If you like the idea of apple fritters in cake form or maybe apple pie in cake form but with the flavor of apple fritters, here's a very "fall-ish" Bundt cake loaded with chopped apples, nuts and spices. The recipe works well in a standard size Bundt or halved and baked in a 6-cup Bundt pan.
The recipe is a tried and true favorite. There are variations of it all over the place, with modifications such as the amount of sugar and what type, all oil or all butter, and nuts or no nuts. I tried a couple of different versions and this was my favorite -- brown sugar only in the nut topping, lots of walnuts, and a mixture of butter and oil to go with the sour cream. For the apples, I used Honeycrisp and Granny smith.
Sour Cream Apple Bundt Cake Size
You can make this as full size Bundt or cut the recipe in half and use one small (6-cup) Bundt. Bake time is still about 65 minutes in the smaller pan. For the oil, be sure to use a really clean tasting good quality oil like sunflower for best results, and don't bother with low fat sour cream because it contains too much water and will make the cake mushy.
To Ice or Not to Ice
The icing is not entirely necessary since the cake is moist, but it is a nice touch. The first time I made the cake I spooned some leftover cream cheese frosting over and let it melt into the still warm cake. It tasted great, but didn't look so pretty (below). For the most recent cake (above), I used a dusting of powdered sugar and the simple vanilla icing listed in the recipe card.
Storing the Apple Cake
I put my first cake under a cake dome and left it at room temperature in the kitchen for a few days. It was a moist cake to begin with and just got better and better as it sat. The second cake got to live under the dome for a day, then I wrapped it tightly and froze it to share later.
Recipe
Sour Cream Apple Cake
Ingredients
Walnut Topping
- ⅔ cup walnut pieces
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (390 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated if possible
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
- ⅓ cup salted butter, very soft
- ⅔ cup neutral oil (Sunflower)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups chopped apples (Honeycrisp and Granny Smith) (250 grams)
- ½ cup more walnuts (optional)
Vanilla Icing
- 1 teaspoon butter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon warm milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan or two 6-cup Bundts. If using silicone, just slick the inside of the pan with some melted butter.
- Mix together ⅔ cup walnut pieces, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the bottom of the pan.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
- In a mixing bowl, using a rubber scraper or the paddle attachment of a mixer, beat together the sugar and the softened butter. Add the oil and beat until smooth, then beat in the eggs, followed by the vanilla.
- Add the sour cream and stir until blended, then add the flour mixture and stir until it's about halfway blended. Add the apples and extra walnuts and stir until everything is fully blended.
- Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake for about 70 minutes or until cake tests done.
- Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes before turning out onto a rack or plate. Let cool completely before adding icing.
- To make the icing, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the sugar and stir until crumbly. Add a little bit of vanilla to some warm milk and spoon it into the sugar mixture, 1 tablespoons at a time, stirring to blend. Warm gently to remove lumps and keep the icing soft, then drizzle over the cake.
Leave a Reply