by Dorie Greenspan, from Anytime Cakes
A word on apples: Choose the apples you like best. I usually grab one that’s tart and one that’s sweet. I don’t think McIntoshes are right for the cake because they soften so significantly under heat. And I find Granny Smiths a bit dry for the recipe, but if you love them, use them—they’ll add a touch of sharpness to the mix.
A word on the caramel: This old-time recipe makes a caramel that thickens but doesn’t harden as it cools. You can use it as a drizzle to decorate the cake or as a sauce. If you choose to use it as sauce, why not go all out and top a slice of the cake with ice cream, then pour over the hot caramel sundae style?
Makes about 10 servings
Ingredients
- For the Apples:
- 2 large apples (about 1 pound; 455 grams), peeled and cored
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- For the Cake:
- 2 ¾ cups (374 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cups (300 grams) brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (240 ml) neutral oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) full-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)
- For the Caramel (optional):
- 8 tablespoons (4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) evaporated milk, half-and-half or cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F.
- Choose a 10-cup Bundt pan, preferably one that doesn’t have a complicated design; coat it with baker’s spray or butter it, dust the interior with flour and tap out the excess.
- Cut the apples into small chunks. Try to keep them less than 1/2 inch, but don’t fuss over neatness; you should have between 3½ and 4 cups.
- Put the apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl and toss together to coat the apples; set aside.
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
- In a stand mixer, beat the brown sugar and eggs on medium speed for about 3 minutes.
- Blend in the maple syrup, followed by the oil and then the vanilla.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low until almost incorporated.
- Pour in the buttermilk, mix just until incorporated, then add remaining flour mixture.
- Stir apples, including any syrup, into the batter. Pour batter into pan.
- Bake 60–70 minutes, until the cake pulls from the sides and a tester comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, unmold, then cool completely.
- If not finishing with caramel, dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.
Optional Caramel
- Put butter, brown sugar, milk (or half-and-half or cream), and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Use immediately as glaze or sauce; refrigerate leftover caramel and warm gently before using.
Excerpted from Dorie's Anytime Cakes: Simple, Simpler, Simplest by Dorie Greenspan. Harvest, 2025.
