Ingredients Needed
For the Apple Cake
All-purpose flour
Baking soda: so the cake can rise
Salt: to enhance flavor
Spices: cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg
Vegetable oil: canola or safflower oil
Brown sugar: if you prefer, you can do half brown sugar and half granulated sugar
Eggs: large, please
Vanilla extract: the pure stuff, please
Apples: Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Pink Lady, or Fuji
For the Caramel Drizzle
Brown sugar
Butter: salted or unsalted
Heavy cream
Vanilla extract: the pure stuff, please
How to make Apple Cake
This is the nutshell version, please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in several intervals stirring just until combined. Fold the apples and pecans into the batter, stirring just until combined. Spoon the batter into a well-greased and lightly floured Bundt pan. Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before inverting. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, brown sugar, and cream. Bring to a gentle boil while stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Drizzle over the warm cake.
What are the best apples for Apple Cake?
My go-to apples for this recipe are crisp apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples. Other good choices are Braeburn, Pink Lady (also known as Cripps Pink), Fuji, or Gala Apples. You can also do a mixture of all of these or any of these for more texture and flavor. Cut your apples into chunks that are at least 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch thick to help keep a little bit of firmness through the baking process. For best results, stir them with a little lemon juice to keep them from browning while you are making your way through the recipe.
Recipe Tips
Peel, core, and cut your apples into chunks for bite-size pieces of apple with just a little bit of that great apple texture left after baking.
Grease and flour your bundt pan well. I like to use Baker’s Joy, but flour and butter work well too.
Because of the chunks of apple in this delicious cake, intricate bundt pans do not work very well, but a standard bundt pan works like a dream.
This cake is one of those recipes that tastes even better when made a day in advance. Let it cool completely before covering it and storing it in a cool section of the kitchen.
