Apple Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze

The Magic of This Glazed Apple Bundt Cake Recipe

• Cozy spices galore. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace make this cake (and my house, by association) smell like heaven!
• Rich brown butter glaze. The glaze is thick and silky smooth, with a deep, almost caramel-like flavor from the browned butter. It complements the flavors of the apple cake with the perfect amount of sweetness.
• A holiday show-stopper. This gorgeous apple bundt cake definitely stands out on a fall dessert table. Its shape alone makes it festive, and with a light dusting of cinnamon, it’s ready for a party!

Gather your Cake Ingredients

Here’s a quick overview of the important ingredients in this moist apple bundt cake. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the specific amounts and full recipe details.

• Apples – I recommend baking apples like Haralson, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith apples, or a combination of them. You want crisp, tart apples that hold up well at high temperatures.
• Lemon juice – Tossing the shredded apples with lemon juice helps prevent the apples from browning. It also brightens the flavors ever so slightly.
• Dry ingredients – These are your baking essentials, like white granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and baking powder. Check the expiration date on your baking powder to make sure it’s as fresh as possible.
• Spices – Ground cinnamon, mace (or allspice), and nutmeg. You can substitute the individual spices with a pie spice blend if you have it.
• Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar for added moisture in the batter.
• Vegetable oil – Instead of butter, I make this cake with oil so it stays soft. Choose a neutral-flavored cooking oil, like canola, so the flavor doesn’t affect the cake. Melted butter is a good alternative.
• Unsweetened applesauce – Either store-bought or homemade applesauce to build the apple flavors and make the crumb extra moist and tender.
• Eggs – If you think of it, take the eggs out of the fridge ahead of time. Room-temperature ingredients blend more smoothly into the cake batter.
• Apple cider – I love using fresh-pressed apple cider in my fall baking! If fresh apple cider isn’t available where you are, regular apple juice will work in a pinch, or you can try hard apple cider for a boozy twist!
• Vanilla extract – Please only use pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste (not imitation vanilla extract). You can also play around with different flavoring extracts like butterscotch, almond, and pumpkin spice extract.

BROWN BUTTER VANILLA BEAN GLAZE

• Half and half – You could also use milk or heavy cream.
• Powdered sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar. Make sure to sift the powdered sugar beforehand to avoid lumps.
• Vanilla bean seeds – I like to scrape the inside of a vanilla bean pod for this glaze instead of using an extract alone. It gives the glaze incredible vanilla flavor, plus the flecks of vanilla seeds make it extra pretty! If you don’t have pods, though, you can use additional extract or vanilla paste.
• Unsalted butter – Browning brings out a deep, almost nutty flavor in butter. It takes minutes, and I’ll show you the quick, easy steps below.

How to Make Apple Bundt Cake

Let’s make this cake! Even though a bundt cake looks impressive, it’s super easy to make. Here’s what you can expect:

• Prepare for baking. First things first, preheat your oven to 350ºF while you prepare your bundt pan. Generously smear butter over all the nooks and crannies inside a 12-cup bundt pan, and dust it with flour so that all the butter is coated. This step is important, since a well-greased pan is key to avoiding a stuck bundt cake!

• Shred the apples. Meanwhile, peel, core, and then shred the apples into a medium bowl. A box grater works perfectly for shredding! Then, stir in lemon juice and about 1/3 cup of the white sugar. Set the apples aside for now.
• Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately. Now, whisk the flour and baking powder with cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and salt. In a second bowl, cream together the remaining white sugar with butter, oil, applesauce, eggs, cider, and vanilla.
• Add the dry ingredients and apples to the wet batter. Next, blend the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, and fold in the apples until they’re evenly distributed.

• Fill the pan and bake. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake your apple bundt cake at 350ºF for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool and invert the cake. Allow the bundt cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Don’t leave it to cool completely in the pan, or the cake will get stuck. Afterward, invert the cake onto a plate or platter.

Make the Glaze

If you are going to top the cake with the glaze, start making the glaze immediately, while the cake is still warm.

• Bring the half and half to room temperature. First, pour 3 tablespoons of half-and-half into a small bowl. Set this aside to take the chill off while you prepare the rest of the glaze.
• Combine sugar and vanilla bean seeds. In a mixing bowl, combine the sifted (don’t skip the sifting!) powdered sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Set this aside, too, for now.

• Brown the butter. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the butter. Keep cooking the butter until it turns golden brown. It should smell delicious and toasty!
• Mix the glaze. Add the browned butter to the powdered sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Do your best to leave any overly darkened butter sediment behind. Then, add 2 tablespoons of the half and half, add the vanilla, and stir until the glaze is smooth.
• Glaze the cake. Pour the glaze over the bundt cake while both the glaze and cake are still warm. The glaze cools quickly, so don’t delay! Allow the glaze to set, then slice and enjoy!

FAQ: Why Bake In a Bundt Pan?

What sets a bundt cake pan apart from a regular cake pan or loaf pan is its donut-like shape, with a “chimney” in the center and grooved sides. The shape allows more of the cake batter to come into contact with the pan, creating crisp edges and a perfectly baked, tender cake. Bundt cakes are also great for sharing, since you can get more slices!

Bundt Cake Tips and Variations

• Add the glaze while the cake is still warm (but not hot). This will help you get that beautiful drizzle down the sides of the cake. The glaze will set fairly quickly, so be sure to add it before the cake has cooled to room temperature.
• Don’t overmix. After you add the dry ingredients and apple, only mix the batter until the apples are well incorporated and no visible bits of dry batter are visible.
• Add dried fruit. If you wanted to, you could add some dried cranberries or raisins to this cake. I would not add more than 1/2 a cup of any mix-in.
• Skip the glaze. Instead of the glaze, another option for serving this cake would be to finish it with a simple dusting of powdered sugar once it is cool.
• Serving ideas? A dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream would be a very good addition.

How to Store

• Store airtight. This apple bundt cake fares well on the counter for up to 3 days, covered with a cake dome or loosely covered with Saran Wrap. You can also store the cake in the fridge for up to 5 days, in a covered container.
• Freeze. You can freeze this cake whole or cut it into individual slices. Place the cake in a freezer-safe container. If freezing individual slices, separate any layers of cake with parchment paper. The cake freezes well for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat it, defrost it in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours.

More Fall Baking Recipes

• Overnight Baked Apple Oatmeal
• Apple Muffins
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
• Pumpkin Layer Cake
• Caramel Rolls