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
hi due to restraints, I need to use as little time as possible tomorrow but I need to eat this in 3 days.if I were to start today, how can I try to makit as fresh as possible in 3 days. Thanks!!!!!
Hi T, the cake is delicious on the third day. If you have time the day you’re serving it to make the glaze, wait and do that part the day of. Enjoy!
I’ve been making this cake for years now, maybe since before it was reposted? It’s fantastic and has become my signature dessert for fall gatherings.
I like tart apples for the contrast, but I’ve made it with sweet and it’s still great, and we agree that more apples is better! I’ve used melted coconut oil as well as avocado and I like coconut better. The mouthfeel is great. One of my kids doesn’t like nuts, so I often make it without, but I love it with pecans. Sometimes we compromise and I toast them and sprinkle on top of the glaze. Just wanted to chime in that this recipe is an absolute favorite for fall in my house! Thanks so much!
May I substitute unsweetened applesauce for the sour cream or yogurt? We do not use those items.
Hi Christine! Applesauce won’t add the same thickness and richness, but could work in a pinch.
This cake was delicious! The glaze on top was the perfect addition! Everyone enjoyed it!
Cake turned out great. I am freezing the cake. Can i do the glaze before I. freeze it?
Hi Carol! We would add the glaze after freezing and thawing for best results.
Hi Sally: I made this Apple Bundt cake with 3 large Delicious Apples. I also added chopped walnuts on top of the brown sugar topping. Family coming tomorrow, let’s hope it is as good as it looked.
I had an issue with glaze not being smooth even after sifting the powedered sugar and whisking it in. The first bits of the glaze were fit but the latter parts has white clumps? Thoughts?
Hi Stefanie, that is strange, considering you sifted the powdered sugar! I wonder if it could be an issue with the brand of powdered sugar you used (or a particular batch of it), or possibly humidity is causing the sugar to clump together more than usual? Sorry to hear this, and wish we could be of more help!
I need to make this for 17 guests! Can I 1.5 the recipe and make it in my 12c Bundt pan or should I just make 2?
Thanks!
Hi Kristin, we would recommend making 2 rather than trying to 1.5x the recipe and bake one giant Bundt cake–it would be a lot of batter and might not bake evenly. Hope this helps!
How do i adjust the cook time if i make this as mini bundt cakes?
Hi Hope, bake time will depend on the exact size of your mini Bundt pans. You can use the baking time from these mini vanilla pound cakes as a guide.
With the low temperature, I needed to keep the cake in the oven about 30 minutes longer. I used 4 medium sized apples and I thought it could have used more (maybe 6). The flavor was very nice. It was a tad dry in the center, maybe due to the long baking time. I would also coat the apples in some of the flour to get them well dispersed throughout the Bundt cake. These are just some suggestions, but it was still very delicious!
I’d love to bake this cake, but one of my kids has an egg allergy. Do you know if it would turn out well with a flax egg or Bob’s egg replacer?
Hi Lori, we haven’t tested this recipe with a flax egg or any egg substitutes, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you try anything, and if you’re interested, here are all of our naturally egg-free recipes.
Hi Sally!
I just made the brown sugar glaze and theres lumps from the powdered sugar when I added it even though I sifted it before adding it. Will they melt and go away or should I remake it?
Thanks!
Hi Allison! No need to remake it, either keep whisking, or run the warm glaze through a sieve to rid the lumps.
Hi! I want to make this Bundt cake but it has to be dairy free. Is there a way to make it with oil? How could I substitute the yogurt?
Hi Emily, we suggest non-dairy yogurt for the cake and maybe coconut oil instead of the butter for the glaze. We haven’t tried it, so let us know if you do!
This cake was delicious, so good I made another one with strawberries instead of apple, also very good. I now want to try raspberries with white chocolate chips – do you think I may have to change the recipe or would it be fine as is?
Hi Brenda, that sounds delicious! We haven’t tried it but can’t see why it wouldn’t work with raspberries. You might want to toss the chocolate chips in flour before adding them to the batter. That should prevent them from sinking too much. You’ll have to let us know how the cake turns out if you give it a try!
This recipe was the BEST cake ever!! I used only 1/4 cup of oil, but added 1 cup of home made applesauce in place of the other cup of oil. it was soooooo moist and delicious!! Thank you for sharing that recipe!!
I want to try this recipe. Can I use unsweetened almond milk instead of heavy cream for the glaze?
Hi Randi, you certainly could but the glaze won’t thicken that much.
Hello! I’m wondering why you recommend the glaze added right before serving. Will it make it soggy or something if added early? Thanks for the nice recipe!
Hi Suzy, this glaze thickens very quickly. If you make it ahead, you’ll want to reheat it before pouring over the cake. Or you can glaze the cake a few hours in advance; it doesn’t make the cake taste soggy.
That’s helpful, thank you!
Hello!
I am out of brown sugar….can I use regular sugar instead?
Hi Sahar, white sugar had less moisture and is not a 1:1 swap here.
Added walnuts and it was so good!
Hi Sally!
I want to make this for a brunch baby shower. I was thinking of using a white glaze over the apple cinnamon cake. What do you think? And recipe suggestion for that?
Hi Nancy, you could absolutely do that. How about the glaze from this lemon berry yogurt cake (use milk in place of the lemon) or the cream cheese icing from this hummingbird Bundt cake?
This was an incredible recipe! I unfortunately left it in about 5 minutes too long and the top of the cake looked a bit burnt when I turned it over, so I made the maple glaze from the donut recipe, and it was a lovely compliment to the cake. The cake itself, even slightly overbaked, was deliciously moist and flavourful! Another win! I had previously made the pumpkin Bundt cake which was less sweet but also delicious. I recommend both!
How far ahead can you make this? I really want to make it today for a gathering tomorrow evening…would it still be good? Or am I better off doing it tomorrow morning? Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Cori, the flavor of this cake is outstanding on day 2! Cover and store at room temperature overnight.
This glazed apple Bundt cake looks amazing, thanks for sharing! I’ve found that adding a little freshly grated nutmeg along with the cinnamon really brings out the apple flavor. Sometimes, I also swap half the oil for unsweetened applesauce to make the cake extra moist without adding more sweetness. Have you ever tried adding a splash of apple cider to the glaze? I bet it would give it a nice tangy kick!
This was such a delicious cake! I used apple pie spice (Penzeys) and cinnamon instead of the spices called for but it was the only change that I made to the cake recipe.
For the glaze, I used Sally’s maple glaze recipe. I brushed it onto the entire surface of the slightly cooled cake, then thickened it with about 1/4 cup more powdered sugar and drizzled it over. Before the glaze set, I added a generous topping of chopped, toasted walnuts. It was sooooo good and impressive for a friend’s dinner party!
Could a grate the apple instead of dicing?
Hi Amber! You could certainly try but the cake will be a different texture than intended. Shredded apples will add more moisture likely making the cake more dense, and of course you will miss bites with the apple chunks. Let us know if you give it a try!
What type of salt do you usually use? Want to make this cake but not sure about the salt. Thanks!
Hi Sharon! Table salt unless otherwise noted.
Greetings! I am just about to make this cake! Do you think I can I add bourbon to the glaze? Thank you!!!
We’re sure you could, Carrie! We haven’t tested it, though.
Wondering what oil would go best with the apple flavor if I can’t use vegetable? debating if butter or extra virgin olive oil would taste the best??
Hi Jacki! Butter would yield a dry cake. We would try avocado oil, if you have it. Olive oil would change the flavor quite a bit.
I am about to try this recipe, and am considering using applesauce (homemade with no additional sugar added) instead of oil. Has anyone tried this substitution?
Thank you for your wonderful recipes Sally. I have used King Arthur GF 1:1 Substitute Flour with your Pineapple Carrot Cake recipe (and also substituted applesauce for the vegetable oil) and the resulting cupcakes were excellent and moist. (No additions used / required with the GF flour.)
Hi Michele, We don’t recommend replacing the oil – without the fat in the cake the texture would be rubbery. While you can try replacing half the oil with applesauce, the texture will likely still change significantly. Let us know if you give it a try!
Can this be made using gluten free flour? If so, would you use the same amount of gluten free flour as the recipe calls for 3 cups (all purpose flour)? And, if making it gluten free, would any other ingredients need to be changed or added? thank you!
Hi N, We do not have much experience using gluten-free flour. Although some readers report using an all purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results.
I made this for a group and everyone wanted the recipe. It was moist and had the perfect amount of cinnamon and nutmeg. I didn’t chop the apples fine, but cut them so that the pieces could be seen and distinct. This recipe is going in the file. On another note, I appreciate the metric weights! I far prefer weighing my ingredients. It’s so much more precise.