Apple Spice Bundt Cake

Our amazingly moist Apple Spice Cake Recipe is smothered in homemade salted caramel bourbon sauce and toasted pecans for an out-of-this-world Fall dessert!

Forget pumpkin spice – one bite of this rich and moist apple spice cake drizzled with a salted caramel sauce and you’ll fall in love.

#ad Thank you to Four Roses Bourbon for sponsoring today’s post. #bourbondessert

Apple Spice Bundt Cake

In a word – amazingly delicious… ok, so that was two words. But this cake is so amazing that it needs the extra adjective to describe it!

You know the old song, “It’s My Party and I’ll Cry if I Want to?”  Well, it’s my birthday and I’ll bake what I want. I know you’re used to a lot of kid-friendly recipes here, but this one is adult-only. We moms need to treat ourselves, right?

Apple Spice Bundt Cake Ingredients

In addition to standard pantry items like granulated sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, you will need the following ingredients:

• Apples – I like to use a mixture of sweet and tart apples.
• Sour Cream – Adds richness to the cake.
• Bourbon – With notes of vanilla and caramel, this helps pump up the flavor.
• Apple Sauce – Adds moisture to the cake. Use unsweetened for best results.
• Pecans – For a crunchy element to go with the soft cake and smooth caramel.
• Heavy Cream – An absolute must for making the caramel sauce.

What kind of apples are good for apple cake?

I like to use a combination of Golden Delicious and Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples for a variety of flavors and textures in my cake.

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Can I make a bundt cake in a regular pan?

If you don’t have a bundt cake pan, you can use a deep round cake pan. Use a ramekin in the center to create the hole.

Alternatively, this cake can be baked in two loaf pans instead of a bundt pan.

For a list of some of my favorite items to use when cooking, and why I chose them, please visit my Kitchen Resource page.

What kind of spices are in Apple Spice Bundt Cake?

• Cinnamon
• AllSpice
• Nutmeg
• Ginger
• Cardamom

For the apple pie spice mix, I use my homemade blend.  It’s so much less expensive than the store-bought variety.  You can get the recipe here.

What kind of bourbon should I use?

For the bourbon, I used Four Roses. This yellow bourbon pairs really well with the apple and warm spice flavors in the cake. It adds moisture and depth of flavor to what could be just an ordinary apple spice cake recipe.

Certainly, if you were making this for children or someone that doesn’t drink alcohol, you could use an apple cider in place of the bourbon. It changes the flavor, of course.

If you love pumpkin spice, you could use this Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod.  The caramel and bourbon work wonderful with the pumpkin flavor as well.

How to Make Apple Bundt Spice Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter and flour the bundt pan.
3. Whisk the flour, 1-1/3 cup of the sugar, 1 teaspoon of the pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
4. Toss the apples with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon pie spice. Set aside.
5. Whisk the eggs, oil, and applesauce together in another bowl.
6. After that, whisk in the sour cream, orange zest and juice, and bourbon.
7. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined – lumps are OK!
8. Using a slotted spoon, scatter about 1/2 cup of the apples in the bottom of the bundt pan.
9. Put about 1/3 of the batter on top.
10. Repeat, alternating apples and batter, but make sure you end with batter.
11. Bake the cake until it pulls away for the sides of the pan and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
12. Cool 10 minutes and then invert onto a rack placed over a baking sheet.

How to Make Caramel Sauce

While the cake cools, make the caramel sauce:

1. Stir the sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the sugar is dark amber-colored caramel, about 15 minutes.
3. Pull the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the cream (take care it will splatter).
4. Stir in the pecans, the rest of the bourbon, and salt.
5. Cool until caramel thickens and has the texture of syrup.
6. Evenly pour over the cake and cool until set.

Do you need to toast pecans?

I strongly recommend that you toast the pecans to bring out their full flavor. If you cannot find toasted pecans in your grocery store, you can toast them yourself.

How to toast Pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 375-degrees F.
2. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer.
3. Bake for 5-10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes until you start to smell the pecans.
4. Transfer the toasted pecans to a bowl so that they do not continue to cook.

Toasted pecans should be stored in an airtight container or resealable bag. They will keep for 3-6 months in the freezer.

Do you flip a bundt cake over right away?

If you allow the cake to cool in the bundt cake for too long, the cake will become damp and stick to the pan.

Instead, allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a baking rack to cool completely.

Why does my cake stick to the bundt cake?

Be sure to thoroughly grease your bundt pan. Instead of butter, use non-stick vegetable oil spray (such as PAM) or melted shortening.

More Fall Recipes

• Creamy Pumpkin Hot Cocoa
• Salted Caramel Banana Bread
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

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Tiramisu Cups with luscious silky hazelnut flavored cream and coffee-soaked ladyfingers with chocolate sauce in mini trifle glasses make a decadent dessert.

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Apple Spice Bundt Cake Recipe

You’re going to want to pin or print this Bourbon Soaked Apple Spice Cake with Salted Caramel recipe for sure!

Apple Spice Cake with Salted Caramel Bourbon Sauce

Deliciously moist Apple Spice Cake is topped with smooth creamy homemade salted caramel bourbon sauce and toasted pecans for the most amazing cake!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Apple Spice Cake Recipe

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Author: Ang Paris

Equipment

• Vegetable Peeler
• Paring Knife
• Cutting Board
• Liquid Measuring Cup
• Dry Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Bundt Pan
• saucepan

Ingredients

Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/3 cups sugar plus additional 1/4 cup for the apples
• 1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice blend
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 4 large Golden Delicious and Honeycrips apples peeled, cored, and roughly chopped (about 5 cups)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Finely grated zest from 1 orange
• Juice of 1 orange about 1/3 cup
• 1 tablespoon bourbon

Caramel Sauce

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup pecans toasted and roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon bourbon
• Pinch salt
• 10 cup bundt pan

Instructions

Apple Spice Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour the bundt pan.
• Whisk the flour, 1 1/3 cup of the sugar, 1 teaspoon of the pie spice, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
• Toss the apples with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon pie spice. Set aside.
• Whisk the eggs, oil, and applesauce together in another bowl. Whisk in the sour cream, orange zest and juice, and bourbon.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined – lumps are OK!
• Using a slotted spoon, scatter about 1/2 cup of the apples in the bottom of the bundt pan. Put about 1/3 of the batter on top. Repeat, alternating apples and batter, but make sure you end with batter.
• Bake the cake until it pulls away for the sides of the pan and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and invert onto a rack placed over a baking sheet. Cool.

Caramel Sauce

• Stir the sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the sugar is dark amber-colored caramel, about 15 minutes.
• Pull the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the cream (take care it will splatter).
• Stir in the pecans, bourbon, and salt.
• Cool until caramel thickens and has the texture of syrup.
• Evenly pour over the cake and cool until set.

Notes

Can I make a bundt cake in a regular pan?

If you don’t have a bundt cake pan, you can use a deep round cake pan. Use a ramekin in the center to create the hole.

Alternatively, this cake can be baked in two loaf pans instead of a bundt pan.

Do you need to toast pecans?

I strongly recommend that you toast the pecans to bring out their full flavor. If you cannot find toasted pecans in your grocery store, you can toast them yourself.

How to Toast Pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 375-degrees F.
2. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer.
3. Bake for 5-10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes until you start to smell the pecans.
4. Transfer the toasted pecans to a bowl so that they do not continue to cook.

Toasted pecans should be stored in an airtight container or resealable bag. They will keep for 3-6 months in the freezer.

Do you flip a bundt cake over right away?

If you allow the cake to cool in the bundt cake for too long, the cake will become damp and stick to the pan.

Instead, allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a baking rack to cool completely.

Why does my cake stick to the bundt cake?

Be sure to thoroughly grease your bundt pan. Instead of butter, use non-stick vegetable oil spray (such as PAM) or melted shortening.

Please note: I am not a registered dietician. Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.

Please Note: I am not a registered dietician. Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.