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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
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Best Apple Cake Ever
This Best Apple Cake Ever is super moist and delicious with the perfect amount of sweetness and spice!
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.
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The best. Making instead of my banana bread.
Thank you Brenda!
This is the 10th or 12th ( maybe more) time I have made this recipe. My son has a potluck tomorrow at his neuro lab, so here I go again! This recipe is Absolutely My Go To, nearly every time I want a moist, cinnamon-y perfect dessert. I use Granny Smith apples w/ a Jonagold or 2, and I add rum extract to the glaze, and it jazzes it up just a little.
Great suggestions Kristine! So glad the cake is a hit!
This cake truly is the best. I’ve made it several times and it always gets rave reviews! Easy to follow recipe.
Thank you Heidi!
Very good cake but the next time I make it I will not put the glaze on it, a little too sweet.
Thanks for the feedback Camille
Most awesome recipe ever. Award 🥇 time for you all. Making it again…. God Bless You. ❤️. Thanks
Thanks so much Sharon!
This was absolutely amazing! I made it for the first time and served it at Thanksgiving and it was a hit! I was a little concerned because the batter was so thick (didn’t see the video first) that it might be dry but it was super moist and delicious. Used 2 Gala and 1 Granny Smith. I wanted to ask if you’ve ever changed out the glaze for a frosting and what you recommend? I was thinking about a thinner cream cheese frosting?
Hi Jen – We’ve only made the recipe with the glaze as written but a thinner cream cheese glaze sounds delicious!
I have been using this recipe for the last 4 years. My family loves it and I make it for Thanksgiving. It also freezezs well. I follow the recipe as shown.
Thank you Claudia!
Very very yummy! Particularly the sugary glaze…everyone at my tea loved it! It is a very thick batter but the cake is light. Will make it again!!
Thank you Judy!
Can’t wait to make this cake. Anything apple! But I don’t like nutmeg. What other spice would you recommend? Allspice and a pinch of clove? Or ginger?
It’s really your choice Janet – of those three, I’d lean toward ginger but that’s a personal choice. Or you could bump up the cinnamon a bit too.
I made this cake. It was very good. My only complaint is the amount of apples should be in cups. I used 3 large apples and it was too much. The cake falls apart when sliced. Apples come in all sizes. Recipe should be revised to reflect this.
Thanks for your feedback Joane.