!!! Can’t wait until tomorrow morning’s coffee!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe but I don’t have yogurt or sour cream. Is buttermilk an acceptable substitute?
You can use buttermilk in a pinch. The cake may not taste as dense.
Not a very moist cake. Flavor is good but dry.
Can we make this recipe with half the ingredients in a 8 inch loaf pan as well?
A 9×5 inch loaf pan is ideal if you’re looking to halve this recipe. Enjoy!
If I were to halve the recipe and put it in a loaf pan, how much time would it need in the oven?
Hi Julie, A 9×5 inch loaf pan is ideal if you’re looking to halve this recipe, but we are unsure of the exact bake time needed. Let us know if you try it!
I have made this cake several times and it is always a hit and I always am asked for the recipe. I substituted 1/4tsp pumpkin pie spice for half of the ground nutmeg and it added a nice additional autumn flavor. One of our favorite cakes.
I work at a Elementary school and for the past 3 years we have celebrated National Bundt Cake Day in our break room! We hold a contest and everyone samples all the cakes that staff members have made and vote on our favorite one. This has become a fun event for us and we look forward to some yummy desserts! I followed this recipe and brought the brown sugar glaze in a mini dip crockpot and had them put the warm glaze on each individual piece….that was the “icing on the cake!” (pun intended)! I won 1st place!! 🙂
Your recipe was great! Thanks!!