Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

Jump to Recipe

This Caramel Apple Bundt Cake has cinnamon cake base and is packed with chopped apples, swirled with caramel and topped with brown sugar icing. Each bite is a taste of fall!

Why I love this recipe

• It has simple ingredients
• It’s packed with apples and swirled with caramel (or dulce de leche)
• It can be made in any 12 cup bundt pan (or 3 9-inch rounds)

Equipment

You will need some common baking supplies

• 12 cup bundt pan
• Handheld or stand mixer
• Apple peeler
• Silicone spatula
• Large spoon
• Wire cooling rack

Ingredients for Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

You will need some common baking ingredients for this recipe. You probably already have most of these in your baking supplies, but if not they should be easily found in the baking aisle at the grocery store. 

• Oil – vegetable or canola oil
• Yogurt or sour cream – plain greek or regular yogurt
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs – you will need 3 large eggs
• Vanilla extract – I recommend pure vanilla
• All-purpose flour – when measuring flour, it is best to spoon it into the measuring cup rather than scoop the measuring cup into flour. 
• Baking soda – helps the cake rise and contributes to a softer texture
• Ground cinnamon – the main spice in the cake!
• Salt – a pinch of salt in the cake helps bring out the other flavors and adds balance to the sweetness

How to make Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

Making this cake can be divided into 3 steps

1. Make the batter
2. Assemble the cake
3. Bake the cake and remove it from the pan

To make the batter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine oil, sour cream (or yogurt), sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down the bowl once complete.

Add baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix on medium-high speed until combined.

Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing between each addition. Once all flour has been added, beat on medium-high until well combined. Scrape down the bowl once complete.

Peel, slice and chop apples into 1-2 cm slices. Fold the chopped apples into the cake batter. Try this apple peeler-corer for super easy peeling and slicing!

To assemble the cake

Spray the bundt pan with *baking* spray (Baker’s Joy or Baking Pam Spray) or brush with oil and flour. I do not recommend using cooking spray as it adds sticky material to the pan over time.

Gently spoon ⅓ of the batter into the pan. Place the dulce de leche in a piping bag or ziploc bag and trim a ½ inch tip. Pipe HALF of the dulce de leche around the pan, taking care to avoid the edges/center of the pan.

Gently spoon another ⅓ of the batter over the dulce de leche. Repeat step above with the remaining dulce de leche (or caramel). Gently spoon the remaining batter over the top.

Use a butter knife to gently swirl the batter around the pan (pressing all the way to the bottom and swirling). This helps distribute the dulce de leche. Only swirl 1-2 times. Do not over-swirl.

To bake the cake

Bake the cake for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, flip the pan on to a wire rack to remove the cake. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before adding the icing.

How to make Brown Sugar Icing

Place the butter in a medium saucepan on low-medium heat.

Add milk, brown sugar and vanilla. Keep on heat for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar has melted, stirring every 30 seconds.

Remove from the heat and add the powdered sugar. Immediately pour it over the cake since it sets very quickly.

Variations/Substitutions

• I recommend using this canned dulce de leche for the ‘caramel’ swirl since it’s thicker, but you can also make your own dulce de leche very easily using sweetened condensed milk! See the process here.
• You can also use caramel ice cream topping, but this will be thinner and not as noticeable in the final product.

Looking for more fall recipes?

• Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars
• Apple Pie Bars
• Loaded Candy Corn Cookies