Skip to Content

Fresh Apple Pie Bundt Cake

Fresh apple pie bundt cake is one of our favorite bundt cake recipes during the fall and winter seasons. Apples and cream cheese combine to make this delicious apple pie bundt cake so rich and decadent. We finished it with a simple sugar glaze and nut topping for a beautiful presentation. This recipe is a dance between an apple pie and a scrumptious pound cake.

If you have been around our blog for a bit you know that bundt cakes and quick breads are some of our favorite recipes; and what better way to incorporate seasonal apples and fall spices than with a delicious and easy apple bundt cake. It can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion and your personal preferences.

Bundt cakes are well loved for their nostalgic retro style, ease of serving and enjoying, and the ability to add in fresh fruits and nuts. We are sharing our best tips for baking the best bundt cake apple, spice, and nuts.

Fresh Apple Pie Bundt Cake
fresh apple pie bundt cake for the holiday dessert table

Which apples are best to bake with?

The choice of apples is definitely one of the most important in the baking world. For baked goods like this fresh apple pie bundt cake, apples need to be crisp and somewhat tart in order to balance out the other sweet ingredients. The texture also needs to be able to withstand the baking process or they will cook down into a mush.

Grannysmith and Honeycrisp are two of the most popular apple varieties to bake with, followed by Gala and Fuji or similar varieties. Above all else, make sure the apples you chose are best for baking and won’t fall apart or become an overpoweringly sweet addition.

Making the very best bundt cake

Bundt cakes are known for the tight crumb and texture that give them structure and richness. There are some important techniques and details to follow in order to make the very best bundt cake, here is our list of tips and tricks to make the best fresh apple pie bundt cake.

  • The batter needs to be thick, like a pound cake. Heavier and thicker batter is key for bundt cakes as it gives the cake its structure and richness. Good quality cooking oils are best for the batter because they add moisture and density to the crumb. Inclusions like sour cream and yogurts are also used to bring richness and even more moisture.
  • Only mix the batter until combined to reduce the amount of air bubbles. Air bubbles will make the batter fluffy and give an open crumb which will be susceptible to falling apart after baking. Be sure to not overmix the batter. It’s also good practice to lightly bang the pan on the counter before baking to bring as many trapped air bubbles to the surface.
  • Grease the pan properly so that the cake releases easily. Bundt cakes standout because of their unique shapes. But, this can be ruined if the cakes stick to the pans and break apart after baking. Grease the bundt pan with either lard or cooking oils for the cleanest release. We don’t recommend using butter because the milk fats can cause the cake to stick.
  • Release the cake from the pan at the right time and temperature. The cake needs to be cooled enough that it won’t crumble and break apart. It will also stick to the pan if it is still too hot. On the flipside, if you wait too long and the cake has fully cooled it will have solidified too much and possibly become stuck to the pan.
  • Get creative with the design of bundt pan. From classic to modern there is no shortage of options in the style of bundt pans available these days.
Apple Bundt Cake 1

What can you garnish bundt cakes with?

The beauty of bundt cakes is in their simplistic nature. They can be enjoyed plain, lightly dusted with cocoa or powdered sugar, or dressed up to fit the theme of your event. We love to make our fresh apple pie bundt cake a showy addition to the dessert table. Here are some ideas for you to try.

  • Make a simple sugar glaze or syrup to add a touch of sweetness and shimmer
  • Dust with a cinnamon sugar mixture to enhance this cake apple bundt style
  • Use a variety of toasted nuts, fresh apple slices, or cinnamon sticks for a beautiful presentation
  • Drizzle with a decadent buttermilk cake caramel glaze for the ultimate finish
  • Make an apple cinnamon crumb topping
  • Frost with a rich cream cheese frosting to bring some extra tang and lusciousness
  • Drizzle a brown sugar glaze for a rich topping
  • Top with gingerbread cookie crumbles, caramel candies, or butterscotch candies

Can bundt cakes be made ahead?

Yes, bundt cakes can be made a day before you intend to serve them. We recommend waiting to garnish your fresh apple pie bundt cake until you are ready to serve for the best presentation and optimal freshness.

Bake your cake and allow it to cool before removing from the pan. Once the cake has fully cooled wrap it tightly in airtight wrap and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. When you are ready to enjoy remove it from the fridge, give it time to warm to room temperature and dress it as desired.

Bundt cakes travel very well making them a perfect shareable dessert. They make a wonderful hostess gift or addition to a holiday party that you are invited to.

Apple Bundt Cake 3

Fresh Apple Pie Bundt Cake Baking Tips

This recipe can be adjusted and changed to suite your personal preferences. We took the original recipe and used it as inspiration to make it our way.

Which oils are best for baking?

Coconut oil is what we bake with because it is a healthy oil that is stable for high heat cooking. It also adds a beautiful flavor that pairs well with baked goods. You can use whatever cooking oil you prefer. A good quality avocado oil is a great option for the recipe.

Plan ahead to prepare your ingredients

Make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature, the coconut oil melted, and the eggs warmed to room temperature to reduce the need for excessive mixing. Mixing excessively will affect the texture and crumb of the bundt cake.

We always recommend using the freshest ingredients possible. Fresh lemon juice, good quality vanilla extract, and full fat cream cheese will yield the best tasting bundt cake.

The details of preparation are important

Combine your dry ingredients and mix in the wet ingredients until just combined. We recommend creaming the wet ingredients prior to adding to the dry as this will also cut down on the need for extra mixing.

What goes best with bundt cake?

If you are looking to build a spread of delicious desserts and snacks for your guests, this bundt cake makes a wonderful focal point. Here are some other goodies that you can serve and enjoy along with it for a delicious dessert experience.

Fresh Apple Pie Bundt Cake
Yield: 28 slices

Fresh Apple Pie Bundt Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Fresh winter apples baked into a beautiful, luscious Bundt cake. Apples and cream cheese combine to make this delicious fresh apple pie bundt cake so rich and moist.

Ingredients

  • 3 large apples peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 Cup coconut oil-melted
  • 1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese-softened
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 Tablespoon almond extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Streusel Topping:
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • Glaze:
  • 3 Cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons milk(or until desired consistency attained)

Instructions

For the Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease a loaf pan and a 10 inch bundt pan
  3. Prepare apples. Put the chopped apples into a large Bowl of water and add the lemon juice, making sure the apples stay submerged to prevent browning.
  4. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, coconut oil, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until well combined and creamy.
  5. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, beat with an electric mixer until just combined.
  6. Drain and DRY the chopped apples in a paper towel and fold them into the batter.

For the Streusel Filling:

  1. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans.
  2. Sprinkle 1/3 of the streusel into the bundt pan. Spoon about half of the apple batter on top of that. Make a trench in the batter and pour the streusel evenly into the trench and press it into the batter.
  3. Layer the remaining apple batter on top and smooth the top.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until the cake tests done with a toothpick.
  5. Cool cake thoroughly before removing from bundt pan.

For the Glazing:

  1. Mix together the glaze ingredients.
  2. Glaze the top when the cake is cooled and plated

Notes

It's important to make sure the cake is thoroughly baked with the toothpick test. Then cool it thoroughly in the bundt pan before removing the cake.

Nutrition Information

Yield

28

Serving Size

1 slice

Amount Per Serving Calories 298

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Check out these other delicious recipes too!

Follow Us:

We enjoy meeting you on our social networks. Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram . Tag us with your pictures of our recipes and comment on how it went for you. We would love to see what you do with them.

We often like, comment and share your posts of our recipes on our daily Instagram stories.

Ask questions and rate the recipe in the comments section below. Please share what you did with this recipe. We are always looking for more and better ways to make homemade food. Other cooks love your ideas!

Recent Posts:

Spiced Apple Pie Bundt Cake

Adapted from: Bunny’s warm oven

Butternut Pumpkin Soup - Homemade Food Junkie

Friday 6th of November 2015

[…] last month we’ve been hitting the heavy goodies hard. Apple desserts here, here and here. Sweet potato goodies and lots of wonderful heavy casseroles like this one have rolled […]

Winnie

Sunday 6th of September 2015

This cake looks sooooooooooo GOOD !! My family loves apple-cakes, and I've never baked one with cream-cheese. I'd love a huge slice of it right at this moment :)

homemadefoodjunkie

Sunday 6th of September 2015

Thank you so much Winnie!

Hadia

Tuesday 13th of January 2015

The cake looks so decadent Diane. What a beautiful combination, cream cheese, apples and cinnamon streusel! Thank you for sharing at our party. Pinned!

Skip to Recipe