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Honey Apple Bundt Cake

Slightly adapted from a recipe by Nicole Slaven, private chef and instructor at the JCC in Manhattan
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Cool Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Jewish
Author: The Kitchen Prep

Ingredients

For Apple Bundt Cake

  • 1 cup chopped pecans divided
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups Honeycrisp apples peeled & chopped

For Honey Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup heavy cream or half and half

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 12- cup bundt pan {or spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray} and sprinkle bottom of pan with ¼ cup of chopped pecans.
  • In a medium bowl, beat sugar, oil and honey until combined. {Note: This batter is going to be thick so a hand mixer or stand mixer is the best bet here.}
  • Add eggs one at a time, making sure each is well incorporated after each addition.
  • In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Gradually add to wet mixture until just incorporated. Like I said, it's a super-thick batter, so make sure there are no pockets of flour hiding, but also try not to overmix.
  • Fold in vanilla, remaining ¾ cup chopped pecans and chopped apples -- this part can be done by hand, but it'll take some muscle!
  • Spoon mixture evenly over pecans in pan. Bake at 350° for 65-75 minutes. Note: This cake browns very quickly due to the high sugar content. If you notice that it's looking like it might burn, loosely place a piece of foil on top to prevent over-browning.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 20-30 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to remove from pan. When the cake is slightly cooled, pour ½ cup honey sauce over top.
  • Serve the remaining honey sauce with each slice of cake.

For Honey Caramel Sauce

  • Bring sugar, butter and honey to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for about 3-4 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and carefully add cream {it will bubble quite a bit}, and stir until the mixture looks uniform and is slightly thickened. {For a thicker sauce, allow to cool before drizzling.}
  • Place the cooled cake on a cooling rack on top of a baking pan. Drizzle some of the sauce over bundt cake. Allow to set slightly before transferring cake to a serving dish or cake plate.

Notes

Variations:
  • Swap pecans for walnuts.
  • Try different types of apples such as Granny Smith, Fuji or Golden Delicious.
  • Switch up the spices! Try adding a bit of ground cloves, allspice or cardamom for a different flavor.
  • Don't feel like making caramel? Try serving the cake with a sprinkle of powdered sugar instead.
  • For Gluten Free Version: Try using cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend for a gluten-free version. (Note: I have not tried this specifically for this recipe, but I imagine it should work fairly well.)
  • For Dairy-Free Version: This recipe is naturally dairy-free when served without the caramel sauce. You can also try making the caramel sauce with dairy-free creamer, coconut milk or serve with store-bought dairy free caramel.
  • For Nut-free Version: Omit the pecans for a completely nut-free version.