This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
With sweet cinnamon swirls and grated tart apples, this delicious Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake is a perfect dessert for fall. It’s moist and light and full of rich fall flavor.
Key Ingredients
This apple cinnamon bundt cake has sweet and tart apples and lots of warm cinnamon flavor. It’s tender and moist and just melts in your mouth. The ingredients are mostly basic pantry ingredients that you’d expect for a cake like eggs, sugar, oil, butter, and flour.
- Apples – I like to use a few different varieties when I bake, but the best apples for baking are crisp and tangy, like Granny Smith, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady and Jonagolds.
- Butter and Vegetable Oil – I use both because they each offer something different to the texture and flavor of the cake. Butter gives you that rih, buttery taste, while oil keeps the cake tender and moist.
- Sugar – For the cake itself, I added granulated sugar, but I used brown sugar for the swirl. So the cake is sweet and the swirl has that distinct warm molasses flavor.
- Other Cake Ingredients – Flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, vanilla and ground cinnamon.
How to Make Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake
This apple cake is pretty straightforward and simple, albeit with a number of steps.
I used Granny Smith apples, but any tart, crisp apple would work; Grannies are just the most readily available. Chop them up into very small chunks – large enough that you can see them, but not so big that they won’t soften while the bundt cake is baking. Or ideally, grate them with a larger grater.
Combine the flour and all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt) in a bowl. Then in another bowl the butter, oil, vanilla and sugar. The sugar melts into the butter and oil, which is why it’s considered a “wet” ingredient in this recipe. The two are mixed until “well combined,” meaning the flour is no longer visible and the batter is formed. Fold in those apples you chopped up, then layer half of the batter, a cinnamon-sugar mixture, and the remaining batter. More cinnamon sugar goes on top of that, and then everything is swirled together to get that delicious cinnamon flowing throughout the cake, and that nice pretty ribbon swirling through the middle.
Bundt Cake Tips and Tricks
Bundt cake recipes are often misunderstood as difficult when really, they just *look* hard. Getting that warm cake to release from a bundt cake pan can be a challenge, but if you prep it right, you’ll do just fine.
- Start with Nonstick. Use a nonstick pan that is free of any scratches as that can mean that the pan is no longer as “nonstick” as it once was.
- Grease it. The key to getting your apple cake (or any bundt cake) to release easily from the pan is is greasing your bundt pan quite generously, with nonstick cooking spray or melted shortening.
- Flour it. Flours, or even granulated sugar, I’ve found to be helpful in preventing sticking.
- Release warm. Releasing the cake when it’s warm (not hot) can aid in an easy release. As the cake sits, the oils around the pan solidify and hold the cake in there. While still warm (but after sitting and resting for 10-15 minutes), invert the bundt cake onto a plate, let it sit for another 10 minutes, then give it a gentle shake and it should slip right out.
More Apple Recipes
- Snickerdoodle Apple Cobbler
- Classic Apple Pie Recipe
- Apple Crumble Recipe
- Apple Oven Pancake
- Cinnamon Apple Monkey Bread
- Pumpkin Apple Bread
Tools Used
- Bundt Cake Pan – Nothing super fancy, but nonstick is a must for this kitchen tool.
- Box Grater – This is perfect for getting large grates of the apples without them getting mushy.
- Nonstick Cooking Spray – I love the baking version of the Pam nonstick spray.
- Round Cake Plate – A flat service is a must when plating a cake. Having a cake plate on hand like this one with a dome lid, is helpful.
Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/2 cup softened butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups peeled and grated apples granny smith, pink lady or honeycrisp work best
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs, butter, oil, vanilla and granulated sugar until creamy and smooth.
- Stir in flour mixture until well combined.
- Stir in apples gently until combined.
- In a separate small bowl, stir 4 teaspoons cinnamon and 4 tablespoons brown sugar together and set aside.
- Grease a bundt pan generously with nonstick cooking spray. Coat with granulated sugar if desired.
- Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over the cake batter and swirl through with a knife. Repeat with the remaining cake batter and brown sugar mixture.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. Top will be golden brown and sides will pull away from the pan.
- Allow to cool 10-15 minutes completely before turning out on a round cake plate. If the cake does not release immediately, let sit another 10 minutes, then give a gentle shake.
- Once cake is completely cooled, top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, or a vanilla glaze, if desired.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- Start with Nonstick. Use a nonstick pan that is free of any scratches as that can mean that the pan is no longer as “nonstick” as it once was.
- Grease it. The key to getting your apple cake (or any bundt cake) to release easily from the pan is is greasing your bundt pan quite generously, with nonstick cooking spray or melted shortening.
- Flour it. This is a step that I don’t often use, as flour can cause an extra layer of white stuff stuck to the top of your cake. Nut flours, or even granulated sugar however, I’ve found to be helpful in preventing sticking.
- Release warm. This actually goes against what I used to do, but releasing the cake when it’s warm can aid in an easy release. As the cake sits, the oils around the pan solidify and hold the cake in there. While still warm (but after sitting and resting for 10-15 minutes), invert the bundt cake onto a plate, let it sit for another 10 minutes, then give it a gentle shake and it should slip right out.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Best recipe I’ve ever used, recently had a birthday catch up with some friends, turned this recipe into muffins size cakes …… success!!!
That’s awesome Morag! Thanks for dropping by.
I sprayed the pan but then didn’t read the recipe all the way through. I realized you swirled it halfway through so I took half of the batter out. It baked perfectly, but when I tried to take it out of the pan the outer layer stuck. It was because I took out the batter and swirled after. It tasted amazing. I loved it 10/10 would definitely recommend and will be making it again.
Awesome feedback Bakergirl! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Do you need to store this cake in the fridge?
No, you can leave it loosely covered and at room temperature.
This is such a great recipe. I’ve made this 3 times before and I’m making it again tomorrow. My husband isn’t much for homemade cakes because they’re usually more dense but this cake is so moist and the apples and cinnamon are wonderful. He loves this!!!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by to share Jan,
This cake has exceeded all expectations. Not only was it incredibly delicious, but it was also remarkably quick to make, which is a huge plus. The cake was delightfully moist and had a heavenly light and fluffy texture. The balance of cinnamon and apple flavors was spot on, creating the perfect amount of sweetness. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
What a great review! Thank you, Raadhiya!
Made this today. I did make a small error by putting the bulk of the cinnamon in w the dry goods and the one/two teaspoons of it w the brown sugar. Not a big error. IT IS DELICIOUS!
Love the feedback Doris! Thanks for stopping by.
First one I made stuck a bit. Greased and added cane sugar to Bundt prior to adding mix and 2nd one released perfect. FYI, used the first as a crumble for kiddos ice cream and they loved it. The second one I finished with lemon, zest, sugar and powdered sugar. I let the cake absorb and served a few hours later- Perfection! This one will become a staple. Thank you! Kiddos Loved!
You are so welcome Shannon! Fantastic idea for the ice cream crumble. Thanks for stopping by to share.
I haven’t made this yet, but looks delicious! I would like to use my 6 portioned mini buntlette pan. Would I cut the recipe in half?
A 10-inch bundt pan holds 10-12 cups of batter. It would depend on the size of the mini cups you have.
Agreed. Just making it now and the butter doesn’t cream with the addition of eggs and oil. Will do that next time too.
The results were great. The cake was very tasty and moist; and it looked great. I would have creamed the sugar and butter first and then added the oil to the wet mix.
Love your feedback Rosemarie, Thanks for stopping by.
I’ve baked this cake at least 5 times. It has been requested for birthdays and holidays. I add walnuts, top it with a cream cheese drizzle and sprinkle walnuts on top. It’s been demanded that I bring it to Thanksgiving again this year. Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome Megan! Love the feedback, thanks for stopping by.
This cake is fabulous. My family loved it. I’ll be making it for thanksgiving this year. If you like apples this cake will make you happy. I sprinkled it with powdered sugar, I think a glaze may have been a little sweet, the cake is sweet enough on its own. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
You are so welcome Janet! Love the feedback, thanks for stopping by.
Made this twice already. I used a small Bundt pan so cut the ingredients in half. It came out perfectly and is absolutely delicious ! It’s incredibly moist and the light sugar coating on the outside is just right. I made a caramel drizzle to go with it but it didn’t need it.
I will make this many more times.
Thank you !
You are so welcome Vicki! Awesome feedback, thanks for stopping by.
musT be a misprint. 4 tsp baking powder is WAY TOO MUCH. Cake had metallic aftertaseertast
It’s not a misprint, but I’m sorry you didn’t like the cake.
Hi, the cake looks delicious, but I’m wondering if it’s possible to put apples/brown sugar/cinnamon in the bottom of the bundt pan before adding the batter the way you do for an upside down cake? We have a GS that loves anything apple/cinnamon and I thought adding more apples/sugar on the bottom would satisfy him 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Valerie, I haven’t tried it that way. It’s worth a try, but I can’t say whether or not it would work. Try this (keeping in mind that I haven’t tested it) Mix together 4 tablespoons of melted butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and pour it into the bottom of the bundt pan. Peel and thinly slice 1 medium apple and arrange the slices over the butter in the pan. Mix the batter and pour that in slowly over the apples so they don’t move around, following the recipe from this point with the cinnamon sugar middle layer. If you try it, let me know how it comes out.
I will be making this cake again- great recipe! I used half wheat flour and half white flour, reduced the granulated sugar by 1/4 cup and topped with a simple vanilla icing. Delicious- thank you!
You are so welcome Karen! Love the feedback, thanks for stopping by.
Hi can this be made without eggs and butter?? If so what can these two be swapped with
If you have swaps that you typically use, you could try those. But this is a cake recipe and since I’m not a dairy-free blogger I can’t say what the best swaps would be. I highly recommend checking out makeitdairyfree.com.
Been trying to duplicate my mother-in-law’s cake for years and this comes really close as-is. The second time I made it, I left some of the apple in larger chips and added a handful of walnuts to the brown-sugar cinnamon mix and it is just about a perfect replica of hers. (Mine will never be completely perfect, as I lack the apparent sainthood of my MIL. RIP)
Thanks for great setup.
Cheers
You are so welcome John! Fantastic feedback, thanks for stopping by.
Can you tell me if the nutrition label readings are per slice ?Or readings for 8 servings ?Thank you so much
It’s for the number of slices. You could certainly get more slices though.
Hello- This is the second time I am making this cake, I love it so much, and the house smells like fall, apple and cinnamon! Thank you for the recipe:)
You are so welcome Noosh! Love the feedback, thanks for stopping by.
We had a bag of particularly tart honeycrisps and they were begging for a baking project. I followed this recipe almost exactly… except I accidentally added the entire brown sugar mixture to the middle of the cake. It still turned out great! We will definitely make this again in our home!
Awesome feedback Christine! Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Kristen! How long can this cake sit at room temp? I want to make it and have to transport it. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
Hi Debra, you can leave the cake at room temp and store it that way for up to 3-4 days.
I have made this recipe several times and it is always a HIT!!! Best recipe for any occasion.
LOVE LOVE IT!!
That’s awesome Kara! Thanks for stopping by.
K.
I cut the granulated sugar in half, as I do for all of my baking, and only used 3 tablespoons of brown sugar… it turned out amazing, very moist. This will be made again.
Love the feedback Michaela! Thanks for stopping by.
K.
I followed this recipe exactly, with no substitutions, and it turned out great! It was really moist and flavorful. I’ll definitely make this one again. Thanks for the recipe!
You are so welcome Carl! Thanks for stopping by.
This cake was so easy to make and it came out perfect. I used honey crisp apples and I prepped the pan with canned spray oil and granulated sugar instead of flour. Note: the sugar makes it sweeter so just be mindful.
Awesome feedback LaTonya! Thanks for stopping by.
What size Bundt pan 10 or 9 inch?
Hi Millie – 10 inch is the standard size.
I made this cake and it is the most moist, delicious and flavorful cofee cake I have made. I followed your clear instructions and had no problems. This cake keeps for days and stays moist. I’m going to make this again as the centerpiece for a brunch I am hosting.
Nice! Thank you for the awesome feedback LindaF.
I was looking on line for an apple cake my mom would make and your Apple Bundt Cake was so familiar, only missing the sour cream my mom used. I made your cake (with sour cream of course in honor of my mom) and it is absolutely delicious!! Thank you for posting and bringing back lovely memories for me. I will definitely try some of your other recipes. Merry Christmas!
You are so welcome Ann! Thank you for stopping by. Merry Christmas.
I also want to incorporate sour cream in the recipe – how would you recommend doing this? And how much?
While I have not tried this myself, you could try replacing the butter with sour cream.
Love your response Kristen.You are absolutely correct.
I , like a silly fool followed our recipe, ended up with lumpy batter!! Anyone who bakes knows sugar and butter together first??? Then eggs and oil…..how foolish of me!!! When you follow your instructions the batter certainly not look like the video. So now I suspect all your entries
Wow. Ok, well first if you see in the video, it’s done exactly as it calls for in the recipe. So, if your batter didn’t look like that, I’m guessing you must have done something wrong and it had nothing to do with the instructions. You probably, foolishly, didn’t mix it enough. Because when you do it comes together just fine. Second, if you suspect all the rest of my recipes, you don’t have to try any of them.
I used Golden delicious apples but had to squeeze out some of the moisture before adding to the batter. Very easy to make and very, very…..delicious. Making another one this weekend.
Awesome feedback Vidia! Thanks for stopping by.
Definitely going to try
Looks yummie
I’m certainly going to try this. What is the calorie count?
We are currently working through our recipes to update nutritional data. However, there are a few free calorie counters you can try online, like my fitness pal.
Kristin this is the Best Cake I have baked in my life, best texture..taste is just remarkable. Baked it for my husband’s birthday in the corona Virus Lockdown..can not thank u enough..for this remarkable easy to bake Recipe
You are so welcome! Thanks for stopping by.
We LOVE this cake. Delicious.
Make it gluten free too and it works.
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Virginia.
What kind of oil did you use?
Have you tried it with gluten free all purpose flour?
Vegetable oil, and no I haven’t baked with gluten free flour but I’ve heard that it works good.
I made this today with three large granny smith apples and it’s delicious! I checked after 50 minutes and it was already pretty brown so pulled it out quickly. Start looking at 40 minutes! I used a floured spray on the pan and it slipped right out neatly.
Nice! Thank you so much Sue for dropping by and sharing your experience.
This cake is delicious! I used Pink Lady apples. It is Amazing!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Debbie.
This cake is delicious! I used Pink Lady apples! It is Amazing!
My neighbor made a bunt cake and gave it to us and I was determined to make one. I looked up a recipe and came across yours. Your recipe came out great. Thank you for the video. It helped tremendously!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the cake!
I need to know what size bundt pan. That means how many cups. 9 x 2 1/2 inches 10 cups
9 x 3 inches 12 cups
10 x 2 1/2 inches. 12 cups
Here’s a link to the actual pan that I used, like I shared in the post: https://amzn.to/2RJeqYa
It’s 12 cups and 10×3.
I have your Apple Cake in the oven at 350, my fingers are crossed! I did add some chopped walnuts but other than that I followed you to the tee. wish me luck…
Thank you Laura for stopping by!
Just made this and my family said it is absolutely fantastic. I chopped the apples instead as I like chunks of deliciousness plus I highly recommend to flour the Bundt pan, I tried the sugar coating and it stuck, not bad though. ? I did have to cook it about 20 mins longer but I think it’s my oven.
Hi Peggy,
I love that you were able to make it work for you!
Could you make this in a 9×13 cake pan? I’d love to try this for my husband’s office baking contest, but I need 2 9×13 cakes for the design I’m making. Looks delicious though!!
You would need to watch the timing, but I would also worry about the apples sinking. Worth a try though!
Just pulled this out of the oven…it smells SO good! I forgot t swirl the sugar/cinnamon mix into the batter, hopefully it won’t mattter too much. Now just waiting for it to cool…?
What did I do wrong? I made this cake last night and followed the recipe exactly but it turned out like a heavy wet apple-infused sponge. There is no lightness to it at all. Just a glob of congealed dough. Ugh. I don’t usually have fails like this. 🙁 I used honey crisp apples as suggested. They are quite a juicy apple and I noticed lots of moisture as I was grating them. Could this have been the problem?
I have also used honey crisp apples and haven’t had a problem. It’s possible that they were extra juicy, or perhaps you should have used a larger grate?
I just came across your site, now I need to go shopping for ingredients for a few recipes. They have my mouth watering.
Made this last night, was gone before it could even cool. Added a light caramel drizzle to the top and lined the bottom of the bundt mold with this slices of apples, so it looked so beautiful once flipped over. This recipe was delicious and one I will certainly be making again.
I have baked this cake twice and its been a hit. My friend’s mom who had it the last time I baked keeps calling me for another one.
Hi Kristin. Just ate a warm piece of this cake. It is wonderful. Mine turned out perfect and so moist on bottom it’s almost like smooth applesauce!! I was wondering should this be kept in the refrigerator?
Made this moist and delicious cake today. I loved the cinnamon factor which really set off the grated apple taste. Yummy! Thanks for the great recipe. Mine came out of the oven and pan perfectly and was completely baked through in just 50 minutes. Will make this wonderful cake again!
This was amazing! We made it for Thanksgiving dessert, and my husband and 5 year old daughter requested it for Christmas as well. The biggest dilemma is whether it should be breakfast or dessert. It’s a wonderful breakfast coffee cake!
Just made this recipe in my mini bunt pans, turned out amazing!!! Thanks so much!
Good to know! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve made this cake several times and it’s definitely a fall favorite… how long did you bake for the mini bundts?
Made this cake, it smelled lovely but would not bake through 🙁 after 1.5 hours the edges were well burned so I flipped it out and half the cake stayed in the pan and was still doughy. Very disappointed.
Sorry it didn’t turn out for you.
This looks amazing! What size bundt pan did you use?
It’s a regular bundt pan. I believe it’s 10″.
Delicious cake! I made the recipe as written, except that I had leftover brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Others had problems getting out of the pan so I made sure to butter and flour the bundt pan very well. I had no problem. I made the cake for a party and froze it (I carefully wrapped the cake in plastic wrap covered with foil) and it was moist and delicious.
Looks yummie! I’m going to try a Caramel topping with this. Thanks for sharing!?
That sounds delicious!
Does this cake freeze okay?
I haven’t tried that, but I think it would be fine.
Will this recipe do well at high altitude?
I would definitely make adjustments if you can.
Okay, I just made this & it’s baking, smells amazing! I buttered & floured my bundt pan, praying it comes out without breaking apart! I added nuts to my batter & in the cinnamon & brown sugar mixture I added more nuts, gotta have nuts! Fingers crossed! Thank you for the recipe!
I made this last night and it is delicious! As I am a diabetic, I made a few changes: I used I cup of sugar and 1 cup of Splenda, only used 1/2 c oil and 1/2 c apple sauce instead of butter, and used Splenda brown sugar and cinnamon for swirl mixture. I also only had two apples at home so I added unsweetened apple sauce to make the 4 c of apple.
Thanks for sharing your recipe! Glad you were able to make it work for you!!
My bundt pan is plastic not metal (made for microwave?) can the apple bundt cake be done in the microwave? Any guess as to how long and power setting?
I wouldn’t cook this cake in the microwave. But if you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Way way to much cinnamon. 4 teaspoons makes it spicy. You only need 1 or 2. I knew better but did it anyways. I will make it again but a lot less cinnamon in the brown sugar.
Oh no; mines baking right now and it overflowed. Cake from bottom of oven is quite yummy though; just not cooked all the way yet. What might I have done wrong
Just make this and we loved it! Now making another one for a friend!
Do we grate the apples or chop them up, it say’s to grate them but the picture looks like they are chopped up’
The apples are grated. Not sure what you are referring to in the photo…can’t really see the apples in the cake.
You can clearly see them in the batter, Kristin. I guess you fixed the recipe, since it now says grated or chopped. 🙂
There are no photos of the batter, perhaps you are referring to the baked cake.
A lot of apple cakes out there just look ho-hum and some kinda dry. This looks like a really good, moist, flavorful autumn cake to make this month of October. Thanks for posting. I will keep a copy in my files to make soon!
Thanks Judy! Let me know what you think!
Would love to but can not get it to print PLEASE HELP
Click the print button within the recipe and then print from your browser.
When all else fails, pen & paper always works! 🙂
Or copy and paste it into a document, so you can not only print it, but save it, too. 😉
Just FYI – when I’m not offered a choice to print a recipe, I will copy and paste it into an email and send it to myself…then print it out. I find this the easiest way to do it.
Sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing. I’m pinning this for future reference. I think I could make this for our local fair.
If you go to the King Arthur Flour website and look up “Vermont Boiled Cider” I add that to all my apple recipes and it is wonderful. I am going to try this recipe and use about 2 or 3 Tbl. to it. I made a apple pie yesterday and received a lot of raves. Full of apple flavor.
I make homemade boiled cider every fall. I take a gallon of cider and gently simmer it down to 3 cups. It will keep in the refrigerator for 6-8 months easily. Just make sure you sterilize your bottle before adding the syrup and keep it tightly sealed. It really bumps the flavor of anything ‘apple’ you are making.