Salted Caramel Apple Bundt Cake
A moist, spiced apple bundt cake with tender diced apples, finished with a homemade salted caramel drizzle and flaky sea salt.
Equipment
- 10-12 cup bundt pan
- small saucepan
- Pastry brush (optional)
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
Ingredients
Salted Caramel:
- ½ cup (110g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons (28g) butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (128g) heavy cream, warm
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Cake:
- 2 ½ cups (310g) all-purpose flour plus about 2 tablespoons for the pan
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¾ cup (152g) canola oil
- ¾ cup (168g) dark brown sugar
- 1 cup (212g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (160g) unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup (140g) Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (300g) finely diced apple about 2 large apples: 1 Granny Smith, 1 Honeycrisp
- ½ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped optional
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
Salted Caramel:
- Combine the granulated sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Use a pastry brush or wet fingers to wipe down the sides of the pan to remove any sugar crystals. Place over medium heat and cook undisturbed until the sugar turns a light amber color. Continue cooking until it reaches a deep golden brown, then remove from the heat.
- Whisk in the room temperature butter, then slowly stream in the warm cream while whisking until smooth. Lastly, add the vanilla extract and salt. Allow to cool at room temperature.
For the Cake:
- Prep. Spray a 10-12 cup standard bundt pan with pan spray, or coat with butter, then dust with about 2 tablespoons of flour, tapping around to fully coat all sides. Tap out any excess flour and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel and finely dice the apples. Toast the walnuts, if using, in the preheated oven for about 5-7 minutes until fragrant, then coarsely chop.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the applesauce and Greek yogurt.
- Combine. Mix in the dry ingredients until just a few flour streaks remain.
- Add the apples. Gently fold in the chopped apples (and walnuts if using) until just combined.
- Bake. Pour the batter evenly into the Bundt pan and bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes, until the cake springs back or a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes, then flip out and allow to cool fully. Drizzle the cake with the caramel and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Slice and serve with more caramel sauce.
Notes
Storage: Store the drizzled cake covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. To keep it on the counter, leave the caramel off and store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store extra caramel in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 1 week, and warm it in short microwave bursts until pourable.
This recipe was tested in a standard 10-12 cup bundt pan. Be sure to grease it really well and dust it with flour for a clean release.
Sour cream can be substituted for the Greek yogurt, and any neutral oil can be used in place of the canola oil.
See the tips section above in the post for caramel-making tips.