apple cranberry bundt cake

I love pie.  I love apple pie.  I love eating it for every meal (thank goodness this only happens over Thanksgiving, or I would have to kiss a balanced diet goodbye!).  What I do not love?  The TIME it takes to make a pie.  I was feeling lazy (as usual), and wondering how I was going to use up the apples I picked when I went out to an orchard 2 weeks ago… and I turned to the internet.  This recipe was originally a loaf.  I turned it into a Bundt loaf?  But that sounds weird, so I’m calling it cake.  It has icing, after all!

Apple Cranberry Bundt Cake (modified from a Taste of Home recipe)

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 cups chopped, peeled tart apples (in 1/2 inch chunks)

1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a Bundt pan thoroughly with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  In a small bowl, whisk eggs and oil together until combined. Stir eggs and oil into the dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be very thick & heavy). Fold in apples, cranberries and walnuts.

Transfer batter to the prepared Bundt pan and press down into the mold. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Top with a glaze if desired (I used the same one from the Nutmeg Buttermilk Coookies last week, but with cinnamon instead of nutmeg). 

Note: The dough is very sticky and heavy, and it required 2 utensils to maneuver into the baking pan.  That said, it baked up very nicely and meshes well with the cranberry and apple.  So don’t be discouraged by how heavy it is.  It’ll turn out!

Recommended for: a great way to use up your leftover apples and cranberries, as a delicious and colorful addition to afternoon tea, and as a not-too-sweet fruity dessert for your fall feast.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!