This apple walnut cake is a chameleon, as good for dessert as it is for brunch or an after-school snack. If moist apple cake with maple glaze sounds breakfast-y to you, that’s because it goes great with a cup of coffee in the morning, too. Make this apple bundt cake recipe for any occasion.
As we move into fall, I crave those easy-to-make, homey desserts. Ones with a nose for spice and lots of fresh seasonal fruit. While many people immediately veer toward pumpkin at this time of year, my go-to is apple. This apple bundt cake recipe is loaded with fruit and spice and if moist apple cake is your “thing”, then you’re in for a real treat with this. Super Moist Apple Walnut Cake has it all, with 3 cups of chopped apples in the batter topped with a warm maple glaze.
Making the batter for this apple walnut cake is a little unorthodox in that you’re not just adding “wet ingredients” to “dry ingredients”. Instead, whole eggs , crystallized ginger and room temperature butter go directly into the flour and spice mixture. Beat it until it’s almost like a cookie dough — rough and crumbly — and then add the buttermilk. Use a hand blender to mix it until the batter is smooth.
The mix-ins come next. Apples. Lots of apples. Three cups of chopped apples. Plus toasted walnuts and golden raisins. (You can use regular raisins too, but I almost never have those on hand — so golden raisins it is.) Dried cranberries or currants would also be appropriate if you don’t have the raisins — and if you don’t have any of them — skip it altogether. This apple walnut cake is still gonna be good!
Tips For Icing Apple Walnut Cake With Maple Glaze:
- You’ll want the moist apple cake to cool completely before making the maple glaze, otherwise, it’ll just run off the cake.
- When the cake has cooled, make the glaze. This stove-top variety maple glaze comes together in just a few minutes.
- Melt the butter and maple syrup together over a medium heat, stirring constantly
- Remove from heat.
- Add the vanilla and confectioner’s sugar and stir until smooth.
- Immediately pour the glaze over the cake in one smooth pour. It will harden quickly on the cake.
You can see that the maple glaze pours in a lush, creamy, lava-like flow and like lava, it will build upon the layers of glaze that came before it, which is why I suggest pouring the glaze in one continuous motion, because if you stop and start frequently, it won’t have a smooth finish — not that it matters if it’s just for you and your kids, but if you’re serving to company, you might want a more polished finish. (NOTE: If you have a lazy susan or cake turner, it might help. I don’t have one, but it’s on my wish list).
This apple walnut cake isn’t a springy – sponge cake variety. Instead, this moist apple cake is dense and rich and satisfying. If you want a light, fluffy apple cake, try my one-bowl applesauce walnut snack cake, but if you’re looking for a deeply spiced, uber-moist, apple bundt cake recipe, this is it!
As a dessert, apple walnut cake is the crowning end to a relaxed autumn dinner, but if you have leftovers, let me just say, it’s great with your morning coffee too {cough} — no judgement here.
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apple walnut coffee cake
This spice cake is loaded with three cups of chopped apples, golden raisins and walnuts. Great for brunch or a snack anytime.
Ingredients
FOR THE APPLE WALNUT CAKE:
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
- 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger chopped very finely
- 8 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk (or one cup milk & 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
- 3 cups peeled, chopped apples (from about 6 medium apples)
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
FOR THE MAPLE GLAZE:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup (not maple flavored syrup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
Instructions
FOR THE APPLE WALNUT CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 325°. Liberally butter and flour a 10" bundt pan. Set aside.
Toast the walnuts in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until fragrant and browned. Chop and set aside.
While nuts are baking, combine the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and apple pie spice in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
Add the crystallized ginger, butter and eggs to the flour mixture and beat until crumbly. Add the buttermilk and beat on medium speed until the batter is smooth.
Stir in the apples, golden raisins and chopped walnuts and mix to combine.
Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan. Place the bundt pan on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or foil (to catch any spills). Bake for 60- 70 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool on a baking rack until cake comes to room temperature. Transfer the cake to a serving platter.
FOR THE MAPLE GLAZE:
In a small saucepan, combine the butter and maple syrup. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the butter has melted completely. Remove from heat and stir in the confectioners sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Pour the glaze immediately over the cake. It will start to firm up almost instantaneously.
“Pin” Apple Walnut Cake For Later!
More Fruity Fall Cakes:
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- Harvest Cake
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- Pear and Cranberry Upside Down Cake
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- One-Bowl Applesauce Walnut Snack Cake
What a great looking cake and it does look super moist. Apple cake is one of my favorites and I look forward to fall when apple season is going full blast. I love how dense and moist it looks. A perfect cake to go with coffee.
I love a good apple cake in the fall, and Bundt cakes in general. We make a similar recipe in my family, and as a kid, I always dove right in for the maple glaze first! It’s always so nice to be able to serve a cozy slice of cake like this to friends who drop by for a cup of coffee. (I’ve been known to eat a slice for breakfast, too. It’s fruit, right?) So perfect for the season!
This cake slips seamlessly from breakfast to snacks to dessert. Enjoy as prescribed.
This looks wonderful! The layers of apples, walnuts, raisins and then the maple glaze! I’ve been craving an apple cake and this looks just perfect. I’m imagining serving this for my girlfriends when I have them over for coffee.
What a gorgeous cake! I love your step by step instructional photos. The maple glaze is such a wonderful touch on this cake that I might just make it this week. Great tip with letting the glaze cool first too, I would not have thought of that then rushed it and would have had a runny glaze on my hands!
I can almost smell and taste this cake….your photos are awesome! This is a perfect fall cake, with those apples—YUM. I’m hosting my book group for brunch soon and I can’t wait to make this….they will love how moist and flavorful it is. Thanks for sharing.
I am with you on the apples over pumpkin. As soon as the apple orchards open we are up there buying apples by the bushels and making every apple creation under the sun. This cake is glorious, and I love the apple/raisin/walnut combo you have going on. So good!
***** 5 STAR *****AMAZING CAKE!! Although the calendar says one more week until fall,the weather changed and I was in the mood for baking. My family loves apple cake and I’ve always used my grandmothers recipe. I wanted to try something new. This was truly the best apple cake I’ve ever had (sorry grandma). It is very moist and the ginger was a great addition. My family agreed and begged for another one to be made as there is only 1 piece left and it hasn’t even been 24 hours.
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it! We love these seasonal flavors and they’re always a hit in our house.
I want a slice of this with a big mug of coffee! And I want the leaves to change colors and for it to not be 90 degrees outside. Can you make that happen? lol. This sounds phenomenal!!
It will be 90° outside for the foreseeable future here too…
What a delicious cake to celebrate apple season. I need to make a birthday cake next weekend for my daughter. She is NOT a chocolate lover, so this just might be a great option for her celebration cake. Bundt cakes are always fun…and no fancy decorating needed. Maybe I could have leftovers for breakfast LOL!!
Leftovers for breakfast is an awesome idea!
I love it when a cake walks the line between breakfast, teatime, and dessert. This is so dense and moist and perfectly full of big flavours. Love it! And personally I think I’d enjoy it most with a big ol’ cup of steaming hot tea on a cool fall morning.
This sounds delicious! I love that there is so much apple in this cake. I have a couple pumpkin recipes I love, but all things apple is definitely my go to when making a fall dessert. The maple glaze sounds amazing!
I absolutely loved everything about this cake!! Can’t agree more a perfect fall cake… Need to try this ASAP??
Looks really moist and delicious!!! This is making me so hungry.
Im with you, apple is my favorite flavor of the season…. and the fact that you added a maple glazed topping is making me hungry and get the pen and paper out to make my grocery list so I can get this baked over the weekend. I bet it makes your house smell Wonderfull too when its baking with all the sweet baking smells of apple and spices!
It absolutely makes the house smell heavenly! Enjoy, Michele!
I love a good coffee cake, especially when apples are involved!
what a beautiful cake! absolutely delicious with that amazing glaze on top, and the center is soooooo moist and inviting!
This is so insanely moist and has all my favorite fall flavors!!
I am SO ready for all things apple! This cake looks delicious and so moist! I could polish off a big slice right now!