#BundtBakers

chocolate orange bundt cake #bundtbakers

Have I ever mentioned the fact that I LOVE chocolate?

Well, it’s true.
I do.

I know that it’s probably hard to believe, but you’re going to have to get used to the idea.

When I found out that Tanya of Dessert Stalking had chosen chocolate as the theme for this month’s #bundtbakers, I was over the moon. Thank you Tanya!!! I’ve made a lot of bundts in this group, but this whole time I’ve only made one other chocolate cake. It’s a cryin shame is what it is, and I promise that I’m appropriately ashamed.

I usually prefer dark chocolate over milk or white, but to be honest I’ll take any and all of the above given the opportunity. I’m the kind of person who keeps a dark chocolate bar (or two) hidden in a drawer in my night stand just in case of emergencies. I only need a few squares at a time when I need my fix, but when I need it, I really need it.

I know I inherited that trait from my mom, who’s secret chocolate stash is kept in the drawers of her vanity. When I first found out about it I couldn’t believe that she would dare to withhold chocolate from me and have the audacity to keep some for herself. These days, I get it.

When I was trying to decide on a chocolate bundt to make this month I was totally overwhelmed by the possibilities. There are just too many delicious things you can do with chocolate and I couldn’t even begin to narrow it down.

Every time I’d think of something, my mind kept wanting to wander back to a chocolate orange bundt that I made when I was just getting this blog off it’s feet. That cake was so moist and tender and brightly flavored and super duper chocolatey that it might just be one of my favorite bundts I’ve ever made.

Now, I don’t want to get into the habit of repeating recipes around here, but I knew this cake deserved to be revisited. I originally made it way back in the beginning, back before I’d found out about and joined up with the #bundtbakers gang, back when I was still using an iphone to take my photos, and most importantly, back when I didn’t really have many readers other than my mother. Not only is this recipe new to the bundt bakers, but I also think it deserves to be highlighted with better photos and to be seen and shared with as many people as possible, which simply wasn’t the case the first time around.

I’ve done this with a small handful of my other favorite recipes from the first few months of Brooklyn Homemaker, and I saw no reason not to revisit this one too. So, chocolate orange bundt cake it was.

I made a few minor adjustments to the original recipe from back in 2013, but for the most part little has changed. This cake is rich and dark and sublimely chocolatey with an assertive cocoa flavor backed up with soft and melty morsels of finely chopped dark chocolate. The orange zest and juice in the recipe, along with the orange glaze poured over the top, elevate this cake and give it a boost of sweet fruity brightness that can be unusual with chocolate cakes. The crumb is soft and tender, and the cake is so moist that it stays perfectly delicious for several days if covered well. I took half of the cake to work with me and my coworkers devoured it and raved about how wonderful it was. One of them loved it so much that she took a slice home to her roommate, and has been asking me ever since when I’d be posting the recipe so she could try it herself.

If you’re into chocolate, this is a cake you really gotta try. If you’re not, you need your head examined.

Another thing you gotta do if you’re into chocolate is make sure to scroll down past the recipe to check out all the other mouth-watering, craving-satisfying, unbelievable chocolatey creations the other bundt bakers came up with this month. I myself can barely handle all this chocolate in one place.

Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake

Servings: 12ish
Print

adapted from Joy the Baker

For the Cake:
1 1/4 cups orange juice
zest of 3 large oranges
3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup peanut oil (or other neutral vegetable oil)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup finely chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate chips

For the Glaze:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
zest of one orange

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Generously butter and flour a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan and set aside.

Whisk orange juice and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and let come to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix together the sugar and orange zest until the zest is well distributed and has turned the sugar orange. Add the salt, eggs and egg yolk and mix on low for about 1 minute. Add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract and mix on low again for another minute.

Add the flour and baking soda and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Mix in chopped chocolate on low. The batter will be very loose. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 55-65, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before inverting onto a rack to cool completely.

make the glaze:
Whisk confectioner’s sugar, orange juice and zest until free of lumps. I like to do this in a glass measuring cup with a spout so you can pour the glaze easily.

Place a sheet pan under the rack with the completely cooled cake. Pour the glaze over the Bundt cake, covering it completely. If you have leftover glaze pour it from the pan back into the measuring cup and go back in for another coat. Transfer to a cake plate or platter by gently sliding the cake off the rack, use a thin spatula to help lift it if necessary. Leave at room temperature until ready to serve. The glaze will harden and form a sort of candy shell and keep the cake nice and moist.

It’s probably a good thing that I’m not able to taste all of these cakes because I’d probably eat until I burst given the chance. All this chocolate sure has me drooling guys!!!

Apricot Almond Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache by Cassandra at Cassie’s Kitchen
Blackforest Bundt Cake by Anshie at SpiceRoots
Chocolate and Almonds Bundt Cake by Kathya at Basic N Delicious
Chocolate and Lavender Bundt Cake by Aisha at La Cocina de Aisha
Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake by Beatriz & Mara at I love Bundt Cakes
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bundt Cake by Julie at Eat, Drink, and Be Mighty
Chocolate Crumb Bundt by Catherine at Living the Gourmet
Chocolate Custard Floating Island Bundt Cake by Jelena at A Kingdom For a Cake
Chocolate Honeycomb Bundt by Sue at Just Sew Sue
Chocolate Irish Cream Bundt by Anne at From My Sweet Heart
Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake by Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker
Chocolate Pound Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days
Chocolate Rose Bundt Cake by Lara at Tartacadabra
Chocolate Strawberry Pound Cake by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
Cider White Chocolate Bundt Cake with White Chocolate Glaze by Patricia at Patty’s Cake
Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Bundt Cake by Linda at Brunch with Joy
Devil’s Food Chocolate Bundt Cake by Tanya at DessertStalking Blog
Double Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake by Carola at En La Cocina de Caro
False Chocolate Bundt Cake by Anna at Media RaciÛn Doble, Por Favor
Guava and Chocolate Bundt by Kelly at Passion Kneaded
How the Grinch Stole Valentine’s Day by Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
Kickin Chocolate Bundt Cake by Kaylin at Keep it Simple, Sweetie
Lemon Glazed White Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake Mini Bundts by Laura at The Spiced Life
Mars Bar Bundt by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands
Marshmallows Chocolate Bundt Cake by Shilpi at SimplyVeggies
Quadruple Chocolate Bundt by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
Red Velvet Bundt with White Chocolate Roses by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
Sacher Bundt Cake by Esti at Mummy & Cute
Spicy Chocolate Mini Bundt Cake by Rocio at Kids & Chic
Triple Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake by Teri at The Freshman Cook
Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake by Rebekah at Making Miracles
White Chocolate & Raspberries Bundt Cake by Samantha at Un Mordisco Un Pecado

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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.

toasted coconut lime bundt cake with chili lime glaze #bundtbakers

I’ve been in a bit of a funk so far this year, and I think the first BundtBakers of 2015 is just the thing to pull me out of it.

The theme this month, chosen by the amazing Terri of Love and Confections, is Coconut! What better inspiration to get me back into the swing of things than a delicious and versatile tropical fruit? Thank you Terri! I needed that!!!

The first thing that I thought of when I saw this month’s theme was an idea I had last year for a cake that didn’t really pan out the first time around.

The theme in June of last year was “tropical”, and at the time I was going through a bit of an Asian food phase. I thought it could be really fun and interesting to try to translate the savory flavors of tropical southeast asian Thai curry into a sweet bundt cake, so I went to work experimenting. I love Thai coconut curries with lime and ginger, so I used that flavor profile as my inspiration for a bundt with coconut, lime, and ginger as the stars of the show. I also really wanted to see how far I could push the idea of Thai curry in dessert form, so I wanted to use some curry paste too.

Thai curry paste usually consists of things like lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal (a spicy Asian type of ginger), chilies, and spices. If I had an unlimited source of time and money I probably would have made my own paste using these classic Thai ingredients. Although these flavors might be sort of unusual and unexpected in a cake, I think it could have worked out really well.

Without unlimited time and money though, I decided to grab a jar of store-bought Thai green curry paste which, unfortunately, also contains ingredients like shallots and garlic. Needless to say, shallots and garlic don’t really work well in desserts, even if you’re trying to be inventive and avant-garde.

I knew the minute my experimental bundt came out of the oven that something wasn’t right. Despite having only used two teaspoons of curry paste, when I opened the oven door the first thing that hit my nose was garlic. The flavor of the cake wasn’t quite as off as the smell, but that hint of garlic and shallot was still lurking in the background of every bite.

There were a few elements of the cake that worked really well, especially the flavor combination of coconut and lime, and the spicy Thai chili infused lime glaze that I used on top. In the end though, I decided to ditch the idea, and a few days later I came up with a hibiscus lime bundt that was met with rave reviews.

Fast forward to 2015, and I’ve finally found a good reason to revisit that ill-fated Thai curry cake. I decided to forego the curry paste altogether, and I actually skipped the ginger too. I knew that I loved the combination of lime and coconut, so this time I toasted the coconut and paired it with coconut milk and lime zest and juice.

As a nod to the Thai cake, I decided to keep the chili infused lime glaze. Thai bird’s beak chilies are SUPER spicy, so a little goes a long way to add a nice heat to this sweet glaze. I sliced a few chilies in half and steeped them in a combination of lime juice and coconut milk, then I removed the chilies and mixed in some powdered sugar. The resulting glaze actually is quite spicy, but there’s so little glaze in each bite of cake that the heat is barely noticeable.

I’m so glad that I decided to revisit this cake. I took some of it to work with me and let the compliments rain down upon me. I’m actually TERRIBLE at receiving compliments, unless they’re food related. “Moist!”, “Delicious!”, “Bursting with flavor!”. Keep ’em coming folks!

The toasted coconut and coconut milk take center stage in this moist, delicious, bursting-with-flavor cake; and the lime juice and zest help to brighten things up and emphasize the tropical feeling. The crumb is soft and tender, thanks to the addition of corn starch, with a pleasant density indicative of any good bundt cake.

The glaze is fruity and tropical with a really interesting heat and flavor from the Thai bird’s beak chilies. If you aren’t feeling as frisky as I was, you can certainly leave the chilies out and this glaze recipe would still work really well. You could also swap them for a habanero if you want the heat but can’t find Thai chilies.

I also want to mention that the pan I used to make this cake is the Nordic Ware Jubilee pan. I love the elegant curves and modern lines of this pan and it’s quickly become one of my favorite bundt shapes. If you’d like to get your hands on a Jubilee pan, check out my latest giveaway for a chance to win one of your very own! Sorry folks, this giveaway is only open to people with a mailing address in the US (within the contiguous 48). Good luck!

Make sure you keep scrolling down past the recipe to check out all the other amazing coconut creations everyone came up with this month. I’m drooling!

Toasted Coconut Lime Bundt Cake with Chili Lime Glaze

Servings: 12 to 16
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adapted from Taste and Tell

3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2½ cups granulated sugar
4 limes
3¼ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
6 large eggs
1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk

2 cups powdered sugar
3 thai bird’s eye chilies *see note

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan.
Spread shredded coconut in an even layer on a sheet pan and toast until golden and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Check every few minutes and stir around if necessary to promote even toasting and prevent burning.
Zest and juice the limes. Reserve the juice and add the zest to the bowl of a stand mixer along with the softened butter and sugar. Cream on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
With the mixer on low add the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla and coconut extract, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
In a small bowl, measure out and mix together 1 1/2 cups coconut milk and 1/4 cup lime juice. Reserve the remaining coconut milk and lime juice for the glaze. With the mixer on low, alternate additions of flour and coconut milk, starting and ending with flour.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in 2 1/2 cups of the toasted coconut. Reserve remaining coconut for garnish. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and level the batter with a spatula.
Bake in the center of the oven for about 60 to 65 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the cake for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool until room temperature.

While the cake is baking, combine the remaining 1/4 cup lime juice and 1/4 cup coconut milk in a small saucepan. Remove the stems and slice the Thai chilies in half lengthwise. Add to the coconut lime liquid and place over a medium high flame just until the mixture comes to a low boil. Remove from heat and let steep while cake bakes and cools. Wash your hands well after handling the sliced chilies.
To make the glaze, strain the coconut lime chili liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl. Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth and free of lumps. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and immediately sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of toasted coconut.

*cooks note: If you can’t find fresh Thai chilies, you may be able to find dried ones in the asian foods section. If that’s a no go, you can try using another type of very spicy chili, like a habanero, instead. I think 1 habanero chili would be enough. You could also skip them if you want.
Be sure to wash your hands well immediately after handling these extremely spicy chilies.

Can you believe all these mouthwatering coconut cakes? I wish I could taste each and every one!

Almond Joy Bundtlettes from Sew You Think You Can Cook
Candy Bar Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake from Love and Confections
Chocolate Italian Cake from Magnolia Days
Coconut & Banana Bundt Cake from Just One Bite Baking
Coconut Banana Bundt Cake from Basic N Delicious
Coconut Carrot Bundt Cake from Media Racion Doble, Por Favor
Coconut Cream Bundt Cake from Adventures in All Things Food
Coconut Hummingbird Bundt Cake from Patty’s Cake
Coconut Milk Bundt Cake from I Love Bundt Cakes
Coconut Milk Bundt Cake from Un Mordisco Un Pecado
Coconut Oil Pound Cake from The Spiced Life
Coconut Sugar Banana Cake from A Kingdom for a Cake
Cranberry and Coconut Bundt Cake from La Cocina de Aisha
Cranberry, Orange and Coconut Bundt Cake from Kids & Chic
German Chocolate Bundt Cake from The Freshman Cook
Glazed Chocolate Macaroon Bundt Cake from Food Lust People Love
Gluten-free Coconut Orange Bundt Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream from Cassie’s Kitchen
Gizzada Mini Bundts from Passion Kneaded
Key Lime and Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake from Eat, Drink and Be Mighty
Key Lime Coconut Cream Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Mini Samoa Bundt Cakes from Making Miracles
Orange & Coconut Bundt Cake from Living the Gourmet
Oreo Coconut Bundt Cake from Indian Curries/Stew
Pina Colada Bundt Cake from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Rhubarb n Rose Coconut Frosted Bundt Cake from Baking in Pyjamas
Rum Bundt Cake with Coconut and Lime from Bourbon and Brown Sugar
Toasted Coconut and Sweet Potato Bundt from Tea and Scones
Toasted Coconut Lime Bundt Cake with Chili Lime Glaze from Brooklyn Homemaker

best chocolate bundt cake with peppermint dark chocolate ganache #bundtbakers

It seems that no one single flavor is more universally popular during the holidays than peppermint!

Appropriately enough, the theme for this month’s #bundtbakers event was mint! Fresh mint, mint extract, mint oil, mint candies, mint chocolates, candy canes, you name it. It’s all fair game this month. I want to say a great big thank you to our host this month, Laura Tabacca of The Spiced Life, and encourage you to scroll down past the recipe to check out all the other amazing minty bundts this month!

When I was growing up I was a HUGE mint fan, and always got a pack of Andes mints and peppermint Altoids in my stocking for Christmas. I also loved baking with mint and drove my mother crazy putting peppermint extract in everything.

I remember when I was just learning to bake, my sister and I made a peppermint cake that stuck to the pan when we tried to invert it. Instead of accepting defeat, we just scraped the cake out of the pan into a tupperware container. We then took the tupperware full of minty cake crumbs to my grandmother’s house and proudly presented them as “dessert”. We were young and I keep telling myself that we didn’t know any better.

Now that I’m older my taste for mint has waned a bit. I still like mint candies, and I only chew mint flavored gum (I don’t know why, but I HATE fruit flavored gum), but these days I almost never bake with mint.

Since I bake with mint so rarely, I felt a lot of (self-imposed) pressure when coming up with my bundt this month. I went through a ton of ideas, bouncing some off friends at work and actually laying awake at night thinking about what I might do. Finally I decided to keep it classic and simple, and went for a really solid chocolate bundt cake topped with peppermint dark chocolate ganache.

There’s no mint in the cake itself because I thought it would be the perfect subtle touch if it were just in the ganache. Once the cake is topped with crushed peppermint candies there is plenty of minty goodness happening here, trust me.

I used peppermint oil in the ganache rather than extract. The oil has a much fresher, greener, herbal mint flavor than extract, which has more of a peppermint candy flavor. I did this, again, in the name of subtlety and elegance, and I was really happy with the way it came out. I will warn you though that, if you’re used to working with the extract, the oil is MUCH stronger and more concentrated, and should be used very sparingly. When I first made my ganache I actually used WAAAAY too much (1/2 teaspoon) and it tasted like chocolate toothpaste. I adjusted the recipe and decided just a few drops was plenty to give the ganache all the mint flavor it needed. If you really like mint you may want to use a few more drops, but don’t go crazy or you’ll regret it.

If you can’t find peppermint oil, or don’t want to buy one more thing for the pantry, peppermint extract would be totally delicious too. Since it’s not as strongly concentrated, you’ll probably want to use a bit more, but I suggest you start with about a 1/4 a teaspoon first and see if you need to add more.

After all that planning and brainstorming, I’m so happy that I went with these classic flavors.

I cannot say enough about this chocolate bundt cake recipe. It’s adapted from my favorite chocolate bundt cake ever, and it’s my go-to recipe whenever I want chocolate to be the star of the show. It’s unbelievably moist and tender and richly, deeply, darkly chocolatey. The original recipe calls for brewed coffee, but I didn’t want the coffee flavor to compete with the mint so I just used water this time. It’s highly adaptable, and I’ve even had great success substituting an equal amount of orange juice for the coffee (or water), in my chocolate orange bundt cake.

The peppermint dark chocolate ganache on top takes everything to a whole other level of holiday perfection. It’s the perfect touch of mint to make this cake scream “HAPPY HOLIDAYS!” To break up all the dark brown chocolate and add a pop of festive holiday color, I sprinkled crushed peppermint candies over the ganache before it set. Not only does it look pretty, but it adds even more of that sweet peppermint flavor!

Best Chocolate Bundt Cake with Peppermint Dark Chocolate Ganache

Servings: 12
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adapted from Joy the Baker

For the Cake:
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup peanut oil or any neutral vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

For the Peppermint Dark Chocolate Ganache:
4 oz best quality dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
a few small drops of peppermint oil
1/4 cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes, if desired.

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Liberally butter and flour a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan and set aside.

Whisk water and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and let come to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix together sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs and egg yolk on low for just one minute. Add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract and mix on low again for another minute.
Add the flour and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes more. Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. The batter will seem quite loose and liquid. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 55-65, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool completely in the pan and then invert onto a cooling rack.

To make the ganache, heat the heavy cream in a heavy pot, just until it begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let the chocolate melt for a minute or so, then whisk to combine. Add a few small drops of peppermint oil, and taste to see if you’d like to add more. DO NOT add more than 1/4 teaspoon. Peppermint oil is STRONG.
If using peppermint extract, start with 1/4 teaspoon, taste, and adjust if necessary.

Drizzle ganache over the cake while it’s still warm and liquid. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over the top if desired. Let the ganache set for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Don’t make this too far in advance of serving, or the candies may begin to melt. If you want to make in advance, I’d just bake the cake ahead, cover tightly with wrap, and wait to top with ganache and candies until you’re almost ready to serve.

All these amazing minty bundts sound so festive and delicious! Check ’em out y’all!

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.

spiced apple cider bundt cake with buttered bourbon glaze #bundtbakers

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

Servings: 12ish
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adapted from Serious Eats

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.