Fresh shredded apples and warm chai spices make this Apple Spice Cake one of my favorite things to bake every fall. It's moist and tender, and the sweet glaze and pecans on top make every slice so pretty. Plus, your whole house will smell amazing as it bakes!
This post for chai spiced apple bundt cake was first published in September 2018. The post was updated and republished in October 2022.
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Some of my favorite things about the cooler fall weather are wearing jeans and sweatshirts, going to bonfires, and of course, baking with apples. A few of our favorite recipes are this apple bundt cake and these apple blondies.
Since we had quite a few extra apples this week, I made a caramel apple pie and another apple cake with a warm chai flavor.
Why You'll Love This Apple Spice Cake Recipe
This apple spice cake is the perfect fall dessert. A sweet glaze and chopped pecans make it look absolutely gorgeous. It's great for fall parties or bake sales.
- Easy to make. All you need is one large bowl, a food chopper, and a Bundt pan.
- Makes your kitchen smell like fall. Apples and plenty of warm spices fill the kitchen with a delightful fall smell as the cake bakes.
- Moist and delicious! Sour cream, apples, AND applesauce add so much moisture to the batter.
Key Ingredients
Our apple spice cake recipe is easy to make with pantry ingredients you may already have. The spices and extracts give the cake a delicious chai taste. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the exact amounts.
- Butter: Unsalted butter gives you control over how salty a recipe is. Make sure to set it out ahead of time so it is softened.
- Brown Sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps it be softer and moister.
- Applesauce: Gives moisture and more apple flavor to baked goods.
- Sour Cream: Adds moisture without thinning the batter down too much. Plain Greek yogurt can also be used.
- Spices: A mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, cloves, and ginger gives the apple cake a chai flavor.
- Apples: You will need 3-4 apples depending on the size. Choose apples that hold up well when baked, such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith.
How To Make An Apple Spice Cake
You can make this homemade apple cake in minutes. Follow our easy instructions, and you will have one baking in your oven in no time at all.
- Beat the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the sour cream, applesauce, eggs, and extracts and mix again. The batter will look strange.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Shred the apples using a food processor. Don't worry about the peels. You can leave those on and just shred them too. Gently stir them into the cake batter.
- Pour the batter into a greased Bundt pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan before flipping it out onto a plate. Finish cooling it before drizzling an orange glaze on top.
- Sprinkle with chopped pecans before the glaze sets up, if you want a small crunch on top.
BruCrew Tips
- Spray your bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. My favorite is Baker's Joy because the oil-and-flour mixture sprays easily into the pan. You can also grease and flour the cake pan.
- Do not overmix the batter! Once the ingredients are incorporated, stop the electric mixer. Overmixing cake batter can make the cake denser.
- Shred the apples in a food processor to give this cake the right texture. If you want a cake with bigger chunks, make this apple walnut cake instead.
- Substitute 3-4 teaspoons of apple pie spice instead of the other spices.
- Add ½ cup raisins to the batter if you like fruit in your apple cake.
- Make this apple cake ahead of time. Cover it tightly and store at room temperature.
- Skip the glaze and serve slices of cake with a swirl of chai whipped cream.
Storing and Freezing
Keep the cake in a loosely sealed container on the counter for a few days. The glaze may soak into the cake the longer it sits.
You can wrap an unfrosted cake tightly and freeze it for 1-2 months. Make sure the cake is cooled completely before wrapping it up. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature before adding the glaze.
FAQ's
Choose apples that hold up but soften as they bake. Gala, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Fuji are good choices. Use a mix of sweet and tart apples for the best flavor.
Read the recipe and choose the method best suited to the baked good. To chop apples, use an apple slicer to remove the core, then cut into small chunks. For grated apples, place slices in a food processor and pulse quickly.
The sides of the cake will start to pull away from the pan, and a skewer inserted into the center will come out with just a few moist crumbs.
You can leave the peels on for this apple cake recipe. The pieces and peels are small enough to soften and bake into the cake.
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Recipe
Apple Spice Cake Recipe
Fresh shredded apples and warm chai spices make this Apple Spice Cake one of my favorite things to bake every fall. It's moist and tender, and the sweet glaze and pecans on top make every slice so pretty. Plus, your whole house will smell amazing as it bakes!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3 cups all purpose flour (360g)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ground star anise
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 3 cups shredded apples
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple juice or cider
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the sour cream, extracts, eggs, and applesauce and mix again.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until everything is incorporated.
- Stir the shredded apples into the batter gently.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs on it.
- Let the cake cool 10 minutes in the pan before flipping it out onto a plate. Let it cool completely.
- Whisk together the glaze ingredients. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake. Let it set for 1-2 minutes and then sprinkle the top with the pecans. Press the pecans in gently and let it set.
Notes
- Spray your bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. My favorite is Bakers Joy because the mixture of oil and flour is easy to spray into the pan . You can also grease and flour the pan.
- Do not over mix the batter. Once the ingredients are incorporated, stop the electric mixer. Over mixing cake batter can result in a denser cake.
- Shred the apples in a food processor to give this cake the right texture. If you want a cake with bigger chunks, make this apple walnut cake instead.
- Substitute 3-4 teaspoons of apple pie spice instead of the other spices.
- Add ½ cup raisins to the batter if you like fruit in your apple cake.
- This apple cake can be made ahead of time. Cover it tightly and store at room temperature, then add the glaze before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 433Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 303mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 2gSugar: 30gProtein: 5g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
Kathy says
I don't normally buy apple juice or cider and probably wouldn't buy it for the small amount that I would need for this recipe. What could I substitute?
Jocelyn says
You could use water or milk instead of the juice. I hope you enjoy the cake.
Barbara says
I don't have a Bundt pan. Is there another pan or pans that I can use? And what would the changes in temperature and time be??
Jocelyn says
You can also bake the cake in a 9x13 pan. It will probably bake in less time though because the pan is more shallow. I haven't actually tried it in this pan, so I can't give you an exact time. I would start checking it around 30-35 minutes and take it out when the edges pull away from the pan and when you insert a toothpick and it comes out with just a few crumbs on it.