Apple Bundt Cake with Homemade Toffee Drizzle

This Apple Bundt Cake is packed with fresh apples, warm spices, and topped with a rich homemade toffee drizzle. It's soft, incredibly moist, and has little bites of tender apple throughout, thanks to a combination of shredded and diced apples. The buttery toffee sauce takes it over the top, making this the perfect cake for fall gatherings, holiday desserts, or enjoying with a hot cup of coffee. And honestly, that toffee drizzle alone is reason enough to make it!

When developing this Apple Bundt Cake, I wanted a sturdier crumb than my original apple layer cake, but without sacrificing moisture. I adjusted the applesauce and removed the buttermilk to get the texture I was after. I also intentionally use both shredded and diced apples: the shredded apples add moisture throughout the cake, while the diced apples give you those delicious little bites of tender fruit. I love baking with butter for its flavor, but I add a little oil to help the cake stay moist, while the applesauce adds even more moisture and apple flavor. And of course, I had to finish it with the same buttery toffee sauce I use in my Sticky Toffee Pudding. Letting the sauce cool slightly before drizzling helps it thicken so it beautifully coats the cake instead of running straight off!

For another fall-flavored bundt cake check out my pumpkin bundt cake recipe!

What Makes This Apple Bundt Cake So Moist?

• Fresh Apples: I use both shredded and diced apples for a reason! The shredded apples add moisture throughout the cake, while the diced apples give you little bites of tender fruit.
• Butter & Oil: I love using butter in my cakes for its flavor, but I add a little oil to help retain moisture and keep the cake soft.
• Applesauce: Adds extra moisture and reinforces the apple flavor. I adjusted the amount while developing this recipe to get the texture I wanted.
• Warm Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom complement the apples and give this cake its cozy fall flavor.
• Homemade Toffee Sauce: This is the same buttery toffee sauce I use in my Sticky Toffee Pudding. Let it cool slightly before drizzling so it thickens enough to coat the cake instead of running off.

Adding chopped walnuts would be a great addition, if you want to add I would add ¾ cup chopped walnuts when you add the apples. I often add nuts to my banana bundt cake recipe too!

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

The Baking Queen Method

Depending on the shape of your bundt pan your cake may be wider or taller, a wider cake pan will bake quicker than a taller bundt pan.

Let the toffee glaze cool and thicken before drizzling. That's what gives it those beautiful ribbons down the sides of the cake.

A Few Tricks for Apple Cake Perfection

• Use both shredded and diced apples. I intentionally use two different preparations because they each serve a purpose. The shredded apples add moisture throughout the cake, while the diced apples give you delicious little bites of tender apple.
• Don't skip the applesauce. I adjusted the amount while developing this recipe because I wanted a moist cake with plenty of apple flavor. The applesauce helps deliver both!
• Grease your Bundt pan thoroughly. Bundt pans have lots of little crevices, and there's nothing worse than spending time making a beautiful cake only to have half of it stick to the pan. Make sure you grease every nook and cranny.
• Let the cake cool before removing it. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack. This gives the cake time to firm up without leaving it sitting in the pan for too long.
• Give the toffee sauce time to thicken. I always wanted a buttery toffee drizzle for this cake, and letting the sauce cool for 10-15 minutes makes a big difference. It thickens as it cools, helping it coat the cake beautifully instead of running straight off.

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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Ultra Moist Apple Bundt Cake with Toffee Drizzle

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This Apple Bundt Cake is packed with fresh apples, warm spices, and topped with a rich homemade toffee drizzle. It's soft, incredibly moist, and has little bites of tender apple throughout, thanks to a combination of shredded and diced apples. The buttery toffee sauce takes it over the top, making this the perfect cake for fall gatherings, holiday desserts, or enjoying with a hot cup of coffee. And honestly, that toffee drizzle alone is reason enough to make it!

• Total Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
• Yield: 12 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Apple Bundt Cake 

• 375 grams (3 Cups) All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour 
• 1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• ½ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• ½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
• ½ Teaspoon Ground Cardamom
• 8oz (1 Cup) Unsalted Butter, melted 
• 2oz (¼ Cup) Vegetable Oil 
• 100 grams (½ Cup) Granulated Sugar 
• 250 grams (1 ¼ Cup) Brown Sugar
• 4oz (½ Cup) Applesauce 
• 3 Large Eggs, at room temperature
• 270-290 grams (2 Medium-Large) Cooking Apples*, Granny Smith or Honeycrisp are my favorite to use and I like to do 1 cup shredded and 1 cup diced 

Toffee Drizzle

• 3oz (6 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter
• 110 grams (½ Cup + 1 Tablespoon) Light Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease a 10-cup bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves.
3. In another large bowl whisk together the melted butter, vegetable oil, sugars, applesauce, and eggs. Making sure to whisk until fully combined. 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mix until just combined, add the apples and mix until just combined, over mixing can create a tough cake. 
5. Pour apple cake batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Depending on the shape of your bundt pan your cake may be wider or taller, a wider cake pan will bake quicker than a taller bundt pan. Let cool in cake pan for 10 minutes then invert into a wire rack.

Toffee Drizzle

1. In a large pot add the butter and brown sugar. Whisk constantly over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add one tablespoon of cream at a time.
2. Whisk each tablespoon of cream until it's fully combined then add the next. Let the mixture come to a roaring boil for 2-3 minutes then take off heat. Let the sauce sit in the pot and thicken for 10-15 minutes, mixing every so often. 
3. Using a spoon gently drizzle the sauce all over the cake. Store cake in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Equipment

Bundt Pan

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Cordless Hand Mixer

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OXO Kitchen Scale

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Notes

*Cooking Apples: Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, Cortland

Freezing: You can totally freeze the apple bundt cake but I would not suggest freezing the toffee sauce. To freeze the cake let it cool completely then wrap in plastic wrap, tightly, then wrap it again. This helps avoid any freezer burn. Let the cake thaw on the counter overnight. You can also freeze individual slices of cake the same way. Wrap in plastic wrap tightly, twice, then store in a freezer-safe container like a plastic bag. To thaw let a slice sit on the counter at room temperature for a couple of hours.

• Author: Elizabeth Waterson
• Prep Time: 30 Minutes
• Cool Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 60 Minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

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