Thursday, November 21, 2013

Apples and Spice



It's almost Thanksgiving, are you all ready? I'm always interested in what people are making. Ham or turkey? Stuffing or dressing? Cranberry sauce- fresh or jellied? Pumpkin or pecan? There are so many different foods, I want a buffet table so I can sample everything! What's on your Thanksgiving menu? Our family does Holiday gatherings pot-luck style so not everyone has to do the work on heir own. Less stress that way. I'm in charge of a side dish and chocolate pecan pies this year. 

I baked my cake in my Autumn Harvest Bundt that my hubby gave me years ago. It's such a pretty pan, but the detail didn't show up as much as I hoped it would. I'm thinking a pound cake would do well in a pan like this, with a light dusting of powdered sugar. 

If you like spice cake, you might like this cake. It was really moist and spicy. A little too spicy for me, if I'm being honest, but if spice is your thing you'll like this. In this applesauce cake was lemon zest too, which was a nice addition. It brightened the flavor and helped cut through the spice. If I made this again, I'd leave out the allspice all together, cut the amount of nutmeg in half and add more chopped apples. The glaze though, was delicious! I could eat the glaze straight out of the bowl with a spoon. Below is the recipe for the cake, as I made it. 

Stay tuned for a holiday pie recipe and a giveaway... coming soon! Click to see the other cakes made by the Cake Slice Bakers.


Apple Sauce Spice Bundt Cake 

  • 2 1/4 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup pecans, lightly toasted finely chopped (optional)
  • 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 medium sized Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced, about 1 cup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup applesauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. utter a 9" fluted tube pan, dust it lightly with flour and invert over the kitchen sink to tap out excess flour.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a triple sifter. Stir in chopped pecans, if using. Set aside.

Place the butter and shortening and lemon zest in large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the beaters or paddle attachment. Beat over medium-high speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minute. 

Add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, taking 3 to 4 minutes to blend it in well. Add the light brown sugar over an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Add the eggs, one at a time until well blended. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add the fresh apple and the vanilla. 

Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour/nut mixture alternately in three additions with the applesauce in two additions, starting and ending with the flour. Beat just until incorporated after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Center the pan on the rack and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake begins to leave the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven. Place the pan on a cake rack to set for 10 to 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack and remove pan. While the cake is still warm you may want to pour Brown Sugar Glaze over the top, letting it drip naturally down the sides. Garnish the top with chopped pecans if you wish.


Brown Sugar Glaze
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
  • 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over low heat. Then stir in the heavy cream and cook slowly until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and gradually add the powdered sugar in three additions, whisking until smooth. Add in the vanilla and whisk to combine. 

If the icing is too thick, add another tablespoon of the cream. You want it thin enough to pour but not runny. It sets quickly so get it on the cake as quickly as possible.

My little barefoot donkey on Halloween :-)

18 comments:

Emily said...

A lovely pan indeed but not for this cake. Ditto all your suggestions if baking this cake again! Hayden's cutesy!

OvenDelights said...

Presentation is lovely! Love the cake pan!
This year for thanksgiving my kids are adding homemade mac & cheese to the menu! Like I don't have my hands full with Turkey, stuffing, homemade rolls, bacon garlic green beans, twice baked potatoes, French coconut pie, and last but not least that chocolate pie from the movie The Help! Its to die for!

ImWhisper said...

I agree, the allspice would have over powered the rest of the flavors in this cake. You should try it again with your adjustments and I think you would like it much better.

Love the pan you used!

:)
Holly

DomesticGoddessWannabe said...

Hey Monica, this came out really nice! I love your Bundt pan! :) Diana

debbie said...

I absolutely love this Monica. So perfect for a Thanksgiving dessert. Your little guy looks adorable!!!

Stacie said...

Love this pan, you are aquiring quite the collection of bundt pans!

Terry said...

We have the usual turkey and dressing, ham, greenbean casserole, sweet potato souffle, cranberry salad (congealed with pecans and pineapple),turnips, crockpot mac n cheese. Then dessert is usually pecan pie and or 7 layer caramel or chocolate cake....when you see it in writing it looks like an OVERLOAD!!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Anonymous said...

Tis looks so yummy and that is a beautiful cake pan. Thank You, Trish Butler

My Recent Favorite Books said...

Your little boy is so cute!

Your Cake recipe sounds delicious! I hope you have a wonderful Holiday season!

All That's Left Are The Crumbs said...

Beautiful cake Monica! Your potluck style Thanksgiving sounds like a stress free event. I am still responsible for all of ours - and when I asked my 4 girls what dessert they would like I got four different answers. I may just make this cake again since I love spicy cakes (I actually added ginger to it too) and be done with it ;) . Your beautiful bundt pan certainly added to the prettiness of the cake.

All That's Left Are The Crumbs said...

Beautiful cake Monica! Your potluck style Thanksgiving sounds like a stress free event. I am still responsible for all of ours - and when I asked my 4 girls what dessert they would like I got four different answers. I may just make this cake again since I love spicy cakes (I actually added ginger to it too) and be done with it ;) . Your beautiful bundt pan certainly added to the prettiness of the cake.

Unknown said...

First off that is beautiful bundt pan! I love the little details at the top.

Secondly The only things I eat on Thanksgiving are turkey (no gravy), roasted potatoes, lots of bread rolls, and pumpkin pie :P

And thirdly your cake turned out so good-looking! And that glaze looks thick and luscious!

Ellen in Oregon said...

Love the harvest bunt pan. I think a light dusting of Conf. sugar would bring out the embossed highlights of a darker cake like this fine too. When I read the spice amounts on the recipe I thought the Allspice was way too much. I would use a 1/2 tsp. at most. I really have gotten into using freshly grated nutmeg and now the ground kind tastes strange to me. I will try the recipe after adjusting the spices. Pumpkin pie spice might give it a nice taste for those who don't like that strong spice flavor.
We do the pot-luck style Thanksgiving and whoever is hosting does the Turkey & Mom's sausage stuffing. There would be a revolt of some things didn't stay for traditions sake. I enjoy being able to try a few new things and some that are part of other people's family tradition. In my family someone always makes a cheesecake of some kind & since we are usually too bloated to eat dessert, we wait until the next morning & eat the cheesecake for breakfast. It is the best indulgence of the whole entire holiday season. While people are running from store to store shopping we kick back and enjoy cake & sip hot coffee all morning.

Laura@baking in pyjamas said...

I love the tin you baked it in, I wish it was in my collection. Lovely cake.

Hazel said...

What gorgeous pan Monica and a very good Hubby to get it for you! :) The glaze on your cake looks really great.. as does your whole cake. Happy Baking! Hazel x

Paloma said...

That is a beautiful pan indeed! how sweet of your hubby to get it for you! Your cake looks gorgeous as usual! I can't wait to see what else you make using this bundt pan! :)

Leslie Harris said...

I love that picture of Hayden! He is such a little cutie. And that Harvest cake pan is gorgeous.

Your cake turned out beautifully. The glaze looks super delicious. I left out the allspice and nutmeg, and that the cinnamon alone was the perfect amount of spice for this cake.

Unknown said...

Monica,

I love your autumn harvest pan!! It's so unique and pretty. What a better way to use it than bake for this right? :):) Little Hayden looks so cute with that 'suit' of his ;)

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