Applesauce Bundt Cake

This applesauce bundt cake is a wonderful way to take advantage of the abundance that a fall apple harvest brings. The batter includes applesauce, olive oil, cinnamon spice, and a generous amount of finely diced apples. The resulting cake has a tender, moist crumb and a crunchy, cinnamon-sugar coated exterior.

An optional vanilla glaze, brought together with a bit of heavy cream, gives the cake a beautiful contrasting decoration and a further bit of sweetness. Or keep it simple and sprinkle the top with a bit of powdered sugar.

I first made this apple bundt cake last fall, which now seems like several lifetimes ago rather than a mere 12 months. Late last September as I cored and sliced apples one by one out of a cardboard box, I stood looking out the kitchen window, marveling at the change of seasons. This year, I am taking comfort in the slight hints nature drops as she shifts towards autumn: a dampness in the morning air, a golden glow in the late afternoon sun, spiderwebs dancing in the dew. With so much feeling out of control, the predictable arrival of fall, just as every year before it, is reassuring. Nature putting one foot in front of the other despite everything, plodding along.

This is not an overly sweet cake. I'd consider it more of a snacking cake - a cake you could easily eat for breakfast. I ate it with a heaping spoonful of Greek yogurt several mornings and paired it with a pillowy scoop of lightly sweetened whipped cream and a cup of coffee one afternoon. Both renditions are delicious. It's flexible and can be dressed up or down depending on your fancy. Either way, it captures the simple comforts of fall.

Recipe notes

BUNDT PANS - The bundt pan you see in the photographs here is the 10 cup Brilliance Pan by Nordicware. It's a lovely, heavy duty bundt pan. I have never had a cake stick (knocking on wood right now). As each bundt pan shape is unique, the amount of cinnamon sugar you need to coat the interior may vary. This is a more intricate bundt design and has a fair amount of surface area with all the ridges. If you have a bit extra cinnamon sugar, that's OK - just shake out the excess. Equally, if you run short, simply mix up a bit more and continue.

APPLES - For this cake, I chose not to peel the apples I used, as they came fresh (and unsprayed) off a tree in our own front yard. The peel wasn't noticeable in the cooked cake. I do dice them quite finely. While I don't know the specific variety (the previous owners planted the tree), I would describe them as firm, crisp, and medium sweet, good for both baking and eating out of hand.

DAIRY FREE (ALMOST) - While not intentional, the batter in this apple bundt cake is dairy free, thanks to the olive oil and applesauce providing the fat and moisture. To go completely dairy free, use a plant-based butter to prepare the bundt pan and substitute a dairy free alternative milk for the cream in the glaze. As these milks are usually thinner than heavy cream, add the liquid one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired glaze consistency. While I haven't tried this myself, I think it would work well. If you do try these adaptations, please let me know your results!

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