Easy Apple Pecan Cake with Caramel Glaze
This easy recipe for apple pecan cake is made in a bundt pan with fresh apples and flavorful pecans. To gild the lily, drizzle with a simple caramel glaze. It looks fancy, but easy peasy to make with no mixer needed!
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 1twelfth
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (Not baking powder)
- ½ teaspoon apple pie spice or ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 medium or 2 large baking apples such as Granny Smith (Golden Delicious, McIntosh)
Caramel Glaze or sprinkle with powdered sugar
- Garnish: ¼ cup pecan halves and pieces (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour a 10-12 cup bundt pan with shortening or butter. Pam’s baking spray with flour works well, too.
- Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the chopped pecans to the flour mixture and stir well to coat the pecans.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light and foamy. Add the vegetable oil and whisk just until combined. Add the brown sugar and vanilla and whisk just until combined.
- Shred or finely chop the apples. No need to peel them! You’ll need 2 ½ cups of shredded apple. I use a stand cheese grater or food processor shredding blade.
- Stir the shredded apple into the brown sugar mixture.
- Stir the flour mixture into the brown sugar mixture until all ingredients are combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased bundt pan. Bake on the center rack for 45 to 50 minutes or just until a toothpick comes out “almost” clean when inserted in the center of the cake. You want just a few crumbs on it but no wet batter.
- Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Set a timer!
- As the cake is cooling 10 minutes, make the Caramel Glaze. It thickens as it cools.
- When the cake has cooled 10 minutes, place a serving plate over the top of the cake pan and carefully invert the cake onto the plate. Carefully remove the cake pan.
- Drizzle with the Caramel Glaze or dust with powdered sugar.
- If garnishing with optional pecan halves, place them on the glaze before it firms up.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
If you’re not serving for more than 3 hours from the cake being cooled, cover loosely with aluminum foil or a cake dome.
Pro tip: There is a difference in apples when it comes to baking. Avoid Red Delicious apples. Common baking apples include but not limited to Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and Gala.
Shortcuts:
-No need to peel the apples!
-I use Pam baking spray with flour instead of greasing and flouring bundt pans. Pro tips: Set a timer for letting cake cool. Turning it out too soon and the cake may fall apart. Letting it cool too much may cause it to stick to the pan. Storing the cake: Store covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Keep in mind, the glaze will firm up in the refrigerator.
It freezes well.
You can also freeze the cake weeks before needing it. After thawing the apple pecan cake, make the glaze when ready to serve.
-No need to peel the apples!
-I use Pam baking spray with flour instead of greasing and flouring bundt pans. Pro tips: Set a timer for letting cake cool. Turning it out too soon and the cake may fall apart. Letting it cool too much may cause it to stick to the pan. Storing the cake: Store covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Keep in mind, the glaze will firm up in the refrigerator.
It freezes well.
You can also freeze the cake weeks before needing it. After thawing the apple pecan cake, make the glaze when ready to serve.
