It’s the third Thursday of the month y’all! You (probably) know what that means!
Bundt bonanza baby! #bundtbakers is back and this month’s theme is BOOZE!!!
Now that’s my kinda theme! I knew when I joined the bundt bakers that booze was bound to turn up as a theme sooner or later, and I’ve been waiting patiently since day one. When I hosted a few months back I almost chose it myself, but I decided that I shouldn’t force it. Thankfully I didn’t have too long to wait!
I want to say a big big thank you to our host, Lauren of From Gate to Plate, and remind everyone to keep scrolling down after the recipe to see all of the beautiful booze based bundts everyone baked this month!
I wanted my bundt this month to have a nice assertively boozey flavor, but also wanted the cake to be seasonally appropriate with some kind of Autumnal produce.
After weighing several options I decided on an apple spice cake with a boozey glaze. I love the flavor of apple cider spiked with a bit of whiskey so I figured I couldn’t go wrong turning that into a cake. I opted for bourbon because it has such a nice sweet caramel-y flavor, but in a pinch you could use other whiskeys. Scotch might be a bit too smoky, though that actually could be an interesting addition.
As fate would have it, I’d have a few stumbling blocks before I’d end up with a finished cake to slice into.
Early on I had a feeling that the batter was too liquid, but I’d gotten the recipe from a trusted source so I powered through and put the cake in the oven. The minute it came out of the oven I knew it wasn’t good. The cake seemed like it had hardly risen at all, but within minutes it managed to start to sink in the center. I waited for it to cool a bit before un-molding, but the minute I lifted the pan off of the cooling rack I knew something had gone very wrong. The texture was dense and rubbery, almost flan-like, and not in a good way. I think the addition of a small amount of bourbon to the batter may have made things even worse, but I hadn’t made any serious changes or substitutions so I still don’t fully understand what went wrong.
Not being one to accept failure, especially in the face of a #bundtbakers deadline, I asked Russell to run to the store for me while I washed the pan and took out more butter to soften.
The second time around I decreased the amount of liquid and apple and increased the amount of flour. Before the batter even went into the pan I knew things were going to be okay.
Aaaand then I went to make the glaze.
I thought a brown sugar bourbon glaze would compliment the flavors in the cake really nicely, but when I tried creaming the brown sugar with butter it refused to dissolve and the resulting glaze had a terrible gritty texture. Ugh. Seriously?
So, that batch went in the garbage along with my first cake. Next I tried melting the butter and brown sugar together in a saucepan to get rid of the grit factor, but again, disaster. I don’t know if my brown sugar was old or something, or if I was just having an off day. Either way, two cakes had been baked and I was about to make a third glaze.
Thankfully the third time really was a charm, and the glaze was perfect both in texture and flavor. Phew!
In the end, this cake was worth all the effort and frustration.
It’s unbelievably moist and wonderfully tender with loads of fresh apple flavor and plenty of spice. Like apple pie in cake form, with a hint of sweet bourbon to round everything out. It doesn’t get much better than that, especially this time of year. Bourbon has such a rich caramel-y flavor that the buttered bourbon glaze perfectly compliments all that apple and cider and spice. The glaze does have a kick to it, but you get such a small amount in every bite of cake that it feels really well balanced. None of the alcohol gets cooked out of the glaze though, so this cake is strictly for adults. Sorry kiddos!
Spiced Apple Cider Bundt Cake with Buttered Bourbon Glaze
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (plus more for pan)
1 medium firm apple (I used Braeburn), peeled and grated (about 3/4 cup grated apple)
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons (1 oz) bourbon whiskey
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour a non-stick 10 cup bundt pan and refrigerate until ready for use.
In a medium bowl, mix together the grated apples, apple cider, buttermilk, bourbon, and vanilla. Set aside.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together the butter and white and brown sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating fully between each addition. Mix in canola oil until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding 1/2 of the liquid mixture. Mix to combine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat with the remaining flour and liquid, ending with flour.
Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a cooling rack to remove from the pan. Cool completely before drizzling with glaze.
Buttered Bourbon Glaze:
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoon bourbon
1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
To make the glaze, melt and slightly cool the butter. Whisk in the confectioner’s sugar and bourbon until smooth and free of lumps. If too thick, you can add a few more drops of bourbon until it reaches the desired consistency. Drizzle or pour over the top of the completely cooled cake and allow the glaze to dry before serving.
Check out this bounty of boozey bundts! They all sound amazing, and I can’t believe how much our group is growing!
- Anisette and Orange Bundt Cake by Samantha at Un Mordisco Un Pecado
- Apple Bundt Cake with Whiskey Salted Caramel by Lauren at From Gate to Plate
- Baba au Rhum by Terri at Love and Confections
- Banana Bourbon Bundt Cake by Linda at Brunch with Joy
- Champagne Soaked Cranberry Bundt Cake by Teri at The Freshman Cook
- Chestnut and Rum Kugelhopf by Jelena at A Kingdom for A Cake
- Chocolate Baileys Bundt Cake by Bea and Mara at I Love Bundt Cakes
- Chocolate Chambord Mini Bundt Cakes by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands
- Chocolate Guinness Bundt by Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen
- Chocolate Kahlua Bundt Cake by Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Chocolate Kahlua Bundt Cake with Kahlua Glaze by Tanya at DessertStalking Blog
- Coffee Baileys Bundt Cake by Kathya at Basic N Delicious
- Frangelico and Fig Bundt Cake by Victoria at Just One Bite Baking
- Gin and Tonic Bundt by Jane at Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Gingerbread Rum Bundt Cake by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
- Grand Marnier and Chocolate Chips Bundt Cake with Seville Orange Sauce by Anna at Media racion doble, Por Favor
- Grand Marnier and Tangerine Bundt Cake by Caro at En la Cocina de Caro
- Guinness Chocolate Bundt Cake by Patricia at Patty’s Cake
- Irish Coffee Bundt Cake by Laura at The Spiced Life
- Kentucky Bourbon Cake by Cassie at Cassie’s Kitchen
- Lemon Rum Bundt by Catherine at Living the Gourmet
- Limoncello Bundt Cake by Natalia at Principiando en la Cocina
- London Porter Bundt with Lemon Glaze by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
- Peach Brandy Pound Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days
- Pomegranate and Chocolate with Rum Glaze by Rocio at Kidsandchic
- Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Rum Pudding Cake by Rebekah at Making Miracles
- Rum Raisin Apple Bundt by Maleka at La Luna en Dulce
- Southern Sweet Potato, Bourbon, and Pecan Bundt by Margaret at Tea and Scones
- Spiced Apple Cider Bundt Cake with Bourbon Glaze by Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker
- Tangerine Screwdriver Mini Bundts by Kelly at Passion Kneaded
Interested in learning more about us? #BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the BundtBaker home page here.
If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. If you are just a lover of Bundt baking, you can find all of our recipe links by clicking our badge above or on our group Pinterest board.
Brooklyn Homemaker 
Thanks for all the hard work. It looks like you turned out a perfect fall Bundt!!
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Thank you! After all that it really was delicious!
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Yummy. Looks perfect for the season!
http://imyownmuse.blogspot.com
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Thank you! And thanks for stopping by- I’m sure you already saw, but our post went up today!
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Your efforts do not go wasted! I love the idea of apple cider. Perfect bundt for this time of year.
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Thank you!
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Yes know we are a big family and your photos are so great. And also the bundt cake :)
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Thanks!
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That cake is gorgeous. Looks so moist and delicious! The photos are amazing! :)
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Thank you so much!
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Dear Tux, your bundt came out absolutely perfect. I love your pan especially! It makes the drizzle even more beautiful. This sounds like delicious cake and perfect for the season. Blessings, Catherine
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Thank you!!
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What a beautiful bundt!! Love the flavors, so perfect for the cold, cold weather! And I loooove the shape of your bundt pan! GOrgeous :)
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Thank you!
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That just looks crazy good and soooo moist!!! Love it!!
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Thank you! It really was crazy moist!
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This is just gorgeous and looks so moist and delicious.
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Thank you!
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OMG, Tux! Your bundt cake looks awesome and gorgeous! Buttered bourbon glaze sounds so droolworthy.
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Thank you! It tastes as good as it sounds!
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oooh, so happy to have found your blog. Am now following. Pinned this decadent beauty – love a boozy bundt.
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I’m happy you’ve found me too! Welcome!
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Man, that really was a bad day! We all have ’em but the important thing is that you kept on going, Tux! That beautiful cake was a sweet reward!
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I wasn’t going to miss #bundtbakers for anything, and once I’d baked two cakes I wasn’t going to let a gritty glaze stand in my way either! I’m glad I powered through because this cake is a real keeper!
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The bottom line is you were generously rewarded for your troubles. It looks beautiful !
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I certainly was! This cake was sooo good!
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I can see where this would be a great fall cake. Beautiful!! Nice and apply and boozy with the glaze. I can NEVER get my glaze to look like that.
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Thanks! I usually use a small squeeze bottle (sort of like a picnic ketchup bottle) but couldn’t find it so I just poured from the pan I made the glaze in!
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What a great idea. Now why didn’t I think of that. Squeeze bottle on my store list!!
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Hi Tux,
As always you’ve made me immediately want to jump into the kitchen and make your recipe! Your cake looks incredibly moist and I simply love the glaze!!! YUMMY!!!
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Thank you! You gotta try it if you have a chance!
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Yummy and lovely looking! I think apples and bourbon are a match made in booze heaven!
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Im pretty sure youre right!
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i love the icing. cute shape!
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Beautiful! So, so pretty, and it sounds tasty too!
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Great cake as always, Tux!
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Oh my, this cake looks divine, pass me a slice or two!
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Third times a charm? I created this apple bar recipe & went to check it the pan flipped out of my hand, upside down onto the oven door it flew. Not everything works the way we want always. Glad I found your awesome site! Thanks for the great recipe ;)
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