Apple Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze
Serves 10 to 12.
By Dennis W. Viau; modified from a recipe from a fan.
This was another recipe that was done by request. Someone who lives where apples grow abundantly asked me to come up with an apple recipe that wasn’t a pie, turnover, or tart. A fan of the web site contributed the perfect recipe.
You’ll need a 15-cup (3.5 liter) bundt pan for this recipe.
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
2¼ cups peeled, cored, and grated Granny Smith apples (about 3 small apples)
2¼ cups peeled, cored, and diced Granny Smith apples (about 3 small apples)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4½ cups (22 oz./624g) all-purpose flour
1¼ cups (250g) firmly backed light brown sugar
1 cup (200g) granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons salt (kosher salt)
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1¾ cups (414ml) vegetable oil (canola)
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Swirl:
1 8-ounce (227g) package cream cheese, softened (room temperature)
½ cup (2.2 oz./62g) confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 tablespoon orange zest
For the Caramel Glaze:
1½ cups (300g) sugar
½ cup (188ml) water
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup (2 oz./57g) unsalted (or clarified) butter, softened (room temperature)
¾ cup (177ml) heavy cream (whipping cream)
1 cup (4.4 oz./125g) confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
For the Cake:
Spray or grease a 15-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray or butter. Dust lightly with flour. Set aside.
In a medium bowl combine the grated apples, diced apples, and lemon juice. Turn to coat well. Cover and set aside.
Heat the oven to 325°F (163°C).
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and ginger and mix well with a whisk. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, stirring with a fork to combine. Stir in the oil and vanilla. (The mixture will be very wet.) Fold in the apples and vanilla. Set aside.
In a small bowl combine cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, flour, egg, and orange zest. If the mixture is too stiff (the cheese is too cold) you can warm it in a microwave or carefully on the stove. Be careful not to cook the egg.
Pour about 2/3 of the prepared cake batter into the bundt pan. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the batter, pushing the mixture down into the batter and avoiding the edges of the pan. Using a knife or the handle of a wooden spoon, lightly swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter. Top with the remaining batter. Smooth the top with an offset spatula, if necessary.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes (or to internal temperature above 195°F (91°C). Let cool in the pan on a wire rack 20 minutes, then invert onto the rack and remove from the pan. Let cool thoroughly.
For the Glaze:
In a medium saucepan bring the sugar, ½ cup water, and lemon juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, without stirring, until the mixture turns a light amber color and reaches 340°F (171°C), 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully (it’s very hot) whisk in the butter (if using whole butter it could boil up rapidly) and then the cream. Let cool completely. Add the confectioners’ sugar, whisking until smooth.
Arrange the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the Caramel Glaze over the top. You’ll have more glaze than you need. Additional glaze can be drizzled onto individual servings, if guests desire.
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