Yield: 1 apple cider marbled bundt // Total Time: 1 hr. 20 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
Moist and flavorful apple cider bundt cake marbled with sweet dulce de leche cake, all topped off with an apple cider dulce de leche glaze.
Apple Cider Marbled Bundt
Apples and apple cider especially are my favorite things about fall baking. This apple cider marbled bundt is seriously so delicious and just bursting with fall flavors. Sweet, light and fluffy apple cider spiced cake gets swirled with an apple cider dulce de leche cake batter. Top all of that off with a simple apple cider dulce de leche glaze, and you have the PERFECT cake for fall.
Apple cider marbled bundt recipe tips
Weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient which can lead to the recipe not turning out properly. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
Mix the batter carefully
It is super important to not overmix the cake batter or you end up with a tough and chewy cake rather than a light and moist cake. When alternating between adding the wet and dry ingredients, be sure to only mix just until the ingredient is fully combined and no more.
Room temperature ingredients
It is SUPER important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. If you have ever had your batter look curdled, it is most likely due to the ingredients separating from being at different temperatures. Take out the eggs, sour cream, apple cider, and butter at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe OR follow these methods for room temperature ingredients FAST:
- Fast room temperature eggs. Place the eggs in a bowl in the sink and continuously run hot water over them for one minute. And there you go – room temperature eggs! Alternatively (and less waste-fully) fill a bowl with warm water and let the eggs sit in it for 5 minutes.
- Fast room temperature sour cream and apple cider. Microwave the ingredients in 5 second intervals until it is no longer cold (but not hot!). And there you go – fast and easy room temperature sour cream and apple cider!
- Fast room temperature butter. Slice the butter into 1 tbsp. slices and place them flat on a plate. Microwave in 5 second intervals, until you can easily push into the butter.
Keep an eye on the cake!
Baked goods love to go from underbaked to overbaked in what seems like a split second. Start checking at the cake with a toothpick around 35 minutes. The cake is done when only a few moist crumbs stick to the toothpick.
Ingredients and substitutions
For the apple cider bundt cake:
All purpose flour: the structure of the cake. I would not recommend using cake flour as the cake is already super fluffy and tender using the all purpose.
Baking powder: for helping the cake rise.
Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the cake.
Apple pie spice: for flavor! If you don’t have apple pie spice, use a blend of 3/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. allspice. If you don’t have nutmeg or allspice and don’t feel like getting some, you can also just use 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon to make it easy!
Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cake and giving it that classic buttery taste. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to reduce the added salt from 3/4 tsp. to 1/4 tsp.
Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cake. You can substitute in any neutral oil, such as canola, in place of the vegetable oil.
Light brown sugar: for flavor, sweetness, and moisture.
Granulated sugar: for sweetening the cake and keeping it moist. The sugar also helps aerate the butter to give this cake it’s rise.
Eggs: for moisture, structure, and binding the batter together. We will use a total of 3 whole eggs, and 2 egg whites.
Vanilla: I use and love this vanilla extract.
Apple cider: where all the cake flavor is coming from!
Sour cream: for tenderizing the cake and adding moisture. I recommend using full fat sour cream! You can also use buttermilk here.
Dulce de leche: gets marbled in the cake, and put on top of the cake. You can make a use a homemade dulce de leche, but to make it easy I just used the canned product!
For the apple cider glaze:
Powdered sugar: the base of the glaze. If you are looking for a better glaze experience I highly recommend using organic powdered sugar! I find it doesn’t leave that weird mouthfeel that regular powdered sugar often does.
Apple cider: for flavor of course!
Apple pie spice: flavor! We will use a minimal amount here and it can be omitted if desired.
Dulce de leche: because adding more dulce de leche is ALWAYS a great idea.
How to make apple cider marbled bundt cake:
1. Prep ingredients. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and apple pie spice and set aside. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and apple cider and set aside.
2. Cream together the fat and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl and with a hand mixer-) cream together the butter, oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar for 5 minutes.
3. Slowly add in the eggs. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer running, add in the eggs one at a time, beating for 20 seconds before adding the next egg. (Count the egg whites as 1 egg each). With the last egg, beat in the vanilla.
4. Alternate the wet and dry ingredients. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the apple cider sour cream mixture. Gently mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture just until no flour streaks remain, then mix in 1/2 of the apple cider mixture. Repeat until you have used up all of the flour and apple cider mixture. Be super careful to not overmix here!
5. Make the dulce de leche batter. Microwave the dulce de leche for 10-15 seconds, just enough to loosen it up but not enough to make it hot. Remove ~3 cups of the batter and place it into a medium sized bowl. Gently mix in the dulce de leche just until the batter is cohesive.
6. Layer the batter. Evenly spread 1/3 of the apple cider batter into the bottom of the bundt pan. Use a spoon or small cookie scooper to gently place dollops of 1/2 of the dulce de leche batter on top of the apple cider batter, then gently smooth the batter out to make an even layer. Repeat with the remaining batter until all of it has been used for a total of 5 layers.
7. Bake. Bake the bundt for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs on it. Bundt cakes have a tendency to dry out easily, so be sure to keep a close eye on it!
8. Make the glaze. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, apple cider, and apple pie spice. Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, spread the glaze over the top of it. Microwave the dulce de leche to loosen it, but not enough to make it hot. Place dollops of the dulce de leche over the glaze, then use the back of a spoon to swirl it around into the glaze.
9. Serve and enjoy! Slice up the cake, serve, and enjoy!
Apple cider marbled bundt cake Q & A
How to prevent the bundt from getting stuck to the pan
I use and absolutely love this pan and have never had a problem with the cake sticking. To make sure your cake doesn’t stick, generously butter it, making sure to get all of the crevices. An easy way to do this is to melt 1-2 tbsp. of butter and use a pastry brush to brush the inside of the bundt. Then, generously pour some sugar or flour into the pan and shake it around so that it completely coats the inside. Tap out any excess and then you’re good to go!
How to store apple cider marbled bundt cake
Like most baked goods, this cake will taste best served on the day it is baked. However, it can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
A note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
Tools and ingredients
12 cup capacity bundt pan: I have never had a bundt not come out perfectly from this pan, I love it!
Vanilla: I love using Rodelle vanilla extract. Not only is it a great quality product, but it’s on the lower end of the price that vanilla can be! This is the one I use.
For a full list of tools, equipment and ingredients that I use and love, you can check out this page here.
Did you make this apple cider marbled bundt cake?
If you made this apple cider marbled bundt I would love to see it and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Apple Cider Marbled Bundt
Ingredients
Apple Cider Marbled Bundt
- 420 g all purpose flour (3 ½ c.)
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 1 ½ tsp. apple pie spice
- 225 g apple cider room temperature (1 c.)
- 120 g sour cream room temperature (½ c.)
- 170 g unsalted butter room temperature (¾ c.)
- 110 g vegetable oil (½ c.)
- 160 g light brown sugar (¾ c.)
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- 3 eggs + 2 egg whites room temperature
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
- 160 g dulce de leche
Apple Cider Dulce de Leche Glaze
- 180 g powdered sugar (1 ½ c.)
- 2-3 tbsp. apple cider
- ¼ tsp. apple pie spice
- 120 g dulce de leche (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
Instructions
Apple Cider Marbled Bundt
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter a 12 cup capacity bundt pan, then coat with sugar or flour, tapping out the excess.
- Prep your ingredients: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and apple pie spice and set aside. In a liquid measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the sour cream and apple cider, and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream together the butter, oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer running, add in the eggs one at a time, beating for 20 seconds each before adding in the next egg. With the last egg, beat in the vanilla.
- Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the apple cider sour cream mixture. Gently mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Then, mix in 1/2 of the apple cider mixture. Repeat until all of the ingredients have been used up, being sure to only mix until the batter has just come together.
- Place the dulce de leche in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 10-15 seconds, just enough so that the dulce de leche loosens up, but not too much that it becomes hot. Remove 3 cups of the bundt batter and place it into a medium sized bowl. Gently mix in the dulce de leche just until the batter is cohesive.
- Evenly spread 1/3 of the apple cider batter into the bottom of the bundt pan. Use a spoon or small cookie scooper to gently place dollops of 1/2 of the dulce de leche batter on top of the apple cider batter, then gently smooth the batter out to make an even layer. Repeat with the remaining batter until all of it has been used for a total of 5 layers.
- Bake the bundt for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs on it. Bundt cakes have a tendency to dry out easily, so be sure to keep a close eye on it!
- Once the cake has finished baking, let it rest in the pan for 25-30 minutes before gently flipping it onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Apple Cider Dulce de Leche Glaze
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, apple cider, and apple pie spice. I prefer a thicker consistency, but if you prefer thinner you can add more apple cider!
- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, spread the glaze over the top of it. Microwave the dulce de leche to loosen it, but not enough to make it hot. Place dollops of the dulce de leche over the glaze, then use the back of a spoon to swirl it around into the glaze.
- Slice up the cake, serve, and enjoy!