This Best Apple Cake Ever is super moist and delicious with the perfect amount of sweetness and spice!
If you’re still looking for an easy – and really delicious – dessert to serve over the holidays, have we got the recipe for you! My sister-in-law Pam shared this recipe with us over email with the subject line: “Best Apple Cake Ever!”
Pam celebrated her birthday last month, and a friend of hers showed up with this cake – the best apple cake ever. In fact – the cake was so good, the three of them ate the entire cake in about 24 hours.
Pam then made this apple cake for us for Thanksgiving – and it was so good, Jack and I immediately looked at each other and said, “We’re making this for our blog!”
This apple cake is moist and delicious with the perfect amount of sweetness and spice – plus large chunks of apple and chopped walnuts add great flavor and texture to the cake too. Once this apple cake comes out of the oven, a wonderful sweet buttery vanilla glaze is poured over the top which soaks in to make the cake even more delicious.
Not only is this apple cake really delicious – but it’s also very easy to prepare.
Can I make this cake in a 9×13-inch pan?
Yes – and this easy apple cake comes out just as moist and delicious. Click here to see the instructions for baking this apple cake in a 9×13-inch pan.
You may enjoy these other Bundt Cakes:
- Spiced Eggnog Chocolate Chip Cake
- Kathy’s Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake
- Toffee Pecan Bundt Cake with Caramel Drizzle
- Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake
Best Apple Cake Ever
This Best Apple Cake Ever is super moist and delicious with the perfect amount of sweetness and spice!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Baking spray with flour, or shortening and flour to grease the pan
For the Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 large apples, peeled and cut into large pieces (Note: The original recipe calls for tart green apples, but we used some red Cortland apples we had on hand and it was delicious!)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
For the Glaze
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Sift two additional times and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine oil and both sugars, and mix until well blended.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and mix again.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients to the batter and mix thoroughly. By hand, fold in apples and walnuts and mix until evenly combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool in the bundt pan for 20 minutes.
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine all of the glaze ingredients. Bring to a boil and allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute.
- Remove the cake from the pan, onto a serving plate. Spoon the glaze over the warm cake.
- Cool for a little longer before serving.
This really is the best apple cake I’ve ever eaten. I was so worried it was going to be dry that my husband and I shared a sliver before going to the party I made it for. It was WONDERFUL! It was “moist” and scrumptious. I highly recommend this cake. I used Granny Smith apples and was worried they’d be too tart. They were awesome! I’m thinking that maybe any apples would be good in this “to die for” apple cake. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Thanks Ginger! We liked the tart contrast with the sweetness of the rest of the cake, but sure – you can swap in other baking apples if you prefer. I’d suggest avoiding apples that get super soft when they cook up like Macintosh, etc.
I have been asked to make the dessert for our Ladies Holiday Brunch at church and after reading through your recipe and reading the reviews, this sounds fantastic! I’d like to make it in a rectangular or square pan for ease of serving. Can you tell me if you’ve tried making it that way and what size pan to use for this size recipe and how long to bake it. Thank you very much!
Hi Ginger – I’m sorry – we haven’t tried this in a 9×13 or square pan but I suspect it would work. You’ll just want to keep an eye on it while it bakes as I’m guessing the baking time will be different. Hope you love the cake as much as we do!
I have made this several times now. It is gone in minutes! This really is the best apple cake ever!
Thanks Leticia – so glad you enjoy the cake!
Delicious cake. Definitely a thick batter as the other pits mentioned. But cake turned out great! Will make again.
Thanks Kim – so glad you enjoyed the cake!
Is this good served cold next day
Yes – in fact, some readers have told us that the cake flavors develop and it tastes even better the day after baking!
There is no doubt. Throw all other recipes away. This is the bomb! It’s all you need. THE BEST apple cake EVER!
Thanks Jan! 🙂
Made this tonight used coconut oil instead of vegetable. Haven’t tried it yet but I’m sure it’ll be delicious. I am not going to add topping because I try to save calories wherever I can. Honestly do not think it needs the extra sugar
Hope you enjoy the cake Jess!
Very moist
Thanks Donna!
I just made this today, with Granny Smith apples from our trees. It was spectacular!
So glad you enjoyed the cake Donna!
Delicious. So glad I tried it. Easy to follow the recipe.
Thanks Ginneth!