Apple Walnut Cake with Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting is a tribute to the season. This moist, spiced cake is made with applesauce and dotted with diced apples and walnuts. A ribbon of sweetened cream cheese is swirled into the batter before baking. The best part? A creamy Bourbon glaze that adds a delightfully tart finish.
The first time I went apple picking, I was a junior in college. My roommates and I came home with bushels upon bushels of apples. Naturally, we decided to bake up some apple desserts with our fresh-picked harvest. On our list was an apple bundt cake. One of my roommates had a wonderful recipe from her mother, and we were anxious to try making it for ourselves.
There was just one problem. As college students, we didn't have a fully stocked kitchen and we certainly didn't have anything resembling a bundt pan. Nonetheless, we were determined to make this cake. We were resourceful gals, after all. So we just baked our apple "bundt" cake in the largest, deepest pot we owned. And guess what? It worked! Removing the cake from our makeshift pan was a bit of a challenge. But the cake was quite delicious, despite its flat, unusual appearance.
My husband and I went apple picking last weekend, and, in keeping with tradition, I thought it would be appropriate to bake an apple bundt cake. Admittedly, this version has quite a few steps, but the end result is worth all the trouble. This is one delicious, decadent, and memorable cake. As you can tell from the pictures, I didn't need to bake this cake in a pot. It's amazing what the right equipment can do for you!
(click here for printable recipe)
Apple Walnut Cake with Bourbon Cream Cheese Glaze
(Apple cake and cream cheese filling adapted from this recipe by Southern Living)
Cream Cheese Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. black walnut extract
Apple Cake Batter
1 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp. black walnut extract
3 cups apples, finely diced (1 1/2 lbs.)
Bourbon Cream Cheese Glaze
4 ounces (1/2 cup) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. bourbon
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. water
1. Cream Cheese Filling: With an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter, and sugar. Add egg, flour, and walnut extract, and beat just until blended.
2. Apple Cake Batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 14-cup bundt pan with cooking spray, and coat with flour. In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to stir together flour, sugars, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and baking soda. Add in eggs, oil, applesauce, and black walnut extract. Stir just until moistened. Gently fold in apples and toasted walnuts.
3. Pour 2/3 apple cake batter into prepared bundt pan. Spoon cream cheese filling on top of apple batter. If desired, swirl with a butter knife. Cover cream cheese filling with remaining apple cake batter. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the cake batter.
4. Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes in pan. Then, invert onto wire rack and cool completely (approximately 2 hours).
5. Bourbon Cream Cheese Glaze: With an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter. Beat in 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Once sugar is incorporated, add bourbon and water, then remaining powdered sugar. Mix until well incorporated. If needed, add an additional tsp. of water to adjust the consistency. Spoon glaze over the tops and sides of cake.
Note: Due to cream cheese filling and glaze, cake should be stored in the refrigerator.
Yield: 12-14 servings
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