Apple Bundt Cake

Not having made an apple tea cake of any sort in years, last month I ended up making two!  And both were delicious, but I do have a soft spot for a bundt cake, I have to say.  I always get Mr P. to butter the pan for me, as he has the magic touch when it comes to rubbing butter into curvy spaces :=)

This recipe is from the website I Am Baker.  Amanda, the afore-mentioned Baker, has copped some nasty Facebook comments lately, and I am glad to see she gives them what for!  We all need to stand up for what is good and right.  And one of our national news presenters has been bombarded with foul comments about her personal appearance this week.  What the??!!  What is wrong with people?  Grrrrrr ...  Anyways, back to cake!

something so delightful about those curves :=)

Serves 12 (or maybe 8-10) tee hee:

ingredients:

For the cake:

400g./14 oz/2 cups white sugar

355 mL/1.5 cups neutral vegetable oil - I used sunflower (see Notes)

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs (I use 67 gram/2.3 oz eggs)

375g./13 oz/3 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp sea salt

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped into small chunks

Caramel Glaze:

110g./4 oz/½ cup butter (unsalted if you wish - I didn't)

2 tsp heavy/thickened cream

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed (here I gave up on grams or ounces)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Whack on your oven to 165C/325F

Amanda says to spray your bundt pan, but I buttered and floured mine

Grab a large mixing bowl, and your electric beaters, and whizz up on medium speed the sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs till nicely mixed

And now grab another bowl, and whisk up the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt

You guessed it! - add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, and blend till just combined

Gently - like a butterfly alighting on a flower - whoops, thought I was writing a literary novella just then :=) fold in the diced apples with a large spoon or spatula

Now pour this fruity batter into your prepared tin, and bake for 55-70 minutes - you know the drill - till the skewer comes out as clean as a baby's bottom

Let it cool for 20 minutes in the bundt pan, then tip it out (gently) onto a wire rack

Meanwhile, make the glaze:

A small saucepan, medium heat - butter, cream and brown sugar go into it

Bring to a gentle boil, stirring now and then till sugar is dissolved

Take the pan off the heat, and stir in the vanilla

Let it sit for 15-20 minutes or so, till it cools and thickens

Happily drizzle all over the cake (which you have sensibly placed on a nice serving platter) and hand out to happy family and friends

Notes:

Eek - the original recipe calls for 327 grams! of veg. oil.  Here in Australia, we measure oil in millilitres or cups, so normally we would say that 1.5 cups (which is the other measure she gives) is 375 mL, BUT I have checked for more info, and an online unit converter site tells me that 327 grams of veg. oil = c.355 mils.  So there you have it!

Amanda says to use Granny Smith apples - very sensible, as they are a fabulous tart Aussie apple for cooking

pour the fruity batter into the well-buttered and floured pan

baked and left to cool on the rack

not much left! :=)

c. Sherry M.