Iconic Apple Pie Pound Cake

Of course, I had to make apple pie into a pound cake, so today I have for you, my Iconic Apple Pie Pound Cake. This cake is such a warm hug to your insides. It’s a port in the storm. A celebration cake. A love offering to family and friends. It’s something to be savored at a family gathering. Or something to be devoured at a kids’ sports banquet. 

This cake features a vanilla base, with a cooked apple pie filling that is positively delicious. It is aromatic, has incredible spice, and the two textures (of the soft cake and the luscious apple pie filling) play together perfectly, creating a happy feeling on your tongue and in your tummy. Let’s get to the recipe! And don’t forget to read on after the recipe for all of my helpful execution tips!

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The Recipe

Iconic Apple Pie Pound Cake

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This Iconic Apple Pie Pound Cake combines the comfy-cozy flavors of apple pie with the rich decadence of a classic pound cake for an irresistible dessert that’s perfect for any occasion.

• Total Time: 5-7 hours
• Yield: 18 servings 1x

Ingredients

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For the Apple Filling:

• 250 g (2 c) peeled and diced apples
• 67 g (1/3 c) brown sugar
• 16 g (1/8 c) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 63 g (1/3 c) water
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp rum (optional)

For the Cake Batter:

• 384 g (3 c) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 345 g (1 1/2 c) butter, room temperature
• 500 g (2 1/2 c) granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 227 g (1 c) sour cream, room temperature

For the Simple Syrup:

• 125 g (1/2 c) water
• 100 g (1/2 c) granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp apple liqueur (optional)

For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Glaze:

• 154 g (2/3 c) cream cheese, room temperature
• 240 g (2 c) confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2–3 tbsp whole milk
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

To Garnish: Crumbled store-bought pie crust (or homemade if you’re ambitious!) or crumbled graham crackers, and cinnamon sugar, if desired.

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Instructions

To Make the Apple Filling:

1. Peel and core the apples. Then dice them into a medium dice and place in a medium saucepan.
2. Place flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, lemon juice, and water into the saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until there is a light boil. Then reduce the heat to low and allow to gently simmer and reduce. 
3. Once the sauce has reduced (thickened) and the apples are fork tender, remove from the heat. Add pure vanilla extract and rum (if using). Set aside until completely cool.

To Make the Cake:

1. Set your oven to a true 325°F. An oven thermometer will help you figure out whether your oven is truly at the set temperature.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. With a sharp knife, carefully split the vanilla bean down the middle so that you can scrape the vanilla beans inside. Place the empty vanilla bean pod into the sour cream.
4. In a separate bowl (or deli cup), place the granulated sugar and vanilla beans. Massage the vanilla beans in the bowl (or shake the heck out of the deli cup) until the beans are nicely incorporated.
5. Place the butter into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until the butter is completely smooth. Scrape the bowl as needed to ensure that the butter gets to an even consistency.
6. Add the infused granulated sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
7. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing each egg until it’s fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
8. If using pure vanilla extract, add it here. Mix on medium speed until fully incorporated.
9. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix until almost combined.
10. Remove the vanilla bean pod from the sour cream and dispose of the pod. Add all of the sour cream to the cake batter. Mix until almost combined.
11. Add the second half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix until almost combined.
12. Use a stiff spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then, fold the batter several times until it is smooth.
13. Prepare a 12- or 15-cup bundt pan as you normally would. I recommend butter and flour for this cake, but if you use baking spray, make sure to spread a good layer of the spray on all of the crevices of your pan with a pastry brush.
14. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Tap several times to help the batter move into the grooves of the bundt pan.
15. Create a moat in the center of the batter. Place the cooled apple pie filling in the center of the moat, making sure to avoid the sides of the pan as much as possible. (You won’t be able to do this completely and that is okay.)
16. Carefully pour the second half of the batter into the pan. Tap gently on the countertop once again, to remove any large air bubbles and to help the batter snuggle into the grooves of the bundt pan.
17. Bake at 325°F for 65-80 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer reads 215°F in the center.
18. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a cooling rack for ten minutes. After ten minutes, invert the cake onto the cooling rack and remove the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely on the cooling rack before doing the simple syrup and glaze.

To Make the Simple Syrup:

1. Place the granulated sugar, water, and fine sea salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. Allow to boil only until the solids fully dissolve. Remove from the heat and add the pure vanilla extract and apple liqueur (if using).
3. Allow to cool completely, then brush onto the completely cooled cake with a pastry brush.

To Make the Cinnamon Glaze:

1. Place the cream cheese in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Use a hand mixer to mix the cream cheese until it is completely smooth. 
3. Place the confectioner’s sugar, fine sea salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and 1 ½ tbsp of whole milk into the mixing bowl. 
4. Using a small whisk, stir gently to combine. Stir until the confectioner’s sugar no longer collects moisture from the milk or the cream cheese. 
5. If necessary, add up to 1 ½ tbsp more of whole milk, but do it ½ tsp at a time.
6. The final glaze should be the consistency of thick honey, and should pour easily over the sides of the cake. Use a spoon, spouted measuring cup, or squeeze bottle to spread the glaze over the cake.
7. If desired, wait about ten minutes, then crumble pie crust (store-bought or leftover crust is perfectly fine!), graham crackers (honey or cinnamon), and cinnamon sugar over the top of the cake to finish.
8. Enjoy!

Notes

Now that you have the recipe, you’re ready to roll! But, if you want the recipe and the tips for perfect execution, take a look at the resources that I’ve provided for you, below! Grab your cozy socks, a cup of coffee (or glass of wine), and your favorite throw blanket (usually the one with the hole in it that the kids and dogs love to cuddle up in) and let’s learn how to make some magic.

• Author: Shani
• Prep Time: 1 hour (active)
• Cook Time: 65-75 minutes
• Category: Dessert

Apple Pie Pound Cake Ingredients

To fully understand why this cake is so spectacular, a fun lil’ baking science TED Talk will help you in a big way. So, let’s dive into some cake ingredients, shall we? This section will help you tremendously if you want to tinker with this recipe, or if you just want to learn how all of the ingredients play together in the proverbial sandbox (or mixing bowl)!

All-Purpose Flour: I love the pleasantly plump texture of a good pound cake, and this Apple Pie Pound Cake is no different. That beautiful texture largely comes from a higher-protein all-purpose flour. I find that lower-protein cake flour doesn’t give the same rise and texture to pound cakes, so that is why I don’t use it in mine. My favorite all-purpose flours for pound cakes are King Arthur Baking’s All-Purpose Flour and Bob’s Red Mill’s All-Purpose Flour.

Baking Soda: This Apple Pie Pound Cake contains sour cream, which has active cultures added to give it its signature tangy flavor and texture. These active cultures transform the milk into a beautifully acidic component, so baking soda is the proper leavening for this particular cake.

Kosher Salt: Salt is very important in any dessert; it balances the sugar and keeps the dessert from becoming overly sweet. It doesn’t take a lot of salt to balance the sugar in a cake recipe, so measure this ingredient very carefully. If you’re using table salt or fine sea salt for this recipe, make sure to cut the amount in half.

Unsalted Butter: Coming in at 345 grams (or 1 ½ pounds!), butter has a starring role in this cake! It gives an unmistakably characteristic and buttery flavor, but that’s not all! In addition to that special flavor, the creaming process creates the absolutely necessary air pockets that help this cake to rise. Additionally, the fats in the butter are needed to tenderize the powerhouse protein molecules in your flour and egg whites. This ingredient does a lot of work here! Use good butter for this cake, and make sure that it’s room temperature before you begin. I set my butter out for at least two hours before baking time. If you don’t have two hours, 10-20 minutes in your waistband or pocket (or, as my mother would say, in your bra over your heart) will do just fine.

Granulated Sugar: The sugar in this recipe adds a nice sweetness to this cake, and it also helps with caramelization! That gorgeous crust on the outside of your cake is largely due to the granulated sugar in this recipe!

Eggs: The fatty yolks add flavor to this amazing cake, while the protein-rich egg whites assist with the texture and rise. Be sure to use large chicken eggs for the best results.

Vanilla Extract: Vanilla gives this cake a beautiful, warm flavor. I opted for a whole vanilla bean in this particular cake because it plays so nicely with the apple pie filling. However, if you don’t have a vanilla bean, don’t fret! You can absolutely use a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. 

Sour Cream: I loved the final texture that sour cream lent to this cake. In a pinch, you can also use 250 g (1 c) of buttermilk. Subbing buttermilk will give you all of the tang that sour cream will; however, you’ll be sacrificing on the additional tendering properties of the sour cream, as buttermilk contains substantially less fat. (On that note, make sure to use full-fat sour cream for this recipe. 😊)

Techniques for the Best Cakes

Who among us has looked at a recipe and been completely intimidated right off the bat? 🙋🏾‍♀️

I have. Many, many times. It’s why I created Begin with Butter in the first place. To be the lil’ corner of the internet where you could find all of the resources that you need to help you become a more consistent and confident baker! So, to help you with this particular recipe, I have some resources on the site I’d like to share. Take a look at one (or all) of them and watch how your baking confidence soars!

• My Favorite Bundt Pans
• Sifting: Quick Technique, Huge Impact
• Meet Your Kitchen BFF–Your Digital Kitchen Scale!
• Technique Tips for the Best Pound Cakes
• How to Cream Butter and Sugar (With New Video!)
• Baking 101: How to Measure Ingredients
• How to Grease a Bundt Pan
• The Best Tools for Perfect Pound Cakes
• Knowing When to Stop a Technique
• Begin with Butter Home Baking Academy | Perfect Pound Cakes Class!

These resources are super helpful to help you build consistency and confidence on your baking journey. Happy reading!

But wait! There’s more! Grab your coffee or a glass of wine and get ready to check out my favorite equipment!

Important Tools

Guess what? Begin with Butter has its own Amazon Storefront, where you can find all of the amazing equipment that I used in this Apple Pie Pound Cake! Want even more specific product recommendations? Check out the product links, below.

I do get paid a commission when you purchase, but these are the tools that I use all the time in my own kitchen.

If you have these tools already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that you’ll need to execute this cake!

• Taylor Oven Thermometer
• ThermoWorks Square Dot Thermometer
• Ozeri Pronto Digital Food Scale
• OXO Digital Food Scale
• KitchenAid Hand Mixer
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer 
• Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
• Deli Containers for Prep
• OXO Spatula Set
• Sifter
• My Absolute Favorite Pound Cake Pans

Conclusion – This Sweet Pound Cake is the Girl Next Door

BB, this indulgent Apple Pie Pound Cake brings together the best of two beloved desserts – a perfectly moist, vanilla pound cake and the warm, spiced filling of a classic apple pie. The contrast is pure magic: light, tender cake embracing pockets of luscious, saucy apples, all crowned with a silky and luxe cinnamon cream cheese glaze. Whether you’re hosting a fall gathering, looking for a show-stopping dessert for the holidays, or simply craving something special for your weekend baking project, this cake delivers pure comfort in every bite.

Once you make this special cake, I’d love to see your creation! Share your Apple Pie Pound Cake photos with me on Instagram by tagging @beginwithbutter – your success stories inspire all of the BBs in the Begin with Butter community. And if you have any questions along the way, don’t hesitate to reach out to bakingbestie@beginwithbutter.com. I’m here to help you achieve pound cake perfection!

See you tomorrow for Day 4 of the Twelve Days of Pound Cake 2024: Sweet, Spice and Everything Nice! ❤️