Day 4 of 31 days of pumpkin and we arrive at a Bundt cake. I’m psyched because I actually bought this bundt cake pan today at Mollie Stones in Sausalito. It’s nonstick, so I really wasn’t worried when it came time to invert the cake onto a plate. And then I had so much fun sifting the powdered sugar on top. Can you tell I’ve been waiting a long time to make a Bundt cake?
Last year, I did an Apple-Pomegranate Spice Bread that was a pleasure to make, but I just used a regular pan. I always like the way small apple chunks add interesting texture as well as moistness to quickbreads like these. For this recipe, I cut the sugar down a bit. The result? A moist, fluffy, spicy cake that melts in your mouth. If I do say so myself.
One trick that helps keep quickbreads light and fluffy is to stir the batter as little as possible once you’ve mixed in the dry ingredients. Since you’ve got baking soda and baking powder hitting the liquids, you want to activate them as little as possible so that they can do all of their rising during the baking process. Just mix until the dry ingredients disappear and then get out of there.
Pumpkin-Apple Spiced Bundt Cake
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
10 Tbsp butter, softened a bit
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin purée
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of diced Granny Smith apples
Powdered sugar to sift on top
Method
1. Mix dry ingredients in medium bowl and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each completely. Add the pumpkin and blend well. Add vanilla and blend well. Stir dry ingredients into wet, a third at a time, stirring as little as possible to blend completely. Fold in the apple chunks.
4. Spray Bundt pan generously with nonstick cooking spray. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cake starts to turn golden brown and whole kitchen smells good. Removed from oven and let cool in the pan for five minutes. Check to see if you need to run a butter knife along to break the edge away from the pan, but be careful not to damage the sides of the cake. Invert onto a plate and allow to cool completely. Sift powdered sugar onto the cake and serve.
