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.
Looks great. But what is the drizzle/frosting I see in the pictures?
Kathy, this was homemade dulce de leche that I made by boiling down sweetened condensed milk for a couple of hours.
I can’t always find pumpkin puree so can I substitute for regular pumpkin pie mixture ?
Thanks
Audrey, I am not sure if the pumpkin pie mixture would work here.
Just had a piece with my hubby and we both love it! I will be making it again! Feels like Fall! Looked just like the photos!
Alice, I am so happy this recipe was a success! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Can this be made in an instant pot?
Carolyn, I never tried it in an instant pot.
I made this cake this morning (12/4/21). I'll admit I was worried that my Christmas Tree Bundt pan wasn't big enough and I was going to a mess on my hands. Boy was I wrong. It worked fabulous, popped right of the pan after cooling about 45 minutes and looks great. Next time, I may shred the apples as others have suggested because apple lumps/bumps on the Christmas Trees is a little more rustic than I was going for! Can't wait to eat this!
Monica, your comment made my day and made me smile (when I read about apple lumps on the Christmas Tree shaped bundt cake) at the same time! Glad you liked the recipe - and thank you for taking the time to share such a positive comment! Yes, shredded apples is a great idea for more sophisticated shapes of bundt pans than the one I used in this recipe!
I had some left over homemade pumpkin purree and wanted to try a new recipe. I also had quite a few apples in my fridge that my 2 year old had started eating over the last couple of days but she tends to be full up after 3-5 bites...
So I typed 'pumpkin and apple cake' into my search engine and came across your recipe and it sounded right up my street. I'm so so glad I made this cake today because my entire family absolutely loved and devoured it.
I made only a couple of changes, I used half a tbs cinnamon and half a tbs of my homemade pumpkin spice then I grated the apples because I know how funny my kids can be with unexpected textures and I also added a tbs of spiced rum. This recipe goes straight into my favourites file and I see myself baking it many a times. Thank you so much for sharing <3
Bee, your comment made my day! 🙂 And, WOW, thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback that is so helpful to me and other readers. What a great idea to shred the apples - it would work great for more sophisticated bundt pan shapes than the one I use here.
This cake is wonderful, super moist . Goes great with a cup of coffee.
Grace, I am so glad to hear it - thank you for stopping by and letting me know that!
Hi Julia, I would love to make this cake, but do not have a Bundt pan..do you think this would be successful in a 9x13 pan?? Thank you...this looks SCRUMPTIOUS!!!
Mimi, Yes, you can use a large rectangular pan. The baking times will probably have to be reduced if it is a shallow baking pan - or if it is shallower than the bundt pan.
Glad you've enjoyed this cake! And, thank you for the 5-star review!
HUGE hit and I never tried it — I had to leave but my cousin said it was the favorite dessert of the Thanksgiving dessert table! It’s a tad time consuming but it’s easy!
Casey, I am so pleased this cake was enjoyed! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing such a positive comment - I appreciate it!
Can I use pumpkin pie mix instead of puree?
I wouldn't use the mix. However, the pumpkin puree that I used came from a can - I didn't make my own pumpkin puree from scratch.
Looking forward to trying this recipe!!! Thanks for sharing.
Enjoy! It's a delicious and beautiful cake!
This cake was a huge hit! I served this for our weekly Sunday “coffee and” and nearly the entire cake was eaten. My brother had three pieces! I used three Macintosh apples. The only thing I did different was to toss a little flour to the apples before adding them to the mix. I was worried about them sinking. We will definitely be having this again!
Lisa, I am so delighted this recipe was a hit! Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me know!! Love that you tossed chopped apples with a little flour - what a great tip!
Delicious cake we loved it!
Happy to hear it! Thank you for the comment!
What kind of apples did you use in this recipe?
I used either Gala or Fuji apples. I've used apples that are not overly ripe and still pretty firm - to add a nice texture to the cake.
This was a big hit! I drizzled caramel sauce on it, and topped with chopped pecans.
So moist and delicious!
Nancy, I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! The caramel sauce is so good on top of this cake (along with chopped pecans)!
Can this recipe be substituted with gluten free flour?
Yes, you can use this kind of gluten-free flour without changing anything in the recipe:
King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
It works as 1:1 substitute for the all-purpose or whole-grain flour.
This is a winner! Moist and delicious, and doesn't last long in my house. Thank you!
So happy to hear that! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know!
Can this be baked in a square or rectangular pan?
Yes, you can. The baking times will probably have to be reduced if it is a shallow baking pan - or if it is shallower than the bundt pan.