Apple Bundt Cake with Walnuts and Brown Sugar Glaze
This apple bundt cake is an easy dessert for when you'd rather skip anything complicated!
- Prep
- 25 mins
- Cook
- 55 mins
- Total
- 1 hr 20 mins
- Makes
- 16 servings
This Apple Bundt Cake is the ideal dessert when you want something uncomplicated. It's made with tender apple chunks, chopped walnuts, cinnamon, and applesauce. While it's still warm, drizzle this rich brown sugar glaze over the top!
Recipe Overview
For this brown sugar glazed apple bundt cake, I used Granny Smith apples, which are great for baking! Other good choices include McIntosh, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady. The chopped walnuts came from a bag I picked up at Giant, though you can find them almost anywhere.
Besides the apples, the star ingredient is the applesauce. Along with the oil, it makes the cake very moist! Cinnamon and nutmeg round out the cozy fall flavors.
The brown sugar glaze comes together very quickly and tastes great over the warm cake. You can skip it if you like, but you'd be missing out!
How to Make It
Here's a quick overview of how to make this apple bundt cake. For the full detailed recipe, scroll down to the recipe card.
Whisk the Dry Ingredients. This includes the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt, and ground nutmeg.
Peel and Cut the Apples. I like doing this next, then tossing the apples into the whisked dry ingredients to coat them. That helps keep them from sinking to the bottom while baking. Add the chopped walnuts at this point too.
Mix the Wet Ingredients. A hand mixer or stand mixer works if you prefer, but a whisk and a bowl are just as easy and leave less to clean up. You'll need granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
Fold the Dry Ingredients Into the Wet. A spatula is all you need here. Mix until just combined, then spoon or scoop the batter into the bundt pan.
Bake, then Cool. The recommended bake time is 55-70 minutes at 325ºF, or until golden brown. For reference, mine took 60 minutes. Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is at the right temperature.
When the cake is done, set it on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Gently slide a small paring knife down the sides to loosen it, then carefully invert it onto the rack. I like placing a sheet of parchment or wax paper between the cake and the rack so I can easily move it to a serving plate.
Add the Brown Sugar Glaze. You can let the cake cool completely before glazing, or (my favorite) drizzle the glaze on while it's still warm.
Recommended Baking Tools
For the best bundt cake baking tools, scroll through the carousel below.
Helpful Tips for Baking the Best Bundt Cake!
Baking a bundt cake successfully can be tricky, especially when it comes to releasing it from the pan. Here are some tips to try before you bake this apple bundt cake!
If you have bundt cake tips of your own, I'd love to hear them in the comments!
Determine the size of the bundt pan. Start by making sure you have the right size. If you're not sure what size you have, fill it with water one cup at a time, or use a 2-cup glass measuring cup to check.
This apple bundt cake needs a 10-cup bundt pan. I only fill it to about 7-8 cups with batter so it doesn't spill over in the oven.
Grease that bundt pan! You've probably seen this instruction a lot, but it's especially important with bundt pans. It helps the cake release clean and smooth.
Check for doneness. The best way to check a bundt cake is to insert a toothpick in several spots. It should come out clean, with no batter or cake sticking to it. The top should also be a nice golden brown.
Let the bundt cake cool. Let it cool for about 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Take it out too soon and it may fall apart, but wait too long and it may stick to the pan.
Loosen the edges. When the cake is done, the edges will have pulled slightly away from the sides. Still, it helps to gently run a butter knife down the sides. It doesn't need to go all the way around, just enough to give it a little push.
Properly Greasing a Bundt Cake Pan
Flour-Based Baking Spray Method. The best one I can recommend is Baker's Joy. It's honestly the best flour-based baking spray out there, and I'm not being paid to say that! It has never failed me or my bundt cakes, so if you spot it in the store, I encourage you to grab a can or two. You can thank me later!
Grease and Flour Method. Brush softened or melted butter or vegetable shortening onto the pan with a pastry brush or a paper towel, then coat it generously with all-purpose flour.
Whichever method you choose, don't forget to spray or grease and flour the center tube too!
Common Questions
What size bundt cake pan do I need for this apple bundt cake recipe?You'll need a 10-cup bundt pan. I recommend any bundt pan from Nordic Ware! The one I used is the Nordic Ware® Bavaria Bundt Pan.
What kinds of apples can I use for this recipe?You can use Granny Smith, McIntosh, Jonagold, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp apples, or a mix of them.
Can I make this in a different-sized pan?Yes! If you don't own a bundt pan, you can make this in a 9u0022 x 13u0022 cake pan. Grease that pan too, and bake at 300ºF for 50-60 minutes.
More Apple Dessert Recipes
Apple Bundt Cake with Walnuts and Brown Sugar Glaze
This apple bundt cake has chunks of tender apple, chopped walnuts, cinnamon, and applesauce. Serve it warm with this rich brown sugar glaze that takes only minutes to make. It's a simple dessert that will have your guests thinking you spent hours baking!
- Prep
- 25 mins
- Cook
- 55 mins
- Total
- 1 hr 20 mins
- Makes
- 16 servings
Ingredients
apple bundt cake
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2/3 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups Granny Smith Apples, or 3 large apples, peeled and chopped small
- 1 cup Chopped Walnuts
brown sugar glaze
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- 2 tsp Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Method
- Set the oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat the oven to 325ºF.
- Generously coat your 10-cup bundt pan with flour-based baking spray. You can also grease and flour the pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
- Peel and chop the apples into small chunks, then toss them into the whisked dry ingredients to coat. Add the chopped walnuts at this point too.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Then add the applesauce and eggs and mix until well blended.
- Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients (with the chopped apples and walnuts) into the wet mixture until just combined.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared bundt pan, then tap the pan a few times to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake for 55-70 minutes at 325ºF, or until golden brown (mine came out at 60 minutes). You can also check doneness by inserting a cake tester in several spots. It should come out clean, with no batter or wet crumbs attached.
- Take it out of the oven and set it on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Gently slide a small paring knife down the sides to loosen the cake.
- Invert the cake onto a wire rack, then carefully lift off the pan. You can cool the cake completely before adding the glaze, or (my favorite) drizzle it on while it's still warm.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the unsalted butter, heavy whipping cream, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Keep stirring as you bring the mixture to a boil so the brown sugar dissolves completely.
- Take it off the heat and let it sit for 10-15 minutes to thicken.
- Pour it over the warm apple bundt cake and enjoy!
Baker’s notes
- Note: The video for this apple bundt cake adds the chopped walnuts after the dry ingredients instead of with the chopped apples, as the written recipe says. Either method works.
- Apple Bundt Cake recipe adapted from A Taste of Bedminster Elementary cookbook.
- Brown Sugar Glaze recipe adapted and inspired by I Am Baker.
