Apple Bundt Cake

ByJennifer Osterholt UpdatedOctober 12, 2026

This post contains affiliate links.

Drizzled with sweet caramel sauce, this fresh apple bundt cake is so moist and flavorful that it’s become a fall favorite in our house!

Baked in a bundt pan, this easy dessert looks stunning on the table, and it’s one our family looks forward to making every year.

Moist and delicious slice of bundt cake revealing tender chunks of apples baked in and a caramel glaze poured on top on a stack of white plates.

Apple Bundt Cake Recipe

Years ago, my mom went to a party at a neighbor’s house and tasted this Apple Bundt Cake recipe for the first time. Of course, she asked for the recipe before she left! It’s the kind of cake people remember long after the last bite.

After plenty of taste testing in our kitchen, we’ve found two ways to serve this easy apple cake, and both are winners. My personal favorite is a warm slice of bundt cake topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

We all enjoy the combination of caramel and apple flavors in our Caramelized Apple Pork Chops, Old Fashioned Caramel Apple Salad, and Apple Pie with Condensed Milk. So we created a caramel glaze to try on this apple cake.

For an extra special dessert, try the simple brown sugar glaze. It simmers on the stovetop for just a few minutes and adds a rich caramel flavor that tastes like fall. Our taste testers are still split on which version is best, so you’ll have to try both and decide for yourself!

Slice of freshly glaze apple cake being lifted above the full cake.

If you’d rather skip the glaze, a light dusting of powdered sugar is another simple option. Just sift it over the top of the cooled cake for a pretty, finished look. I love how elegant this cake and our Jam Cake recipe look on a cake stand with a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top!

Ingredients Needed

Dry Ingredients – All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Salt
Wet Ingredients – Canola oil, Sour Cream (or plain Greek yogurt), Brown Sugar, Granulated Sugar, Eggs, Vanilla Extract
Apples – We use a combination of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith or your favorite baking apples.
Nuts – 1/2 to 1 cup of Pecans or Walnuts are optional
Caramel Glaze – Butter, Brown Sugar, Milk and Powdered Sugar

Ingredients to make a caramel apple bundt cake are all-purpose flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pecans, eggs, powdered sugar, milk, honeycrisp apples, granny smith apple, sour cream, vegetable oil, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and butter on a wooden counter top.

Step By Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF and generously grease a bundt pan on all sides and the center.
Sift together dry ingredients.
In a separate mixing bowl stir together oil, sour cream or yogurt, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs and vanilla until creamy.

Fork sifting baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg into all purpose flour in a mixing bowl.

Silver mixing bowl with oil, sugar, eggs, brown sugar, sour cream and vanilla.

Slowly pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix. Combine well, but avoid over mixing.
Use a silicone spatula to fold in peeled, cored and chopped apples. The pieces should be sliced thin and no bigger than 1″.
If using chopped nuts fold them in now.
Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 55 to 70 minutes. Check with a toothpick at 55 minutes and monitor until the toothpick comes out clean.

Shinny light brown batter with chunks of fresh apples and a few pecans poured into a bundt cake pan on a wooden counter.

Side angle of a golden brown apple bundt cake on a white cake pedestal sitting on an orange and yellow plaid napkin.

Simple Bundt Cake Glaze

Using a sauce pan melt stick of butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk and bring to a boil for 1 minutes. Turn down heat to low and let simmer for 1 additional minutes.
Remove from the heat, add powdered sugar and whisk together.
Allow glaze to cool slightly and then spoon over the cake.

Sauce pan with a melting stick of butter, milk and brown sugar heating up to make a caramel glaze.

Whisk stirring caramel glaze in a sauce pan to pour over a bundt cake.

Jennifer’s Recipe Tips and Tricks

Raisins, pecans or walnuts can all be mixed into the cake batter. Can garnish with pecans.
Apple pie spice can be substituted for cinnamon and nutmeg.
For best flavor use a variety of firm baking apples such as honey crisp and granny smith.
You can dust cake with confectioner’s sugar or use vanilla icing, maple icing, cream cheese frosting or a cinnamon sugar mixture to dust over the top.
This apple bundt cake is wonderfully moist inside. The outside may look a little crisp, but you won’t notice it when you take a bite.

How to Choose Apples

In our kitchen, we’ve found that how you cut the apples makes a bigger difference than which variety you choose. Start with firm apples, then peel, core, and chop them into small, uniform pieces. They’ll bake evenly, so you get tender bits of fruit in every bite!

Generous amounts of caramel glaze poured over a fresh apple bundt cake on a white pedestal.

How to Store and Freeze Apple Cake

Because this cake is made with fresh fruit, refrigeration helps it last longer. If we plan to eat the cake over 3 to 4 days, I always keep it in the refrigerator so the last few slices taste just as good as the first.

Fresh apple cake also freezes well for up to 3 months. Freeze it once it has cooled completely, or within a day or two of baking as long as it’s still fresh. Wrap it tightly with as little air as possible to prevent freezer burn. To serve, thaw the cake in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then warm the whole cake in the oven or microwave individual slices.

Other Delicious Recipes with Fresh Apples:

Flavorful Fall Meals

Recipe originally shared on June 14, 2019 with updates made on October 12, 2026.

Categories:

Cakes, Desserts, Recipes,

Jennifer Osterholt

I share how to make life easier while raising a busy family! From delicious desserts to easy dinners and simple breakfast recipes. I’m here to make your time in the kitchen more efficient while building confidence!