Apple Spice Bundt Cake with Rum Glaze

A comforting fall cake made with apples, pecans, and a warming blend of seven spices topped with a sweet rum glaze.…does it get any better?

This fruity, boozy Bundt cake is produced via the "creaming method," which follows a very simple order of four operations: cream together fats and sugars, slowly mix in eggs and liquids, slowly add dry ingredients, and fold in "bits and pieces." One you've got this down, you can produce approximately 73 percent of the cakes in the known universe.

Both U.S. standard and metric measurements are listed, but for consistent results, go metric.

This recipe first appeared in EveryDayCook.

Photo by Lynne Calamia

ACTIVE TIME: 15

TOTAL TIME: 2 15

Yield: servings

Software

For the cake

2 Granny Smith apples, about 8 ounces each
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for the pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground grains of paradise
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground rosemary
1/8 teaspoon ground star anise
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for the pan
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 1/2 ounces crystallized ginger, finely chopped

For the glaze

335 grams confectioners' sugar 2 3/4 cups
2 tablespoons dark rum
3 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Specialized Hardware

Digital kitchen scale
Digital instant-read thermometer

Procedure

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and heat oven to 325ºF. Lightly butter a bundt pan and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
Chop one apple into 1/4-inch dice, leaving the peel on. Grate the other apple on the large holes of a box grater. Set both aside.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices, together in a large bowl.
Combine butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, beat on medium until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Whisk together the eggs and vanilla and slowly add, with the mixer on low speed, to the butter and sugar. Add the flourSift onto a paper plate, fold it like a taco, and feed it into the mixer. one-third at a time and beat on low just until combined after each addition. Stir in the apples, pecans, and ginger.
Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan, the batter is thick and will fill the pan. Bake for 75 minutes, rotating the pan after 30 minutes. The cake is done when it pulls away from the sides of the pan, springs back when pressed and the internal temperature reaches 205°F.
Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Invert and remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely on the rack before glazing.
Combine the powdered sugar, rum, and water in a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour the glaze onto the bundt cake and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Let the glaze set for at least 30 minutes before serving.