Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Chocked full of fresh apples with warm notes of cinnamon, this Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake is topped with a simple brown sugar glaze and screams fall. This is the official bundt cake of fall, y'all.

I feel like if this cinnamon apple bundt cake were to have a natural habitat, it would definitely be amongst the peak of fall leaves that's happening right now. The gorgeous yellow, red, brown, and orange leaves make the glaze look almost golden. Forgive me for holding an outdoor photo shoot with a cake...but I was just really struck by the beauty of both the leaves and how well the landscape complemented the cake. My neighbors were surely concerned with my mental health.

As much as I love summer, I'm appreciative of the changing seasons. Fall is such a beautiful time. It's a good reminder to think about embracing change. What's something you want to do that you're not currently doing (answer: eating these pumpkin bars and chocolate chunk banana bread)? What's something you want to get involved in? Get out of? What are you still holding onto that you need to let go of? I find myself wondering the answers to these questions when there's such a stark contrast in the seasons.

I usually get a little depressed thinking about winter coming. The cold, bleak days seem so much harder than the carefree summer nights we had not too long ago. It gets dark so. Freakin. Early. Bundling the kids in their winter jackets and strapping them into car seats when they're big, fluffy marshmallows is no joke. They act like caged animals. You battle sicknesses more frequently. Before it gets so cold you can't feel your fingers, there is fall though.

Fall is filled with apples, apples, and more apples. This cinnamon apple bundt cake is a homemade work of beauty, and it doesn't take long to make.

Why This Cake Hits

This cinnamon apple bundt cake is moist, moist, moist. Thanks to the oil and yogurt (or sour cream), these cake is anything but dry and crumbly.
This recipe is easy and doesn't require a stand mixer. It requires just a couple of bowls. Talk about an easy clean up!
Great way to use up all those apples -- We go apple picking a couple of times in the fall, and we always get more than we can eat. Just put them in a cake. Problem Solved!
Your kitchen will smell like fall. No need for fall-scented candles. This cake will take care of that. The smell of baked cinnamon is just dreamy.

Ingredients You'll Need

Only requiring the simplest of ingredients, this cinnamon apple bundt cake recipe needs the following ingredients:

all-purpose flour
baking soda
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg
salt
vegetable oil
plain yogurt -- feel free to also use sour cream
light or dark brown sugar - the choice is yours!
granulated sugar
eggs
pure vanilla extract
apples -- I prefer using tart apples, like Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples.
unsalted butter
heavy cream
confectioners' sugar

How to Make a Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake

Follow these step-by-step directions for your bundt cake to turn out spectacularly:

Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk the oil, yogurt, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until combined.
Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and slowly stir until combined. Don't over mix here! Gently fold in the apple chunks.
Pour batter into the bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
While the cake cools, make the glaze by combining brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Then let it go another minute without stirring. Remove from heat and whisk in confectioner's sugar. Allow glaze to cool until it reaches a pourable state (about 10-15 minutes).
Spoon over the cooled cake right before serving.

More detailed directions can be found on the recipe card below!

Tips for the Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake

Here are two tips when making the cinnamon apple bundt cake:

Don't be scared of the vanilla extract. The cake uses 1 full tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. I recommend using your highest quality vanilla since there's a decently strong vanilla flavor here.
Be careful not to over mix your batter. You want the ingredients all combined but over mixing will create a dense cake.

How to Store Leftovers

If you have leftovers (is that really a thing when it comes to cake?!), store at room temperature in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for 2-3 days.

You can also freeze this cake, but I recommend freezing without the glaze. You can make the glaze when you're ready to serve. More details below in the FAQ.

apples abound in this cinnamon apple bundt cake

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best apples to use for an apple bundt cake?

I prefer tart apples, like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious.

Can I freeze this cinnamon apple bundt cake?

You can. Just don't put the glaze on until you're ready to serve. You can wrap the whole cake in plastic wrap and place in the freezer or freeze individual cake slices in the same manner. The cake will stay fresh for 3 months.

When you're ready to eat, place the cake in the refrigerator overnight, then pull out at room temperature and make the glaze when you're ready to serve.

How do I prevent my bundt cake from sticking to the bundt pan?

First, make sure your bundt cake is well-sprayed with cooking spray.

Then, wait exactly 10 minutes from the time the cake come out of the oven to flip it over onto a wire rack. I've found any less and the cake hasn't fully settled yet. Any more, and the cake gets too cooled, which is when the sticking occurs.

Other Fall Favorite Desserts

Easy Apple Slab Pie -- Think of apple pie, but made much easier thanks for puff pastry. It's one of my favorite things to make in the fall.
Homemade Applesauce - A simple dessert with no added sugar. Add another shake of cinnamon on top, and it's a delicious dessert when you're looking for something sweet but don't need something sweet. IYKYK.
While not fall, the smell of butter browning reminds me of the changing of seasons (I think because of the caramel/toffee notes). These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are the bomb.
Still on the apple train? This salted caramel apple tart is seriously delicious and easy to make when you use store-bought pie crust.

More Recipes with Cinnamon

Happy fall, y'all!

xox,

kathryn

As always, if you make anything from the blog, be sure to let me know! I love hearing from you in the comments on this post below or find Worn Slap Out on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!