This autumnal bundt cake includes olive oil, cinnamon spice, applesauce and a generous amount of finely diced apples. The resulting cake has a tender, moist crumb and a crunchy, cinnamon-sugar coated exterior. A simple vanilla glaze, brought together with a bit of heavy cream, gives the cake a beautiful contrasting decoration and a further bit of sweetness.
¾cup (159g)olive oil (I used organic extra virgin)
¾cup (183g)applesauce (smooth puree, not chunky)
3largeeggs, room temperature
½cup (100g)granulated sugar
½cup (110g)brown sugar, packed
3cups (360g)all purpose flour
1 ½teaspoonbaking soda
1teaspoonvanilla
1teaspoonsalt
1 ½teaspooncinnamon
4large (1 lb, 16 oz, 455g)apples, cored and finely diced (weight is after preparation, not before)Peeling apples prior to coring is optional.
Vanilla Glaze
2cups (240g)powdered sugar, sifted
4Tbsp (¼ c)whipping cream
1 teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
Preparing the Bundt Pan
Grease a 10 cup bundt pan meticulously with softened butter (I use a small pastry brush) and coat interior (also meticulously - this is a theme with bundt pan preparation) with cinnamon-sugar mixture. It's easiest just to pour in the sugar mixture and then hold the bundt pan at an angle while carefully turning it to let the sugar fall into all the crevices of the pan. I do this over the sink so that I can easily rinse any spills away.
Apple Bundt Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 C, Gas Mark 4)
In a large bowl, add olive oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
In a separate large bowl, combine flour, both sugars, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to blend all ingredients together.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix with a spoon or spatula until all dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Give the bottom of the bowl a few scrapes to make sure there are no pockets of dry ingredients remaining.
Add the finely diced apples and fold in until they are evenly distributed in the batter.
Pour into prepared bundt pan and rap pan onto counter firmly several times to remove bubbles and encourage batter to settle into the crevices of the bundt pan. (You can do this on a folded kitchen towel to protect the counter and minimize the noise).
Bake for 55-60 minutes. The top should be golden brown, the cake should be pulling away from edges of pan slightly, and a tester inserted into the middle of the cake should come out with no crumbs attached.
Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack. Gently move the bundt pan back and forth ever so slightly to loosen it, and then carefully lift it off the cake. Cool completely before adding glaze.
Vanilla Glaze
In a four cup liquid measuring cup (or similar, ideally with pour spout) add the powdered sugar, cream and vanilla. Whisk together until no lumps remain. It should be very thick but pourable. If necessary, add one teaspoon additional cream. Pour glaze onto top of cooled bundt cake and let set before serving.