Apple Pecan Cake

Name: Apple Pecan Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 3/4 cup melted unsalted butter; 3 large eggs; 1 teaspoon almond extract; 2 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, diced; 1 cup chopped pecans

By Emma

Certified Culinary Professional

Published on 29 January 2026 • Recipe tested & approved

A dense, moist apple and nut cake baked in a Bundt pan. Combines diced fresh apples with chopped pecans for texture contrast. Uses baking powder in place of baking soda for a lighter crumb. Sugar slightly reduced, oil swapped for melted butter. Vanilla swapped with almond extract for a subtle twist. Adjust baking time to catch golden crust and firm edges without drying out. Serves twelve, about 570 calories each. Great for autumn, but year-round comfort.

Prep: 25 min

Cook: 1h 5min

Total: 1h 30min

Servings: 12 servings

#dessert #apple #pecan #Bundt cake #almond extract #fall baking

Ever wrestled with a dense, dry apple cake? Too long in the oven, too little fat, or apples releasing liquid that ruins texture. Learned the hard way. This cake balances moist from melted butter and sharp from tart apples. Almond extract changed everything; subtle nutty aroma matches pecans perfectly. Must fold apples last - any sooner, mush. Baking powder replaces baking soda; more reliable when sour cream or acid lacking. Grease and flour Bundt pan obsessively. This is where stickiness happens. Watch closely 55 plus minutes, edges tell stories – pulling, browning. Took me 3 tries to ditch raw middle without drying edges. No clock slavishness, eyes and touch win. Serve as is or nudge sweetness with caramel drizzles. No perfect recipe here; just flavors and instincts.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup melted unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, diced
1 cup chopped pecans

About the ingredients

Tart apples work best; Granny Smith preferred but any firm apple fine. Peeling optional if skin thin, but gives better texture. Pecans can switch for walnuts or toasted hazelnuts, brings slight bitterness or deeper profile. Butter swapped for oil in original, but butter adds flavor and richer crumb – melting it first prevents greasy pockets. Sugar trimmed slightly to balance apple acidity; too much sugar masks fruit. Almond extract, not vanilla; gives nutty undertone complementing pecans. Baking powder substituted to avoid uneven rising common with baking soda when no acidic ingredient present. Salt enhances all flavors; don’t skip. If you have only baking soda, add 1 tablespoon buttermilk or lemon juice for proper rise.

Method

Preparation

Heat oven to 345°F. Butter and flour a 10-12 cup Bundt pan thoroughly. Don’t skimp on greasing or cake might stick. Fine dust flour so no big clumps inside pan.

Mix Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder until evenly distributed. Dry leaveners matter for rise; never eyeball.

Wet + Sugar Blend

Whisk sugar into melted butter, warm but not hot. Add eggs one at time, mixing briskly after each. Stir in almond extract instead vanilla. Beat for at least 60 seconds to incorporate air - thick batter expected.

Combine

Pour wet mixture into dry. Fold carefully until no streaks remain. Overmixing = tough cake. Batter thick, sticky.

Add Apples + Nuts

Fold diced apples and pecans gently. Avoid breaking the chunks too much. Makes for nice bites, spotty in batter.

Bake

Scrape batter into pan, level surface with spatula. Place in oven center rack. Bake up to 65 minutes. Start checking at 55. Edges golden brown, start pulling slightly from pan. Toothpick should come out with a few crumbs, not wet batter. Listen for gentle crackling under pan as moisture evaporates.
Allow pan to cool 12 minutes on rack. Warm but not hot. Then invert onto plate. Tap pan edges if stuck. Cooling longer in pan leads to soggy bottom.
Serve slightly warm or room temp. Finish with dusting powdered sugar or drizzle caramel if desired.

Cooking tips

Greasing pan is non-negotiable—use both butter and flour, no shortcuts. Shaking out excess flour ensures no thick patches that burn. Mixing dry ingredients first distributes leavening and salt evenly; skipping this step occasionally led to salty bites or uneven rise for me. Melt butter gently, let cool before adding eggs; adding eggs to hot fat cooks them. Beat batter well after combining sugar and eggs – important to trap air. Folding apples and nuts last preserves their structure; mixing too aggressively breaks them down leading to gummy texture. Oven temperatures vary; look for edges pulling and color cues rather than strict times. Toothpick test works but expect crumbs. Cooling ten minutes not enough; twelve reduces risk of cracks and helps cake release. Leaving cake too long traps steam and sogginess. Tap pan edges if stuck; warm pan releases easier than cold. Enhance with powdered sugar or drizzle warmed caramel; skip frosting for less sweetness and letting apples shine.

Chef's notes

💡 Grease bundt pan with butter, then flour well or risk sticking. Shaking out excess flour stops burnt flour patches. Patience helps avoid crumbling outsides. Temperature at 345°F steady; don’t rush. Oven hotspots matter though, rotate if uneven browning.
💡 Baking powder replaces soda; acid absent so no uneven rise risk. If only soda on hand, add lemon juice or buttermilk, about 1 tablespoon. Fold apples and pecans after batter is mostly uniform; breakage means mush and gummy spots next time.
💡 Melt butter gently, not too hot. Warm enough to blend sugar but not cook eggs after. Eggs added one at a time, whisk briskly after each, air trapped equals lighter crumb. Almond extract selected over vanilla; nutty scent merges with pecans, subtle twist you notice after baking.
💡 Batter thick and sticky. Fold carefully no overmix. Overmix = tight crumb, tough texture. Test thickness by scraping spatula; thick but spreadable. Once nuts and apples folded, scrape slow into pan; level surface but don’t pack or compress.
💡 Watch baking edges closely after 55 min. Golden brown with start of pull away from pan edges signals nearing done. Toothpick test: comes out with crumbs never wet batter. Listen for faint crackling sounds; moisture evaporating. Let cake cool in pan about 12 min only; longer traps steam, soggy bottom.

Common questions

Can baking soda be used?

Soda alone no good here. Need acid addition, like lemon juice or buttermilk. About 1 tbsp works. Otherwise uneven rise, bitter spots. Powder safer if no acid on hand.

What apples work best?

Tart apples top choice. Granny Smith first pick. Firm texture key; avoid mush. Peeling optional, depends on skin texture. Apples fall apart if too ripe or mixed too early in batter.

Why fold apples and nuts last?

Keeps chunks intact. Early mixing breaks down; batter looks uniform but baked cake gummy. Fold gently means discrete apple bits, pecan bites throughout.

How to store leftovers?

Wrap tight room temp for day or two. Refrigerate in airtight but dries edges faster. Freeze slices wrapped foil or plastic wrap. Thaw slow room temp, watch moisture loss.