This moist and flavorful Apple Bundt Cake is packed with fresh apples and warm spices, then drizzled with a decadent homemade caramel glaze.
Apple Bundt Cake is the perfect cozy dessert.
Apple Bundt Cake is the perfect cozy dessert.This cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake is a highlight of mine every single Fall! It has tiny pieces of real apple throughout, and you absolutely must drizzle it with our simple homemade caramel sauce (and even add a scoop of vanilla ice cream!) to make it truly special. It's moist, flavorful, and the spices are perfectly balanced.
I like to use one sweet apple and one tart apple for this apple bundt cake recipe, but use whatever apples you have on hand.
If you love apple recipes, make sure to try Apple Crisp, Caramel Apples, Apple Pie, Baked Apples, Fresh Apple Cake, or Apple Pancakes!
How to make Apple Bundt Cake:
Prep Ingredients: Make caramel sauce. Coat the diced apples with lemon juice.
Make Cake Batter: Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt then set aside. In another bowl, mix together oil, sugars, applesauce, and vanilla. Add the egg and mix again. Fold in dry ingredients and diced apples.
Bake: Pour cake batter into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Serve with caramel sauce drizzled on top.
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Recipe
Apple Bundt Cake
Equipment
- Johnny Apple Slicer optional
Ingredients
Apple Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups diced apples (from about 2 apples) peel optional
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 3/4 cup oil , vegetable or canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Caramel Sauce:
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon water
- pinch salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup evaporated milk or heavy cream
Instructions
- Make caramel sauce (can be made weeks ahead):Grease the sides of a medium saucepan with non-stick spray. Add butter, brown sugar, water, and salt and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted. Bring the mixture to a boil., stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until golden brown and thickened (keep in mind it will continue to thicken as it cools). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and evaporated milk.6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon water, pinch salt, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ cup evaporated milk or heavy cream
- Prep cake: Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the diced apples with lemon juice (keeps them from browning) then set aside.3 cups diced apples, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt
- Wet ingredients: In another large mixing bowl mix oil and granulated and brown sugars. Mix in applesauce and vanilla. Add the egg then mix.¾ cup oil, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- Combine: Stir in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated, then stir in the diced apples. Don't over-mix. The batter will be thick.
- Bake: Pour into prepared bundt pan and bake in preheated oven for 50-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven then cool for 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack.
Notes
- 8 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe September 2014. Updated December 2020 and September 2025. I have since omitted the cream cheese filling, but left those instructions in the notes, if you'd like.
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This cake is absolutely scrumptious! Last evening I made it when I got home from work, and when was baking the house totally smelled like the holidays. Right now we had a piece with a cup of apple cinnamon tea. Thanks!
I sort of made this cake yesterday. I was looking for an apple dessert and I found this one. I didn’t really look very hard at it. When I went to make this I realized that it had a cream cheese filling – I didn’t want to do that, so I made just the cake part.
Wow! Both my husband and I took a piece for dessert and I was blown away with how good it was.
I was kind of worried about how thick it was going into the pan, but it was wonderful.
Thanks for a great recipe!
OMG! I didn’t know that I actually like apples until I made this cake! I used apples 🍏 from the apple tree in my yard. 😋 I shared the cake with others and everyone raved about it! 👏 My only issue was that it took me three hours to complete. 👩🍳🤷♀️ I was so proud of myself that I photographed the beautiful cake. 😁
Made this cake for a different kind of Thanksgiving dessert. Rather than put caramel sauce on, I, instead, made it with a cream cheese frosting and decorated it with apple slices (after dipping them in orange/lemon juice so they wouldn’t turn brown). Not only was it a beautiful presentation, the cake works REALLY well with the cream cheese frosting, and everybody loved the cake! The recipe makes for a wonderfully moist cake that isn’t cloyingly sweet. (Note: I cooked it 1 hr 20 minutes rather than 1 hr 30 minutes.) Thanks for the recipe. I LOVE this website! All the cakes I’ve made from it have been awesome!
I made this cake for our monthly dinner club last night.
It got RAVE reviews.
I did use 1/2 cup applesauce and 3/4 cup oil and substituted one cup of whole wheat pastry flour for white flour.
It was awkward incorporating the cream cheese into the cake though. I wonder if there are better ideas than making a slot in the cake mixture.
Delicious!
I make a breakfast bundt cake similar to this one. I pour half of the batter into the pan, put my creak cheese mixture on top, then top with the remaining batter.