Happy Hump Day, you crazy baking fools. I hope you’re crushing this week, so much so that you’ve earned yourself a slice (or three) of this brown sugar apple bundt cake.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may know that last week I made a wedding cake. It wasn’t my first time preparing a wedding cake, but because this was the biggest one I’ve made to date I was also pretty nervous. Like any cautious amateur would do, I prepared the layers a week in advance, froze them in plastic wrap, and traveled with the unassembled cakes in a sub-zero temperature car to Atlanta where the wedding was being held. 

Some of you are probably thinking that this is not a big deal. Maybe you think that I do this all the time or that I’m a professional cake maker. Maybe you assume that tasks like this come naturally to me or are not even remotely intimidating. I’ll have you know, you are entirely wrong.

I am a giant, sugar-coated ball of anxiety when it comes to baking for weddings. I literally lose sleep over the details and what-ifs and tiny lists of ingredients and supplies that I need to remember to pack. What if the cake is dry? Collapses? Tastes like garbage? What if I drop the entire thing while placing it on the stand? What if someone finds a weird hair or a giant eggshell in it? What if, what if, what if?

I’m getting stressed just reliving it. This all goes to say that until further notice I’m sticking with one-bowl, single layer, easy peasy cakes like this brown sugar apple bundt cake. Aside from the risk of a stray hair or eggshell, there are very few things you could actually do to screw this up.

I was inspired to make this brown sugar apple bundt cake from flipping through some of Brett’s Nana’s old recipes. There were multiple recipes for old fashioned apple bundt cakes, and I knew this was the type of thing you guys would want coming out of your ovens around the holidays. In most of the older recipes I’ve seen, the bundt cake is baked and a warm, syrupy mixture is poured over the cake before removing it from the pan. This yields a super moist cake, but to be honest, it’s not the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. To add extra flavor AND pizzazz, I went with a brown sugar glaze, thick, ultra-sweet, and with just a hint of bourbon because we love ourselves. This brown sugar apple bundt cake is faithful to its Southern roots and festive enough to add to any holiday table. Let’s chat the ins and outs on this treat.

We start by mixing the sugar with all of the wet ingredients. Oil and plenty of eggs keep this cake moist. The dry ingredients which includes cinnamon and apple pie spice get stirred in before finely diced apples and pecans are folded in. Spread the mixture into a bundt pan (I used this one!) and bake in the preheated oven. Be careful not to overbake it! I like to remove it from the oven when just a few large moist clumps remain on a cake tester or toothpick.Allow the cake to cool in the pan for a few minutes before cooling completely on a rack. When it’s room temperature, prepare the glaze and spoon it on top. I test out the glaze on the side of a drinking glass to make sure that it’s the right consistency before it goes on the cake. If it’s too thin it will drip completely off the cake and if it’s too thick it won’t be pourable. Find the consistency that works best for you and pour away.

This brown sugar apple bundt cake is a delightful little autumnal treat to prepare in the coming months. Give it a try and let me know what you think! I promise it’s easier than a wedding cake. 

If you like this brown sugar apple bundt cake you should try:

Maple Apple Cake

Pecan Apple Dutch Baby

Caramel Apple Pie

Apple Crumb Cake

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Carrot Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

 

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