Happy New Year!! And happy new decade! Wow, where has the time gone?! I know I’ve spent a good amount of time working on new recipes and trying to bake all the things, including this brand new caramelized apple pound cake!
That classic pound cake texture, a moist yet dense crumb, studded with little gems of caramelized apples. All topped off with a sweet apple cider glaze.
2020 is looking pretty good if you ask me!
How to make caramelized apples:
Start by reducing the apple cider to half its original volume. We want a very concentrated apple flavor and reducing the liquid will help achieve this. Once reduced, add in the granulated sugar and continue cooking over a medium to medium-high heat.
Let the mixture continue to cook until it turns a dark amber color. Immediately add in the diced apples, reduce the heat to medium and cook the apples until they are tender and have absorbed some of the syrup. We are basically almost making a caramel sauce, not quite, but similar.
Once the apples are tender enough for a knife to easily pierce they are ready to go. Strain out the remaining syrup and set aside the apples to cool while you make the cake batter.
Tips for a perfect apple pound cake:
- Do not overmix! While a pound cake traditionally is a close texutred cake we don’t want it to be tough. Avoid developing the gluten too much by mixing on a low speed just until the dry ingredients are incorprated. Fold in the apples by hand to ensure a gentle touch.
- Have all ingredients at room temperature. This is key in many recipes, as cold ingredients will not emulsify together correctly. Room temp ingredients will help achieve a smooth and even textured cake.
- Have a well greased pan. There’s nothing worse than having your cake stick to the pan and tear into pieces. Generously coat your bundt pan with a non-stick cooking spray or melted butter, being sure to reach all corners and edges.
Lastly, I wanted to mention the type of bundt pan you may want to use. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have used such a “pointy” designed pan for this cake, since the apple chunks have a harder time settling into the smaller spaces. (But no worries, the cake still tasted and looked great! I didn’t hear anyone complaining! haha!)
In the future I’d go for a smoother designed bundt pan such as this one or something like this. Also, if you only have a 10 cup sized bundt pan don’t fret, just put less of the batter into the pan to avoid a spill over.
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Caramelized Apple Pound Cake
- Prep Time: 45 min
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 min
- Yield: 1 12-cup bundt cake 1x
Description
An ultra flavorful apple pound cake studded with sweet caramelized apple chunks and drizzled with an apple cider glaze.
Ingredients
Caramelized Apples
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/2 granulated sugar
- 1 lb apples, peeled, cored and small diced (about 3 large apples)
Cake
- 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened (3 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
Glaze
- 2 – 2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1–2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Caramelized Apples
- Bring apple cider to a boil in a small saucepan and reduce the liquid down to 1/2 cup. Add in 1/2 cup granulated sugar and stir gently to help sugar dissolve. Continue cooking over a medium to medium-high heat until a dark amber color forms, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the diced apples and simmer until they are tender and have absorbed some of the liquid.
- Strain the apples from the syrup and place into a bowl to cool.
Cake
-
Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 12 cup bundt pan by greasing well with cooking spray or softened butter. Make sure to grease all the nooks and crannies of your bundt pan to avoid any sticking.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, flour, salt, baking soda and spices.
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add in both sugars and vanilla extract and continue mixing until fluffy. Next, beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream, until everything is just combined. Do not overmix.
- Stir in the caramelized apples by hand with a spatula. Scraping up the bottom and sides of bowl to incorporate any remaining dry ingredients.
- Pour batter into your prepared bundt pan. Tap the bundt pan gently but firmly on the counter to help the batter settle into all the nooks of the mold.
- Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and cracked. A skewer or toothpick inserted should have just a few moist crumbs when removed but not be wet.
- Let cake cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes in the pan. Carefully remove cake from pan and invert it to its upright position, allow to cool completely.
Glaze
- Place 2 cups confectioner’s sugar in a medium bowl. Add in apple cider and vanilla extract. Whisk together until sugar is dissolved and a thick glaze begins to form.
- Add in 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream.
- Glaze should be thick but pourable. If needed, add in additional 1/4 – 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar and/or up to 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream to reach correct consistency.
- Pour glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to run down the sides. Let glaze set for a few minutes before slicing into cake.
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