Cider-Glazed Apple Bundt Cake
A dense and moist pound cake with heavy flavors of a fall harvest, this cider-glazed apple Bundt cake is full of apples and warm spices. Reduced apple cider amps up the flavor and is used in 3 ways to keep the apple taste boosted throughout this treat.
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple cider , reduced
Bundt Cake:
- 3 medium apples, peeled and chopped to ½” dice
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup potato starch
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- ½ cup reserved apple cider
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
Soaking Solution:
- 6 tablespoons reserved apple cider
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
Cider Glaze:
- ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons reserved apple cider
Directions
- Start by bringing 4 cups of apple cider to a boil in a 12” skillet and reduce until it’s down to 1 cup. After it comes to a boil, reduce heat slightly to medium-high and let it simmer about 15-20 minutes. Set aside a ½ cup and a separate 2 tablespoons of reduced cider to cool. With the remaining roughly 6 tablespoons, stir in 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar until dissolved and set aside in a microwave safe cup or bowl.
- While the cider reduces, peel and chop 3 medium apples into roughly ½” chunks and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the 2 ¾ cups flour, ¼ cup potato starch, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves. Whisk until fully combined and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in another mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, add 1 cup unsalted butter and mix on medium speed until fluffy. Now add ¾ cup dark brown sugar and ½ cup granulated white sugar and cream together on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, reduced ½ cup cider, ¼ cup oil, and ½ cup sour cream and mix on low until combined, about 1 minute.
- The mixture will be very wet at this point, so mix slowly to avoid splashing. Add the 3 whole eggs and mix on low, then add the 2 egg yolks until fully combined.
- Now add the flour mixture and the ½ cup buttermilk, alternating back and forth, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Continue mixing on low as you do this until everything is just combined.
- Finally, fold in the apple chunks with a spatula. Prepare a Bundt pan with a flour baking spray, or butter and flour, knocking out the excess flour.
- Pour the batter into the Bundt pan, using the spatula to make sure it is filled evenly all the way around. Place the Bundt pan on a baking sheet and bake for about 60-70 minutes. Begin checking around 55 minutes (mine was ready around 58 minutes in).
- Set the Bundt pan on a cooling rack and let it cool at least 5 minutes or so (to avoid a mess, add some parchment or wax paper under the cooling rack). Microwave the cider and sugar soaking solution for 20-30 seconds and stir. Using a basting or pastry brush, add some of the soaking solution to the bottom of the cake. Set the Bundt cake on the counter and flip the cooling rack upside down on top of it. Flip the entire thing over so that the Bundt pan is inverted on the cooling rack and try to lift it up. The cake should release easily, if it doesn’t, reverse the process and tap it against the edge of a countertop and try again. Now baste the cake with the soaking solution, going around the entire cake 5-6 times. Allow to cool completely before glazing, at least an hour.
- When the Bundt cake has cooled, prepare the glaze. Sift ⅔ cup of confectioner’s sugar into a small mixing bowl and add the 2 tablespoons of reserved apple cider. Use a spoon to mix until it forms a smooth glaze. Now add the glaze to the top of the cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Slice and serve.
Equipment Used
Notes
1) Apples – I like a mixture of tart and sweet, but feel free to experiment with your preferred apples. Good baking apples include Braeburn, Granny Smith, Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Pink Lady. In this recipe, I use 3 apples and chop into a ½” dice. If you prefer less apple chunks, you can use only 2 apples, cut into ¼” dice, or even grate the apples instead. Grating will give you the apple flavor without the chunks of apple in every bite.
2) Apple Cider – Unlike apple juice, apple cider is fresh, unfiltered, and often unpasteurized. Therefore, it can be difficult to find outside the Fall season. For this recipe, be sure to use actual apple cider and not a spiced cider or substitute with apple juice. Because it is being reduced, spiced cider can be overpowering with the spices and apple juice can turn cloyingly sweet.
3) Flours – As mentioned earlier, to give a different flavor to the cake, you can swap out some of the all-purpose flour for whole-wheat flour. The recipe calls for 2 ¾ cups AP flour, so use 1 ¾ cups AP flour and 1 cup whole-wheat flour if swapping out. If you skip the potato starch as well, use 2 cups AP to 1 cup whole-wheat. Keep in mind the whole-wheat flour has higher protein (gluten), so it will slightly change the texture in the finished cake.
4) Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove is a great combination, but you can also experiment with ginger, black pepper, or allspice. I would recommend using allspice OR ground cloves, but not both. Also use allspice, nutmeg, and ground clove sparingly, as they can easily overpower every other flavor.
5) Maple Glaze – For a bit of a switch in flavor from the cider-glaze, substitute 2 tablespoons of room temperature maple syrup for the reduced cider in the glaze
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 399kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 313mgPotassium: 160mgFiber: 2gSugar: 29gCalcium: 63mgIron: 2mg
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