Moist Apple Pecan Cake with Caramel Glaze

Cozy up your fall with the best Apple Pecan Cake!! This moist spice cake is packed with fresh apples, toasty pecans, and topped with a velvety rich caramel glaze. Easy to make, with or without a stand mixer, this decadent twist to the Southern fresh apple cake has even more apple flavor and is perfect for fall!!

Growing up in the South, I loved weekend trips to the fruit stand with my grandmother. In the fall, she'd stock up on fresh apples, whole pecans, and rich sweet potatoes to make the most delicious desserts. We would shell and toast pecans, and turn sweet potatoes into luscious sweet potato pie. And my favorite, use the crisp juicy apples to make her unforgettable fresh apple cake!!

This apple pecan cake is a modern take on my grandmother's fresh apple cake. Deliciously moist and filled with cozy spices, it brings me back to those warm fall days in her kitchen. My goal when testing this recipe was to find ways to infuse more apple flavor while still keeping the charm of the original recipe. My version still has the soft fluffy texture of the original but includes a few ingredient twists.

By adding more apples, a touch of apple juice, and replacing some of the vegetable oil with applesauce, there's a burst of apple in every bite. Just like my apple streusel bread!! While ground crunchy pecans are added to the batter for a nutty bite. Finished off with a rich, buttery caramel glaze and toasted pecans this show stopping dessert will be your new go to this fall. I cant wait to show you how to make this elevated apple pecan cake!! Let's get baking!!

Step-by-Step Instructions

This cake is easy to make and comes together in no time. While I use stand mixer here, feel free to make it by hand with either a hand mixer or two bowls and a whisk.

Step 1: Sift together the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Whisk in the ground pecans.

Step 2: Grate and measure the apples. Using the large holes of a cheese grater, grate the apples into a bowl lined with paper towels. Squeeze out all of the juice from the grated apples, allowing the juice to collect in the bowl. Place the apples in a separate bowl and measure out 1 ½ cups (packed) of the grated apples. Then, measure out ½ cup of the apple juice.

Step 3: Combine the wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the vegetable oil, unsweetened applesauce, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium low speed.

Step 4: Next, add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and apple juice and beat on medium speed until combined. Add in the grated apples and mix until the apples are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Step 5: Mix in the dry ingredients. With the mixer on low, add in the flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing until just combined after each addition.

The batter will be thick.

Step 6: Pour the cake batter to the prepared bundt pan then smooth with an offset spatula. Bake the cake for 1 hour.

Caramel Glaze

This quick caramel sauce is foolproof and only uses a few ingredients. The true hallmark of this recipe is you don't have to use a thermometer or carefully watch the pot. It comes together easily on the stovetop in less than 5 minutes. Just whisk the ingredients together then allow it to cool - thats it.

You can tailor the consistency of the glaze to your personal preference. If you like a thinner glaze, allow it cool for about 30 minutes before glazing the cake. Otherwise, for a thicker glaze, allow it to cool for the full 50 minutes. The longer it cools the thicker it will be.

Step 7: Make the caramel glaze. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Next, add in the brown sugar whisking until it dissolves. Remove from heat and whisk in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and kosher salt until smooth.

Step 8: Pour the caramel glaze on top of the bundt cake then garnish with chopped pecans. Allow the glaze to set for about 20 minutes before serving.

Baking Tips for Success

After a couple of test runs, I found a few easy ways to ensure this apple cake bakes up perfectly every time. Below are my best tips for getting the best texture and flavor:

• Apples - Be sure to use a firm baking apple. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Gala apples are all great choices. Although peeling the apples aren't necessary, I prefer it. I find the peeled apples soften more easily while baking. For better texture and distribution of apples, I decided to grate the apples instead of using apple chunks. Using small chunks of apple would definitely change the texture of the cake.
• Apple juice - The consistency of the cake batter in the original recipe is relatively thick. To thin it out a little and add more apple flavor, I decided to use the juice from the shredded apples. Squeezing the apple of the juice is a must. Apples can vary in the amount of juice they hold which can affect the amount of moisture in the cake.
• Applesauce - One of the biggest changes I made to this recipe was switching up some of the vegetable oil for applesauce. The applesauce adds more apple flavor while still keeping the cake nice and moist.
• Pecans - Toast your pecans!! Toasting the pecans brings out their caramel-like flavor and adds more texture.

It brings me so much joy when you make one of my recipes!! If you try this recipe and love it much as I do, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below. And don't forget to tag me to share your creation with me!! You can find me on Instagram @vintage_confections and Pinterest.

📖 Recipe

Moist Apple Pecan Cake with Caramel Glaze

Lauren Caras

This moist apple pecan cake is made with tart, fresh apples, toasted crunchy peans, and topped with a quick homemade caramel glaze. Easy to make, with or without a stand mixer, this decadent cake bakes up in just an hour and is full of apple flavor!!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, southern

Bake ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Servings 16 slices

Calories 397 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Apple Cake

• 3 (375 g) cups All purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
• ¾ (85 g) cup Toasted chopped pecans divided, ¼ (28 g)cup finely ground (no large pieces) for the cake batter plus ½ cup chopped pecans for topping the cake
• 1 (224 g) cup Vegetable oil
• ½ (120 g) cup Unsweetened applesauce
• 1 ¼ (275 g) cup Light brown sugar packed
• ¾ (150 g) cup Granulated sugar
• 3 large Eggs
• 1 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract
• 4 -5 (282 g) Baking apples grated and drained of liquid. I used Pink Lady apples
• ½ (4 oz) cup Apple juice juice from shredded apples

For the Caramel Glaze

• ½ (113 g) cup Unsalted butter
• ½ (110 g) cup Brown sugar
• 2 (30 g) tablespoons Heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 325 F / 170 C.
• In a food processor, grind ¼ (28 g) cup of the toasted pecans. In a large bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg. Whisk in the ground pecans. Set aside.
  3 (375 g) cups All purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Baking soda, ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg, ¾ (85 g) cup Toasted chopped pecans
• Line a large bowl with paper towels. Using the large holes of a cheese grater, grate the apples onto the paper towels. Squeeze out all of the juice from the grated apples, allowing the juice to collect in the bowl. Place the apples in a separate bowl and measure out 1 ½ cups (packed) of the grated apples. Next, measure of ½ cup of the apple juice from the bowl. Set aside
  4 -5 (282 g) Baking apples
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the vegetable oil, unsweetened applesauce, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then increase the speed to medium and beat for an additional minute.
  1 (224 g) cup Vegetable oil, ½ (120 g) cup Unsweetened applesauce, 1 ¼ (275 g) cup Light brown sugar, ¾ (150 g) cup Granulated sugar
• Next, add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and apple juice and beat on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add in the grated apples and beat on medium speed until the apples are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
  3 large Eggs, 1 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract, ½ (4 oz) cup Apple juice
• Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add in the flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing until just combined after each addition. When the last of the flour is almost incorporated, remove the bowl from stand mixer and gently fold the batter with a rubber spatula until all of the flour is just combined.
• Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.  Using a fine pastry brush, spread the baking spray to coat the pan making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. Pour the cake batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Firmly tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean with a few moist sticky crumbs. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert cake onto the wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. After the cake has cooled for about an 1 and 10 minutes, make the glaze.

For the Caramel Glaze

• In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, add in the brown sugar and whisk often until the sugar completely dissolves, about 3 minutes. Allow the butter mixture to cook until you see large bubbles. Remove from heat and whisk in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and kosher salt until smooth. Allow the glaze to cool at room temperature for about 50 minutes thicken. You can cool it for less time but the longer it sets, the thicker it will be.
  ½ (113 g) cup Unsalted butter, ½ (110 g) cup Brown sugar, 2 (30 g) tablespoons Heavy cream, ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• Pour the glaze on top of the cooled cake and garnish with the rest of the chopped pecans. Allow the glaze to set for 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!

Notes

• Grease your bundt pan right before adding the batter - If you grease the cake pan too soon, the oil will slide down and pool in the bottom of the pan causing the cake to stick. Be sure to use baking spray that contains flour like Baker's Joy and apply it to all of the nooks and crannies so that your cake pops out easily when ready to flip.
• Do I have to peel the apples - It's not necessary but peeled apples soften more easily into the cake and have a smooth texture. 
• Apples - Use fresh apples. Fresh apples are easier to grate while older apples tend to be more mushy.  
• Baking time - All ovens are different so be sure to check your cake for doneness after it's baked for 55 minutes. 
• Storage - Keep leftover apple cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 397kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 5.8gFat: 20.1gSaturated Fat: 7.5gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 284mgPotassium: 136mgFiber: 6.4gSugar: 24.1gCalcium: 30mgIron: 3mg

Keyword apple pecan cake

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