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.
Bar none….the best apple cake I’ve ever had. The caramel sauce was perfect. My husband and friends loved every bite.
Thanks Carolyn!
Thanks a lot for this delicious recipe. It turned out great. The glaze has an amazing texture and the recipe yields exactly the right amount to cover the entire cake. I followed the recipe step by step, however, because the batter looked too thick to me, I added 3/4 cup of low fat milk as well. I added it at the end, but if anyone wants to try it, it’s better to be added right before mixing in the dry ingredients. It worked perfectly well. Thanks again Martha. I love your website.
Thank you so much – glad the cake worked out! The batter is definitely very thick but good to know that adding some extra milk still gave you good results!
This cake was awesome. I left out walnuts as 2nd decreased cinnamon by half. So most and the glaze pairs perfectly without being over sweet. We used a granny smith a gala and honey crisp apple. Definitely will make again
Thanks Gail!
So delicious! My new to baking tween made this all by herself for a remote learning FACTS (home ec) class. Thank you so much for simple, clear directions, and a super moist, yummy cake with to die for glaze. We loved it!
So glad you enjoyed the cake Sasha!
I love this cake! Wonderful flavor and texture.
I enjoy the big pieces of apple and the glaze really takes it up a notch. The batter was really thick and I was worried I did something wrong but it turned out great.
Thanks Sally – so glad the recipe was a hit!
This really is the best apple cake recipe ever!
Thank you! (We agree!)
Do you think the glaze would work with half n half instead of heavy cream? My cake is in the oven and iI can’t get to the store now to get cream. Thanks.
Hi Karen – Yes. I’d cut back a bit on the amount added since the half and half isn’t as thick as the heavy cream.
Good morning Martha, I enjoy so much reading you… Would love to make this appel cake. Would you be kind enough to tell me if I can replace the all purpose flour by Gluten free flour… One for One …. It would simplify my life !!
Thank you so much
Lisa
Thank you so much Lisa! We haven’t tried it ourselves with this recipe but I believe we have had some readers comment that they were successful using a one-to-one gluten free flour with this recipe. (I know we’ve always had good luck with the Bob’s Red Mill One-to-One…) Please let us know it works out!
Made this a couple weeks ago and it is absolutely a keeper. I had some apples that were starting to get soft and was looking for a new recipe when I found this one. My husband loved it, so did I. He’s asking me to make it again.
So glad the cake was a hit Rhonda!
My newest addiction!! Truly the best apple cake I have ever had. I crave it. Every time I have made it ( which is quite often), people ask me for the recipe. It tastes like its from a bakery. It is so moist and tasty. The glaze is so good too. Thank you for the recipe!!.
You’re very welcome Kirsten!