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.
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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.
Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer tart apples, like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious.
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.
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
Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients
For the bundt cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
- ½ cup plain yogurt or sour cream at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups light or dark brown sugar lightly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 medium apples peeled and chopped into small chunks (about 3 ½-4 cups)
For the brown sugar glaze:
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar sifted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 10-12 cup bundt pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- 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. Avoid over-mixing. Carefully fold in the apple chunks.
- Pour batter into the bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- For the glaze: Combine the brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Then without stirring, allow to boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low for another minute. 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Trina and Tina says
Looks deliciously dangerous!
Kathryn says
Yes -- both! You're so right...but it's perfect for fall!
Bernadine says
Looks so good! ❤️
Kathryn says
Thanks so much, Bernadine!
Bernadine says
No problem! 🙂
Bernadine says
Hey Kathryn! Just wanted to let you know that I’m having a blog party, which is a great way to promote your blog and meet new people: https://bernadinesbakery.wordpress.com/2018/11/12/promote-your-blog-here-blog-party-3/