2 Jun 2013

double apple bundt cake


A perfect bundt cake


So, have you made your apple pear sauce yet?

Because you’ll need it for this moist, warmly-spiced old-fashioned cake.

The apple sauce makes this big cake incredibly moist. But so too does the grated apple and juicy sweet pear. There is lots of spice in here: you’ll taste the zestiness of ginger, the warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg, and the roundness of mixed spice that I added, just because it’s my favourite spice (what’s yours?). There are also plump golden sultanas, and just enough crumbled walnuts to add some texture. You might think that's a lot of different things going on – and it is - but they all work together so deliciously.

Did I say this is a big cake? You’ll need your biggest tin; a lovely deep fluted bundt one would be perfect if you have such a beauty. This is a cake for feeding lots of people, or just a few ravenous ones. Which we were. Mum and dad were over; dad is setting up a second rainwater tank for my vegie garden. It was … fun rolling a large plastic cube (about a metre square; a thousand litre capacity) from the back of dad’s truck, over an ivy-covered wall, and down two planks of wood into the backyard. And then again, with the metal supporting cage for the tank to sit in. Which we had to do. Oof! We well and truly worked up an appetite and needed deep mugs of tea and large chunks of this wonderful cake to restore our energy.

What did you do on the weekend to work up an appetite for a big piece of cake?

Cake demolition in progress

Double apple bundt cake
Adapted from a Dorie Greenspan recipe. It’s ‘double’ because of the grated apple and the apple sauce. If you don’t have a deep bundt tin, you could divide the mixture into two smaller loaf tins and adjust the baking time accordingly.
  • Preheat your oven and prep a deep bundt tin by spraying with canola oil and dusting some plain flour around, knocking out the excess.
  • Cream together 150 gms softened butter, 1 cup white sugar and ½ cup dark brown sugar.
  • Add 2 eggs and continue beating for 2 or 3 minutes (a free-standing mixer is a good idea).
  • While that’s happening, grate 2 apples or (as I did this time) 1 apple and 1 pear. Leave the skin on; that’s where all the goodness is!
  • On a slow speed, beat in 1 cup apple sauce (store bought is fine if you haven’t made your own).
  • Now use a wooden spoon to fold thru the grated fruit, then ½ cup raisins and ½ cup walnut pieces.
  • Now fold thru the dry ingredients: 2 cups plain flour, 2 tspns baking powder, ½ tspn baking soda, and a ¼ tspn of each of the following spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and mixed spice (inhale deeply, it smells so good!).
  • Spoon into your cake tin, smooth the surface and bake for 45-55 minutes or until done.
  • Once baked, cool in the tin for a few minutes before crossing your fingers and turning out onto a wire rack, hopefully with all the pleats and details intact. Allow to cool before cutting; because it’s so moist, you risk making a crumbly mess if you cut it while it’s still oven-warm.
  • Enjoy with a cup of tea and family or friends.

11 comments:

  1. Looks delicious e, I have never made a bundt cake nor do I own a bundt tin, but they always looks so pretty...very Donna Hay! It sounds like the perfect cake after some busy work in the garden with your parents. Apple is perfect in cake isn't it?

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    1. hello, jane. yes, apple cakes are one of my favourite types - i have a lot of recipes for them. they're also so moist.
      this bundt tin was the one i picked up for a few dollars in the hardware store, so do keep your eye out in unexpected places. their fanciful shapes really make a good cake even better.
      ps second pic with cake eating in progress - 'ooh, better take a pic!' - not very donna hay ;-)

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  2. How I wish sometimes I had a garden. To plant and to have a dog again, which don`t go well together I know. This is the kind of apple cake that`s easy to make and brings raves from those who eat it. Really wonderful e! You reminded me about the pear sauce, which is the moment since they are so abundant now.

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    1. hello paula! you can enjoy my garden by proxy :-)
      i hope you try the sauce, it's really so versatile and is delicious in cakes like this.

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  3. Anonymous03 June, 2013

    Now thats a cake :-)

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    1. Ha, yes! even i was impressed when it turned out.

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  4. The texture looks nice and moist, slightly chewy. Yum! I can only imagine how lovely it looked and smelt just warm out of the oven. This could definitely sell a house. :) My dad would be dunking this in his tea with the usual dribble down his chin. Definitely a great one after a hard days work.
    So what did I do on the weekend? Umm, I am almost embarrassed to admit that I watched the Great Gatsby in Gold Class. Disgraceful compared to your hard work but hey...could have really appreciated a slice of this cake and one of those decadent Brownie Biscuits. I've just put on a kilo thinking about it.

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    1. hey SB!this was a deliciously moist cake - i can't help but think of it as an old-fashioned one, just right for morning teas. though i would think it would fall apart rapidly in a cup of tea! just warning your dad ;-)
      ooh and brownie biscuits would be a great treat to smuggle into the pictures!

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  5. I know summer has only just arrived here but you are making me want autumn more now! The apple and pear trees here are just coming to the end of their blossoming so I'm hoping for a full on glut a bit later, purely so I can make this cake.

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    1. hi hannah! autumn is my favourite time of the year - pretty leaves, lovely fruit and vege - and cakes like this!

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  6. Anonymous12 July, 2017

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