Apple Walnut Bundt Cake Recipe

Excerpted from ‘The Cake Bible’ by Rose Levy Beranbaum

AARP

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Published October 08, 2024

Apple Walnut Bundt Cake with brown glaze dripping down it

Because the Apple Walnut Bundt is made with oil, it can be enjoyed at room temperature or cold.

Matthew Septimus

This flavorful Bundt cake is the perfect fall apple-season cake but can be enjoyed any time of the year. It is great to have this cake in your repertoire, as it is easy to make and stays moist and flavorful for 5 days at room temperature and 10 days refrigerated. Because it is made with oil, it can be enjoyed at room temperature or cold. The caramel glaze is optional, but I wouldn’t dream of making the cake without it. —Rose Levy Beranbaum

Apple Walnut Bundt Cake

Serves 10 to 12

Baking time: 5 minutes for the walnuts; 50 to 60 minutes for the cake

Special equipment: The pan must have a minimum 12 cup capacity, such as a 10 to 15 cup Nordic Ware Anniversary pan or a 12 cup metal fluted tube pan, coated with baking spray with flour (or a two-piece tube pan, bottom lined with parchment, then coated with baking spray with flour).

Ingredients

1 cup walnut halves
2½ cups bleached all-purpose flour (lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 to 4 tart apples (such as Macoun, Cortland, or Granny Smith), diced (about 1½ pounds)
3 large eggs (3 yolks and 3 whites) at room temperature
1¼ cups sunflower or safflower oil
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar, preferably muscovado (firmly packed)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven: Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Toast and chop the walnuts: Spread the walnuts evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Turn the walnuts onto a clean dish towel and roll and rub them around to loosen the skins. Discard any loose skins and cool completely. Chop into medium-coarse pieces.

Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Prepare the apples: Peel, core, and cut the apples into ⅛ to ¼ inch dice.

Make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer, weigh or measure the egg yolks and egg whites.

Add the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Attach the flat beater and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, until blended.

Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed for 20 seconds, just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Detach the bowl from the stand and, with a large spoon, stir in the apples and walnuts, ensuring to reach the bottom of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. It will fill the pan 1⅞ inches from the top of a 15 cup pan.

Bake the cake: Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.

Cool and unmold the cake: Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. If using a straight-sided pan, run a metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake. Invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray and cool completely, about 1.5 hours.

Store airtight: Room temperature for 5 days; refrigerated for 10 days; frozen for 2 months.

Variation: Make an Apple Candied Pecan Bundt Cake, by replacing the walnuts with an equal weight or volume of untoasted candied pecans.