Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

Indulge yourself with this recipe for Caramel Apple Bundt Cake – moist, delicious cake packed with apples & covered in a caramel glaze.

Fall is upon us.  So it’s official – we can start getting those pumpkin spice lattes, check out the TV shows in the new fall season, and cheering on our favorite football teams!

And of course, baking our favorite apple recipes!

Apples and caramel are a heavenly duo and this time of year, I love experimenting with the flavors.

I have to say that my heart beats a little faster when I talk about this cake. The tender, spiced apple cake and the thick, caramel glaze that marries the two together – What could be better? I love a bundt cake, if you do too, why not try my recipes for Brown Sugar Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze or the fantastic Red Velvet Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. They always look so delectable, you can’t go wrong.

Why this recipe works

• The cake is full of spiced apple flavor which pairs perfectly with the caramel glaze.
• The cake is super easy to make – all you need is a bowl and a wooden spoon.
• The rich, buttery caramel glaze has just enough sweetness and doesn’t overpower flavors in the cake. 

Cakes that include the addition of fruit tend to be wonderfully moist and delicious, and this Caramel Apple Cake recipe definitely fits the bill!  Combining apples and caramel not only creates an amazing flavor, but this cake comes out so incredibly tender and moist.

Fresh Apples Are the Only Way to Go

Many recipes use artificial flavors or jarred applesauce for flavoring cakes.  This apple cake recipe is made with fresh apples for the perfect flavor!

You can use any type of apple you want; however, I find that Granny Smith apples are my favorite as they tend to hold up best.

I use fresh grated nutmeg and cinnamon to spice this up a little.  And let’s face it – what better combination is there when you want comfort food this time of year?

Other Apple Recipes You’ll Love?

• Classic Apple Turnovers
• Apple Cranberry Crumb Pie
• Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake
• Apple Crumb Cakes

The Caramel Glaze

The caramel glaze is insanely delicious.  I’ve uses it for my Brown Sugar Cake and my Sticky Toffee Ginger Cakes.  It’s so good I’m sure I’ll be making it in many more recipes to come.

The key to the glaze is allowing it to cool enough to thicken, but still, be pouring consistency.  See the tips section at the bottom of the post for more details.

A Super Easy Recipe

The best part about this recipe is how easy it is to prepare. The batter only needs a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon.  No special equipment is required!

The caramel glaze doesn’t need a candy thermometer or special skills you just throw everything together in the pot and cook until it melts together and thickens.  It’s that simple!

Here’s How to Make This Fantastic Cake:

In a large mixing bowl mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

Next, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Add the grated apples.

Melted butter is added next.

Mix to combine.  If the mixture is too thick, you can loosen it with some milk.

Add the batter evenly to a well-greased pan.

Bake and allow to cool.

To get the beautiful pattern, I used a Nordic Ware Autumn Wreath Bundt Pan. If you’re in the US, you can get one from here on Amazon (As an Amazon Associate, a small commission is made from qualifying purchases). If you’re in the UK, click here.

To prepare the caramel glaze, combine the butter, brown sugar, and milk in a medium saucepan.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer to thicken for 1-2 minutes.  Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and set aside to cool. 

Pour over the cooled cake.

If you feel like it needs more or the glaze was thin, you can add another layer of caramel. Allow to set before serving.

Variations

• For a salted caramel glaze– Add a teaspoon of salt to the glaze.
• For a Caramel Pear Cake – swap out the apples for pears.

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Let's Make

Caramel Apple Cake

This cake has all the flavors of Fall. Moist spiced apple cake topped with a sticky, caramel glaze. It's pure bliss!

4.89 from 9 votes

Prep20 minutes

Cook1 hour

Total1 hour 20 minutes

Serves: 14 slices

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Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2½ cups flour2½ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking powder2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar packed1 cup brown sugar packed
• 1½ cups granulated sugar1½ cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup butter melted1 cup butter melted
• 4 large eggs4 large eggs
• 5 medium apples grated - keep from turning brown with a little lemon juice squeezed on the slices.5 medium apples grated - keep from turning brown with a little lemon juice squeezed on the slices.
• ¼ cup milk as needed¼ cup milk as needed

For the glaze:

• 1½ sticks butter 3/4 cup1½ sticks butter 3/4 cup
• 1 cup brown sugar packed1 cup brown sugar packed
• ½ cup milk½ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cups - Metric

Instructions

For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 350F/175C and Grease a 10-cup capacity Bundt Cake
• In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave, and let cool.
• In a large mixing bowl mix together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, baking soda, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
• Add the cooled butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.  The batter should be easily stirred.  If too thick, mix in the milk.
• Fold in the apples and spoon the batter into the bundt pan.
• Bake 50-60 minutes until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• After the cake cools in the pan for 10 minutes, invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the glaze:

• Combine the butter, brown sugar, and milk in a medium saucepan and bring to boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer to thicken for 1-2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and set aside to cool. The longer it cools, the thicker it becomes. When it's at your desired consistency, drizzle over the cooled cake and serve.

Tips + Notes

• After shredding the apples, coat them with a bit of citrus juice to keep them from turning brown before using.  Lemon works best.
• Don't have citrus juice?  No problem.  The batter is quite dark so brown apples won't matter and it doesn't affect the taste.
• The longer The Caramel Glaze cools, the thicker it becomes.  If you accidentally allow it to cool too much, heat it up again (until fluid) and start over.
• When glazing the cake, place the cake on a cooling rack with baking paper under it to catch any glaze that drips from the cake.  You can scrape it off the paper and glaze again.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 366kcal (18%)| Carbohydrates: 54g (18%)| Protein: 4g (8%)| Fat: 15g (23%)| Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)| Cholesterol: 82mg (27%)| Sodium: 394mg (17%)| Potassium: 226mg (6%)| Fiber: 2g (8%)| Sugar: 38g (42%)| Vitamin A: 530IU (11%)| Vitamin C: 3mg (4%)| Calcium: 86mg (9%)| Iron: 1.4mg (8%)

Author:Erren Hart

Course:Dessert

Cuisine:American

Keyword:apple, cake, caramel

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