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Apple Pumpkin Cinnamon Vanilla Bundt Cake - the best and the easiest Autumn bundt cake you'll ever make. You can optionally drizzle the cake with dulce de leche (or caramel sauce) and top it with chopped pecans, even though the cake is already really delicious. Perfect Fall treat! Great holiday recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
You will fall in love with this apple pumpkin bundt cake and will be making it over and over again! The cake is so moist and fluffy, so very flavorful - it's like having Autumn on your plate! It will make a great addition to your dessert menu for Thanksgiving as an alternative or a companion to a pumpkin pie! As far as I am concerned, this cake is permanently on my menu regardless of holidays!
Even if you don't care much for pumpkin, you'll love this recipe because this cake is not overwhelmed with pumpkin, yet very flavorful. And, it has lots of chopped apples in it. It has the texture and the feel of a very good carrot cake. It won't last long in your house: you'll be eating it for breakfast, mid-day snack, and dessert!
More recipes with apples and pumpkin
I love the apple and pumpkin combination and have quite a few Autumn recipes featuring both apples and pumpkin:
- Pumpkin Banana Bread with Apples
- Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Apples
- Pumpkin Banana Muffins with Apples and Cinnamon
How to store apple pumpkin cake
- Because this cake is so moist, it keeps well on the kitchen counter for several days. I like to loosely cover it with foil and keep it loosely covered like that at room temperature.
- You can also cover the cake with plastic wrap and keep it refrigerated for up to 1 week.
- This cake can be frozen for up to 1 month.
Topping for bundt cake
And don't even get me started on the caramel topping + chopped pecans! So yummy! Homemade or store-bought regular (or salted) caramel sauce will work great! Or, you can also use dulce de leche instead of the caramel sauce. Remember to heat up the caramel sauce in the microwave for several seconds to soften it up so that it's manageable before pouring it over the apple pumpkin bundt cake.
This apple pumpkin cake came out perfectly in a bundt pan: it rises high in the pan as it bakes. And, to be frank, this cake is so good on its own, it does not even need the caramel topping, but why not pour it all over and sprinkle with the cake with chopped pecans, right? 🙂
I would say it again and again: this is an absolutely amazing apple pumpkin bundt cake: moist, light, not dense. It gets only better the next day! I hope you will welcome this gorgeous and delicious Autumn on a plate into your house as well .
Apple Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 4 cups apples , cored, peeled and diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar until light in color and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add oil and vanilla extract and beat for 1-2 minutes more to blend in the ingredients. Add pumpkin puree and continue beating for 1 more minute to combine.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in the apples.
- Spray the bundt pan with baking spray. Carefully pour the batter into the bundt pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 50 or 60 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for about 40 minutes. Invert the bundt pan onto the serving platter and let the cake to cool further.
Video
Notes
Looking for a complete THANKSGIVING MENU?
- Be sure to check out my 50 Best Thanksgiving Recipes (The Complete Holiday Menu) - it includes everything: Fall-inspired holiday appetizers, side dishes, salads, main courses, pasta recipes, desserts, and even breakfast. This holiday menu features proven, tried, and true Thanksgiving dishes that have been reader favorites for years (I've been publishing recipes since 2012). Most of these recipes can also be re-purposed for Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Looking for THANKSGIVING SIDE DISHES?
- I have created a comprehensive recipe collection of 60 Thanksgiving side dishes conveniently categorized by ingredient: Green Beans, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes, Acorn Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Asparagus, Broccoli, etc. It's a great resource to browse through for a last moment holiday inspiration! This side dishes will also work great for Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Do you have to adjust for high altitude?. We live at 7000’
Karen, you don't need to adjust for high altitude. This is a pretty basic cake, and I actually made it at high altitude, too, without any changes. Enjoy and Happy Thanskgiving! ❤️
What are the best apples to use in this recipe?
Julie, I like to use sweet red apples with firm texture as they hold up better when cooked. My favorites are Fuji, Gala, and Honey Crisp.
What is the drizzle on top of the cake? Going to make this for a thanksgiving dessert
Jessica, I used homemade dulce de leche as a drizzle. I made it by boiling sweetened condensed milk on low for hours. 🙂
The caramel sauce works just as great!
1) Pour the caramel sauce once the cake is competely cool.
2) I would use about 1/4 cup caramel sauce for drizzling (or use more) and 1/3 cup chopped pecans to sprinkle on top.
3) If using store-bought sauce and it's too thick, warm it up slightly in the microwave. Or, warm it slowly on low heat in a small saucepan on the stovetop, and add a teaspoon (or more) of heavy cream to thin it out.
The recipe is delicious, but the website has waaay too many too many ads popping up that made it annoying and hard to navigate
Eva, I will revise my ad layout after Thanksgiving to make it a better user experience. Thank you for the feedback and Happy Thanksgiving! ❤️
Thank you!!
You're welcome! Happy Thanksgiving, Jessica! ❤️
Do you have any suggestions regarding substituting applesauce for the chopped apples. I don’t drive or have easy access to a grocery store. I’m thinking about adding chopped nuts to the batter.
Still cooking at 85.
Peggy, I wouldn't use applesauce as substitute for chopped apples, because the applesauce is a liquid that will change the consistency of the cake batter. But, you can replace some of the pumpkin puree and some of the oil with the apple sauce, keeping proportions the same. For example:
1) Use 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 1 cup of applesauce
or
2) Use 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 1/3 cup applesauce
3) Do add lots of chopped nuts to the cake batter for texture!
I admire you for still cooking at 85 and staying young at heart! 🙂 Glad to have you as a reader of my website! ❤️
Can you substitute with gluten free flour? Ie Measure for Measure?
Sherry, this recipe has been successfully made with gluten-free 1:1 flour. Here are some considerations:
1)
Yes, you can use this kind of gluten-free flour - King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour.
If using gluten-free flour, reduce the baking temperature and increase baking times to avoid a gummy and mushy texture, especially in a "tall" cake like bundt cake. In my experience, it's best to make a gluten-free version of any recipe in a shallower pan, such as a cast iron skillet, a large and shallow rectangular pan, and several shallow (not tall) round cake pans. You stick to the recipe and bake at the same temperatures when using shallower pans. Shallower pans work much better for gluten-free baking in my experience, especially with a moist cake like this pumpkin cake.
2)
I also ran across this helpful comment from another reader on my Facebook page about exactly this cake - you might find it useful, as well:
"I use Bob’s Red Mill. I also add a dollop of sour cream to every cake recipe. I make pound cakes, carrot cakes, banana bread, tres leches cakes, etc. All come out perfect every time and no one even knows they are gluten-free except my family. I follow the recipe as written except for substituting Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 flour and a dollop of sour cream. Same temp, same time for same size pan, etc. I do grease and flour (GF, of course) the bundt pan rather than just spray with the Pam."
What size shallow pan do you recommend using? I will use cup 4 cup gluten free flour and hope it comes out good the first try.
Carol Ann, since this recipe is for 10 cup bundt pan, you can use these shallower pans instead:
11×7 inch rectangular pan, 10×2 inch round pan, or 9×2 inch square pan, you can also use a muffin pan.
Let me know how the cake comes out! Enjoy! 🙂
Can I make this in a rectangle pan? I don’t have a bunt cake pan.
Peggy, since this recipe is for 10 cup bundt pan, you can use these shallower pans instead:
11×7 inch rectangular pan, 10×2 inch round pan, or 9×2 inch square pan, you can also use a muffin pan.
Let me know how the cake turns out! Enjoy!
Great recipe. I made cupcakes instead of a cake (16 large cupcakes) and baked them for 25 min at 350 deg F. I only used 2 apples and cut them into 1/2 inch dice and the apples were nice and tender.
A_Boleyn, this recipe works great as cupcakes or muffins! ❤️ Glad you loved it - thank you for your positive feedback! ❤️
Julia,
Can this recipe be made GF by using Cup4Cup GF multipurpose flour instead of APF?
Dawn, yes, you can use GF flour - please see my response right above your comment (scroll up a bit) - somebody else had the same question, and I provided a very lengthy answer. 🙂 🙂
Wondering if pumpkin pie spice would be a nice additive? Thoughts?
Diane, pumpkin pie spice would go great here! If you like it, definitely add it!
5 stars! Made this today on a soggy fall Monday…after a dinner of lentil-potato-sausage soup this was the “icing on the cake” truly scrumptious!!!
Jaclyn, I am so glad you tried this cake and loved it! ❤️
Made this yesterday, was amazing, making two more this weekend as gifts
Charlotte, I am so glad you loved this cake - thank you for the feedback! ❤️
This cake is wonderful! I have just taken the second one out of the oven….because the first was eaten quickly! Thank you for sharing this! Anyone who loves pumpkin/apple cake should try this recipe!
Kathryn, thank you for your enthusiastic review and the 5-star rating! ❤️❤️
I made this, but won't again. The apples, texturally, didn't seem to belong in it. It also needed a pinch of salt. Meh.
If texture is the issue, you might want to grate a couple of apples and stir them into the batter rather than adding the cubed apples. It will add moisture and sweetness to the cake.
A_Boleyn - I love your suggestion! ❤️
I would like to try this apple pumpkin cake. Can I use Granny Smith apples or would it be too sour?
Can I substitute apple sauce for the oil?
What kind of icing do you put on the pumpkin apple Bundt cake
Are you able to give recipe in grams please
There are grams if you select the metric option.
Yes, there are 2 links under the ingredients list: US Customary - Metric. If you click on metric, it will convert to grams.
Sounds like a delicious combination. Haven’t made it yet. Do you have to peel the apples?
Teri, no, you don't have to peel them.
If I want to only use a maximum of 1 cup sugar total, what else should I do to compensate for the change of dry ingredient sugar to ensure proper baking?
Norman, don't change anything else. Just use 1 cup of sugar total, while keeping the other ingredients in the same amounts.
Thank you Julia, the cake came out great ... it tasted delicious and sweet enough with only 1 cup sugar for my guests that must limit sugar.
Norman, thank you for this glowing review! 🙂 Glad the cake was sweet enough with only 1 cup of sugar - I myself prefer not overly sweet cakes.
What kind of apples are best?
Jillian, I personally prefer sweeter apples with a firm texture. My favorites are Fuji and Gala.
Just got this cake in the oven. Can’t wait to take it to a dinner party tonight. I actually made 2 cakes by doubling the recipe. My can of pumpkin was 15 ozs so it just made sense. I put half the batter in a pan stirred walnuts into the remaining batter. Now I have a cake to take and one to freeze.
Julie, glad you made this recipe. Great idea to bake 2 at the same time - one for sharing and one for freezing. Saves so much time and effort! 🙂
Hi, I just found your recipe for Apple Pumpkin Bundt Cake, what size Bundt pan and when do you pour on the Carmel sauce? Thanks for your help
Janet, this is a 10-cup bundt pan but you can use 12-cup, too. Pour the caramel sauce once the cake is competely cool.
Or, if your caramel sauce is too thick, you can actually pour it while the cake is still warm so that it softens a bit.