Oh, if you love biting into a slice of classic, warm apple pie but just don’t have the patience for fiddly pastry crusts, then stop what you’re doing, because I’ve got the ultimate solution! Seriously, I spent years wrestling with butter temperatures and lattice work for holiday gatherings. After years of perfecting holiday pies, I developed this Apple Pie Bundt Cake to offer that same comforting taste without the fussy crust. It’s moist, it’s spiced perfectly, and the best part? The apples are baked right into the batter, meaning you get that incredible apple pie flavor in the easiest cake structure possible. Trust me, this will be your new weeknight dessert hero!
Why This Apple Pie Bundt Cake is Your New Favorite Dessert
Why fuss over making a full pie when you can get all the best parts in one easy pan? This cake is guaranteed to become a staple in your house. It’s just that good!
- It nails that true apple pie flavor profile with cinnamon and nutmeg baked right in.
- The texture is wonderfully dense and moist—it practically melts in your mouth.
- Prep is ridiculously fast, and the cleanup is minimal compared to pie crust drama.
- If you love other classic cake recipes, like our sour cream coffee cake, you’ll appreciate the similar simplicity here!
Gathering Ingredients for the Perfect Apple Pie Bundt Cake
This recipe relies on pantry staples we all usually have, which makes whipping up an Apple Pie Bundt Cake so easy. The key to getting that amazing texture is ensuring your dairy ingredients are ready to go before you even turn the mixer on. If you’re looking for other incredible desserts that feature apples, you absolutely have to check out this apple crisp cheesecake!
For the Apple Pie Bundt Cake Batter
We need a full cup of unsalted butter—and listen closely—it has to be softened, not melted, my friends! Melted butter makes a flat, greasy cake. You also need two cups of regular sugar, four large eggs, and just a teaspoon of vanilla. For the dry stuff, grab three cups of all-purpose flour, one teaspoon of baking soda, and half a teaspoon of salt. Don’t forget the buttermilk! That one cup of buttermilk gives the cake such a lovely tang that really sets it apart.
Pro tip: Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before you start beating them in. Room-temp eggs trap air way better than cold ones, giving the final cake that lighter, more airy crumb when you cream them with the butter. It really makes a difference!
For the Spiced Apple Filling and Topping
This is where the apple pie magic comes from! You’ll need one full cup of finely diced apples. I insist on Granny Smith or Honeycrisp here—you want something that keeps its shape and offers a nice tartness to cut through the sweetness. Toss those little apple cubes with one teaspoon of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of nutmeg. Before you pour the batter in the pan, we’re mixing half a cup of packed light brown sugar and some chopped pecans (if you like nuts!) to sprinkle right on top. That brown sugar melts down into a gorgeous, crackly crust while it bakes right on top of your Apple Pie Bundt Cake.
Expert Tips for Preparing Your Apple Pie Bundt Cake
Look, making a cake that has to slide out of a Bundt pan cleanly is half the battle! You can have the best batter in the world, but if it sticks, we’re going to have tears. I learned this the hard way, which is why I follow these tricks religiously. If you’re also a fan of learning timeless, solid baking methods, you should check out the techniques my family uses for homemade bread—same principles apply to structure!
Bundt Pan Preparation is Key to a Beautiful Apple Pie Bundt Cake
Do not, I repeat, do not trust the standard cooking spray alone for a recipe this chunky. The apples and brown sugar topping can weld themselves right to the metal if you aren’t careful! I always rely on a good coat of softened shortening or butter rubbed *everywhere*—make sure you get down into those crevices! Then, dust the entire inside with flour and gently tap out the excess. If you can find a good quality baking spray that includes flour in the ingredients, that’s my second favorite method. This locks in that beautiful shape for your Apple Pie Bundt Cake.
Mixing Technique for a Tender Crumb
When you get to the part where you start alternating the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, you need to slow down. This is the make-or-break moment! You want to mix *just* until those streaks of flour disappear. If you keep beating the batter once the flour is incorporated, you’re developing gluten, and that turns our tender cake into something chewy and stiff. Nobody wants a tough Apple Pie Bundt Cake; we want that melt-in-your-mouth texture we promised!
Step-by-Step Instructions for the Apple Pie Bundt Cake
Okay, now for the fun part! Once you’ve got your perfect batter ready, it’s time to assemble this beauty. Since we prepped our pan really well—which you absolutely did, right?—the baking process itself is straightforward. We’re aiming for that golden-brown top that smells exactly like a Sunday morning at Grandma’s house. If you are using a recipe similar to our sour cream coffee cake, you know how important gentle folding is!
- First things first, make sure your oven is warmed up to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). While it’s heating, double-check that your 10-cup Bundt pan is beautifully greased and floured.
- Take that creamy butter and sugar mixture from earlier and pour the spiced apple batter right into the prepared pan. Smooth the top gently, but don’t press down hard!
- Now for the crunchy crown: mix up that brown sugar (and pecans, if you’re feeling fancy) in a little bowl. Sprinkle that mixture evenly over the surface of the batter. This topping will melt slightly and bake into a wonderful crust.
- Slide the pan into that preheated oven. You are looking at 55 to 65 minutes of baking time. Don’t open the door too soon!
- To check for doneness, use a wooden skewer—insert it near the center (avoiding any big apple chunks) and pull it out. If it comes out clean, you’re golden! If it has wet batter? Give it another five minutes.
- This next part is critical for release: let the cake chill out in the pan on a wire rack for exactly 15 minutes. Any longer, and it can steam and stick; any shorter, and it might fall apart.
- After that short wait, carefully invert the cake onto the wire rack and let it cool completely before you even *think* about slicing it! Patience pays off here for the most stunning slice of Apple Pie Bundt Cake.
Serving Suggestions for Your Apple Pie Bundt Cake
This Apple Pie Bundt Cake is already fantastic all by itself, but serving it slightly warm? Oh, that’s a game-changer. You absolutely must try a slice served à la mode—a scoop of good vanilla bean ice cream is mandatory, in my honest opinion. It gets beautifully melty against the warm cinnamon spice!
If you aren’t into ice cream, a quick drizzle of caramel sauce takes this right into dessert heaven territory. And if you want something lighter, sometimes I just whip up a thin vanilla glaze—you can find my go-to glaze technique when looking at my vanilla bean pistachio cake recipe notes! It perfectly complements the apple flavor without overpowering it.
Storage and Reheating Instructions for Leftover Apple Pie Bundt Cake
The absolute best thing about this Apple Pie Bundt Cake is that it’s even better the next day, just like a real pie! You don’t need to rush to finish it, though you definitely might want to.
If you have any slices left (lucky you!), storing it at room temperature works perfectly fine for about two days. Just cover the cut side of the cake tightly with plastic wrap, or place the entire cake on a plate and cover it loosely with foil. That dense, moist crumb holds up really well without needing refrigeration, which means you don’t have to worry about it drying out.
If you know you won’t get to it by day three, go ahead and pop it into the fridge. It keeps well for up to five days wrapped tightly. Make sure you let it sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes before serving if it’s cold, just to take that chill off so the spices really sing!
Now, for reheating one perfect slice, this is my little trick: I wrap an individual slice loosely in a slightly dampened paper towel. Pop that little package into the microwave for maybe 10 to 15 seconds—no more! That steam from the paper towel brings back all that beautiful moisture and makes it taste freshly baked. It’s incredible how it wakes up the cinnamon and brown sugar topping!
Variations on the Classic Apple Pie Bundt Cake
Because once you master the base of this Apple Pie Bundt Cake, you absolutely need to customize it, right? I love tweaking things based on what I have on hand or what kind of mood I’m in. The beauty of this recipe is that the base cake structure is so sturdy, it holds up beautifully to additions—just like my favorite banana cake recipe does!
You don’t need to worry about finding a whole new recipe; sometimes just a small addition completely transforms the flavor profile. Here are a few foolproof ways I like to mix it up when I feel like being extra creative:
- Swap Out Those Apples: While Granny Smiths are the workhorse here, try mixing them 50/50 with a sweeter apple like Fuji if you want a less tart flavor profile overall. Or, if you have some on hand, tossing in a handful of dried cranberries along with the fresh apples adds a gorgeous little burst of chewiness!
- Nut Upgrades: If pecans aren’t your favorite, feel free to substitute walnuts instead. Toasting them lightly in a dry pan for about five minutes before stirring them in or adding them to the topping makes a HUGE difference in flavor depth. Seriously, don’t skip the toasting step if you swap nuts!
- The Caramel Ripple: This is my absolute favorite for fall parties. Right before you sprinkle that brown sugar/pecan topping on, take about half a cup of good quality caramel sauce—the thick kind—and drizzle it randomly over the batter in squiggles. Then, sprinkle the brown sugar mix over the caramel. As it bakes, you get these lovely pockets of gooey caramel mixed in with the apple spice. It makes it look so fancy, too!
Just remember to keep the main structure the same—the buttermilk, the flour proportions, and the baking time should stay consistent, even with small additions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Making an Apple Pie Bundt Cake
I get so many messages asking about little hiccups when people try to bake this, and honestly, it’s usually just a tiny step they missed! Don’t feel bad, every great baker has had a sunken middle or a stuck cake. If you’re looking for other absolute can’t-miss baking tips, you should check out the advice I share regarding my peanut butter cake—structure is everything!
Can I substitute the buttermilk in this Apple Pie Bundt Cake?
Yes, absolutely! Buttermilk is great for tenderizing, but if you don’t have any lingering in the fridge, it’s easy to whip up a substitute. For every cup of buttermilk required, just take one cup of regular milk—whole milk works best if you have it—and stir in one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Give it a quick stir, and then let it sit on the counter for five minutes. It will start to curdle just a little bit, and voilà! You have a perfect substitute for your Apple Pie Bundt Cake batter.
Why is my Apple Pie Bundt Cake dense?
Nine times out of ten, density comes from two things: either you didn’t cream your butter and sugar until it was genuinely fluffy, or you over mixed once you added the flour and buttermilk. If you mix too hard after the flour goes in, you activate the gluten, and that turns your cake into a tough loaf instead of a tender cake. Remember what I said about mixing until *just* combined? That’s essential for a light crumb, even in a sturdy Bundt cake!
What is the best apple to use for this recipe?
I am firmly in the Granny Smith camp for this recipe, and here’s why: they are sharp and tart, which balances the sweetness we get from the two cups of sugar in the batter and the brown sugar topping. More importantly, Granny Smiths hold their shape beautifully when baked. If you use a softer, sweeter apple, they tend to turn to mush, and you’ll end up with apple puree instead of fun little chunks inside your Apple Pie Bundt Cake!
Nutritional Estimates for the Apple Pie Bundt Cake
Now, I’m not a nutritionist, and you know my kitchen isn’t a laboratory, so take these numbers with a big grain of salt and a slice of that delicious cake! Because this Apple Pie Bundt Cake uses butter and sugar to get that amazing texture, the numbers are what you’d expect for a rich dessert. These estimates are based on 12 servings, assuming standard ingredient sizes. You’ll find the full breakdown below for reference.
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 35g
- Fat: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Protein: 4g
If you add that extra caramel swirl I mentioned, you know those numbers are going to jump up a bit, but totally worth keeping that recipe safe for special occasions!
Share Your Apple Pie Bundt Cake Creations
I truly hope you get as much joy making this Apple Pie Bundt Cake as I do every time I pull it out of the oven. It’s such a comforting, crowd-pleasing recipe, and I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Please don’t be shy! Drop me a rating down below—five stars if it tastes like heaven, but I want to hear your honest feedback either way. Did you try the caramel ripple variation? Or maybe you skipped the nuts? Let me know in the comments!
If you took a picture of your beautiful, tall cake—because they almost always bake up perfectly!), snap a photo and share it on social media. Tag me so I can see your amazing work! It really makes my whole week seeing you enjoy these classic flavors in an easy cake form. If you loved this, perhaps you’ll enjoy trying out the techniques in my banana muffins recipe next!
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Apple Pie Bundt Cake
- Total Time: 80 min
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A moist Bundt cake combining the flavors of apple pie with a simple cake structure.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup finely diced apples (such as Granny Smith)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (for topping)
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- In a small bowl, toss the diced apples with cinnamon and nutmeg. Gently fold the spiced apples into the cake batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and pecans (if using). Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- You can use a simple glaze made from powdered sugar and milk to drizzle over the cooled cake if desired.
- Ensure your apples are peeled and diced small so they distribute evenly in the batter.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 60 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 35
- Sodium: 200
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 70
Keywords: apple cake, bundt cake, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple pie flavor, dessert