I’m in love with bundt cakes. And really, what’s not to love?? They’re just as easy as a sheet cake but look a little bit fancier, don’t you think? And they’re even better when they’re topped with a delicious caramel glaze. This cake is good, but the caramel glaze is where it’s at…a-mazing! I may have purposefully cut myself the piece with the most glaze…maybe ;).
This cake comes together very quickly – no fancy ingredients or waiting for butter to soften. The combination of the oil and applesauce keeps the cake moist and the spices are nicely balanced – definitely not overpowering. You end up with a delicious caramel apple flavor. Bonus points for beautiful, neat slices. No food styling required ;). I know you’ll love this cake as much as I do. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Applesauce Cake with Caramel Glaze
For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
15 oz unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp maple extract
For the caramel glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk (or heavy cream)
3/4 to 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray bundt pan with nonstick spray. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices and set aside. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the eggs with both sugars until light. Mix in the applesauce, oil and vanilla until smooth.
2. Add in the dry ingredients on low speed, being careful not to over-mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake for 10 minutes in the pan on a rack before turning it out and cooling completely on the rack. Once cool, place cake onto serving platter.
3. In saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, evaporated milk, and brown sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute exactly, and then pull it off the heat. Let cool slightly (2-3 minutes). Then, gradually whisk in the powdered sugar until you have a thick, but pourable glaze. (You may not need all the sugar.)
4. Immediately pour the glaze over the cake, moving slowly and evenly to cover as much surface area as possible. Let the glaze set before serving the cake.
*adapted from Food 52
