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Made with finely chopped fresh apples, this Apple Bundt Cake Recipe is sure to please everyone. Includes a delicious glaze and makes enough to feed a crowd!
Old fashioned, tried and true recipes are sometimes the best. They don’t call for odd ingredients and are usually simple to make. Back in the day, there were no kitchen gadgets to make the job of baking easier. This meant that homemakers needed straight-forward and hearty recipes to feed their hungry families. That’s exactly what this apple bundt cake recipe is. It’s one of the best cakes I have ever tasted and was so easy to make. The ingredients are all basic pantry items with the exception of the apples. I used Honeycrisp apples but definitely use the apple of your choice.
Apple Bundt Cake Recipe Tips
I didn’t peel my apples before chopping. I diced the apples into very small chunks so the apple peel wasn’t noticeable at all. The batter was a bit stiff, but poured nicely and filled the bundt pan perfectly. I use the Nordic Ware Anniversary Bundt Pan and it’s the best. Cakes bake evenly and it’s super easy to clean. Most of my baking pans have been gifts from my family, but I splurged and bought this bundt cake pan for myself. If you decide to treat yourself, you won’t be sorry!
About the glaze…you can definitely skip this step if you are pressed for time and simply dust the apple bundt cake with powdered sugar. The glaze is, however, amazing. It really sticks to the bundt cake and adds one more layer of texture and sweet goodness.
This is the perfect cake to take to any gathering or potluck because it feeds at least ten people, possibly more if you cut the slices a bit thinner. Or you can make it just for your family because it stays fresh for three to four days in an airtight container. After the first day or so, store the container in the refrigerator.
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Apple Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups canola oil
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups Flour
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large apples
Brown Sugar Glaze
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup Milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Finely chop the apples. You should have enough to equal about 2 cups. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, combine eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes.
- In two batches, add the flour mixture to the egg/oil mixture beating well and scraping sides of the bowl between additions.
- With mixer on lowest speed, fold in the apples. Batter will be stiff but pourable
- Fold batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
- Cool 10 minutes in pan. Put out onto cooling rack. Cool completely.
- While cake is cooling, prepare the glaze.
- Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan. Add ½ cup brown sugar and whisk until mixed.
- Slowly drizzle in 1/3 cup milk while still whisking. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 4 – 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool. The glaze will thicken as it cools.
- Place cake (still on the cooling rack) on a large cookie sheet.
- Pour the glaze over the cake and let harden a bit before serving.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is it possible to make this recipe into muffins?
The flavor is delicious and the icing is amazing! But my bundt cake fell! It collapsed deep and then fell apart when I flipped it over. So I tried again but as muffins and they fell too!! What did I do wrong?I love the flavor and will keep trying till I get it right!
Soooooo good, the glaze really puts it over the top.
Oh I just made this! My house smells amazing and I can’t wait for dinner tonight to enjoy it! Thank you for this recipe!
Did you use All-Purpose flour or Cake flour? Mine cake came out dark when I use All-purpose flour.
I’m going to try your Apple cake recipe today.
This cake was really delicious and easy to make. Mine took an extra 20 minutes. It was really good topped with whipped cream. I may try it next time with nutmeg and also ice, too.
I made this recipe today … YUMMY!! I slowed down on my baking when my husband and I became empty nesters, but that was no fun and delivering a “section” of cake is just not as pretty or inviting. So I bought one of Nordic Ware’s pretty little bundt pans that had four pretty designed cake pans in one tray … minis which took one regular batter to fill the four. Now we can have one and I can gift two and freeze one! :)
So, I also wanted to say when I split the batter into four, smaller cakes, I 1-1/2’d the ingredients for the frosting, which worked nicely. Have you ever used William Sonoma’s Bak-Klene ZT? It’s amazing for no stick baking!! I put a can of it in my daughter’s, my d-i-l’s, and my mom’s stocking each year. I skipped one year (because it was sold out) and heard about it from all three of them! :)
Hi Denise…I have that bundt pan too. It’s the best! Thank you for sharing your idea. :)
Could I bake this in a 9 by 13 pan? How long?
Thanks!
Hi Connie…Yes I think you could. I’m not sure of the baking time. Start with 30 minutes and add until it’s done. Good luck!
My cake took 12 extra minutes.
We have a little Apple tree in the backyard overloaded with apples this year. I’m excited to make your bundt pan recipe as it sounds very yummy! 🍎
Hi Ann can you substitute apple sauce for part of the oil say half of each. thanks
Hi Carrie! Yes, I think that would be perfectly fine. I’ve not done it with this particular recipe, but I have with many others. Enjoy!
Hi. Can coconut oil be substituted for canola oil? Thank you :)
Hi Beverly…yes you can substitute coconut oil. I am not sure, but it may change the taste slightly…but it’s definitely worth a try!
Looks so delicious as ALL your recipes do. My husband is diabetic, so I try to find desserts for him, ( he LOVES anything apple) and was wondering if you think I could make this with Stevia or Splenda? I’m pretty sure I could use the Splenda brown sugar for the glaze.
Thank you for your sharing!
Hi Paula! The honest truth is that I don’t know. I would suggest trying Splenda first because the substitution is 1 cup to 1 cup. So you would use 2 cups of Splenda. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
I made this cake today for our church fish fry and it was a huge hit! I have had the recipe sitting by my apples for a long time just waiting for the perfect occassion for it to make its debut. Well, everyone wants the recipe, so it is not my secret any longer. I shared your blog for the recipe and encouraged everyone to look it up. You have so many diverse topics in your posts and i enjoy each one. I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed the cake and will be making it often.
So glad you liked it! I agree, that recipe is a keeper. :)
LOVE YOUR BLOG
THANK YOU!!!
This sounds delish,can’t wait to” try,thanks for sharing.
I am out of town…but cant wait to make this.
Proud to say Honey Crisp apples were developed here at the University of Minnesota. Wait until you taste our new First Kiss…another great MN apple…lucky me the orchard 10 minutesfrom my home was chosen to initiate its production. Pricey…I paid $16.95 for 20 apples that were second grade.
Made this cake today and it is not only quick and easy but tastes wonderful! The brown sugar glaze sends it over the top. I made the mistake of letting my glaze cool off a little too much before putting it on the cake so although mine is not quite as pretty as yours it tastes heavenly!
Ok, anyone who reads this comment should make this cake. I baked it first time 2 years ago from OSP and made it 5 weekends in a row! Yes I did. You can thank Ann once you get hooked too! It’s a great anytime dessert but fantastic for fall. Excuse me as I go start baking. Enjoy!
Oh, forgot to add that I make the glaze each time and it’s unbelievably delicious! Like melted caramel. Yum!
Thank you so much Melody! I’m so glad the cake is a hit. :)
Looks beautiful and I bet tastes delicious.Years ago I used to bake bundt cakes all the time.Hard to move on to fall when Florida weather is in the 90’s.Enjoy your Labor Day weekend.
That cake looks just delicious. I just printed the recipe and can’t wait to try it. It is almost time for us to go apple picking for applesauce and I will surely try this recipe.