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Apple Bundt Cake Recipe

A tender apple cinnamon bundt cake made with chopped Granny Smith apples and finished with a thin brown sugar caramel glaze.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Cooling1 hour
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 14 slices
Calories: 567kcal
Author: Lucy Brewer

Ingredients

Apple Bundt Cake

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups canola oil
  • 3 cups chopped apples peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 Granny Smith apples)

Caramel Glaze

  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan thoroughly with shortening or butter, then sprinkle in a little flour, tilt the pan to coat every ridge, and tap out the excess. A generous coat of cake release also works.
  • Whisk the 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl until combined. Set aside.
    An overhead view of baking ingredients, including flour in a large bowl with a whisk, eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract.
  • Add the 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 3 large eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until fully combined, creamy, and bubbly on top.
    A mixing bowl containing a foamy liquid, surrounded by a pitcher of oil, a small dish of extract, and a bowl of flour.
  • Beat in the 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, then slowly pour in the 1 1/2 cups canola oil, beating well.
    Oil being poured from a small pitcher into a metal mixing bowl containing a tan, bubbly liquid, with a bowl of flour and a small dish of vanilla nearby.
  • Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add one third of the dry ingredients and fold them in with a wooden spoon or spatula. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients in two more additions until no flour streaks remain.
    A metal mixing bowl containing wet batter and flour being stirred with a wooden spoon, with separate bowls of chopped apples and flour nearby.
  • Fold in the 3 cups chopped apples until they are coated in batter.
    Chopped apples in a mixing bowl with cake batter, with a second bowl and a spoon nearby.
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
    Apple cake batter in a fluted bundt pan, surrounded by bowls containing butter, cream, and sugar.
  • Bake in the center of the oven for 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Set the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a large plate or cake stand. Let it cool for the rest of the hour before glazing.
  • About 30 minutes into the cooling time, make the glaze. Add the 1 cup light brown sugar and 4 tablespoons water to a deep medium saucepan over low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring.
    A saucepan filled with sugar sits on a marble board next to a small bowl of cubed butter and a pitcher of milk.
  • When the syrup starts bubbling, set a timer for 3 minutes. Do not stir or move the pan while it boils.
    A saucepan of bubbling caramel on a marble board, with a small bowl of butter cubes and a small pitcher of cream nearby.
    • The syrup will still look thin at 3 minutes, and that is right. Any longer and the glaze sets hard on the cake.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream and 3 tablespoons butter. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. The mixture will bubble up and splatter.
    A hand pours cream into a saucepan containing browned butter, with a small bowl of butter cubes nearby.
  • Let the glaze cool for 15 to 20 minutes, then pour it slowly over the cooled cake.
    Hand pouring caramel glaze from a glass pitcher onto a bundt cake.
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