Fresh Apple Walnut Cake

This bundt cake is packed with over three cups of grated fresh apple, which means every slice is dense, moist, and fragrant with fruit. The oil-based batter keeps it tender for days without drying out the way a butter cake would.

A blend of all-purpose and whole wheat flour gives the crumb a slightly nutty, hearty quality that pairs with the walnuts and warm spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of cloves scent the batter, and a splash of applejack (apple brandy) deepens the apple flavor without being boozy.

Grating the apples rather than dicing them is what makes the texture work. The grated fruit practically dissolves into the batter during baking, creating pockets of moisture throughout instead of distinct apple chunks sitting in dry cake.

The apple cider sauce is not optional. Butter, brown sugar, white sugar, apple cider, orange juice, and evaporated milk cook down into a warm, buttery pour that soaks into every crevice of the still-warm cake. Serve it alongside, not just drizzled on top, so people can add more.

Pro Tips

• Grate the apples on the large holes of a box grater. Too fine and they turn to mush. You want shreds with a little texture.
• Don’t overmix once the flour goes in. The batter is thick and heavy with fruit and nuts. Just stir until combined.
• Test at 1 hour 10 minutes. Bundt pans vary in thickness and material. A toothpick in the deepest part should come out clean.
• Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then unmold. Longer and the cake sticks. Shorter and it falls apart.

Variations

• Pecan version: Swap walnuts for toasted pecans for a Southern-style twist.
• Caramel apple cake: Skip the cider sauce and drizzle with salted caramel instead.