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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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Hi! I’ve used this recipe so much in the past and love it sooo much. Would gluten free flour be ok to use? any advice on swapping out regular for GF?
Hi Carolyn – We’ve never tried using gluten free flour ourselves, but I think in among the thousand+ comments on this recipe, we did have at least one reader comment that the recipe worked well with the one-to-one gluten free flour. Please let us know how it works out if you try it! (My experience generally with that flour swap is that the texture is a little softer…but I think it should work!)
Thank you!! I appreciate your response 🙂 I will report back!!!
I’m so happy I found this recipe. I used to make a fresh apple cake for my mom anytime she was going to a potluck… I lost my recipe over 40 years ago, and this looks like what I remember. The batter looked too big for my Bundt pan so I used a second pan and reduced the bake time. It turned out wonderful.
We’re glad you found this recipe too Kate!
Very good. Made it 2 times this week. Used fuji apples because that is what I had on hand.
Great choice Annette – so glad you enjoy the cake!
Can I freeze this cake?
Sure Marie – the glaze might get a little smudged but you can always add more. Or if you are freezing before serving, glaze once you thaw and are ready to serve.
We liked the recipe it is a 5 star ⭐
Thanks Susan!
Making it for the second time in two weeks!!!
Thank you Sherry!
For the glaze, don’t have heavy cream, can I use milk instead, also, no butter,is butter substitute OK?
Milk is fine – the glaze will just be a little thinner than if you used heavy cream so start with less and add more.
I’m not sure about the butter substitute…
I love this cake. Just one question do I use a mixer or do it by hand?
Either can be used Annmarie – it’s a very thick batter so if using a hand mixer you’ll want to make sure it is a powerful one.
I have made this cake three times it is my all time favorite
Thank you Terry!
Have made this cake several times without the sauce and it’s still awesome 5 stars . Super moist
Thanks Danny!