Apple-Maple Bundt Cake

When your apples have seen better days… bake a cake.

I recently created a recipe that became a new family recipe of ours. It was instantly personal… a recipe that had evoked memories, tears, and emotions. I named it the Apple Darlin’ – after Seth’s Pop-Pop’s nickname. I never posted it since that recipe became one of our personals. But I still wanted to create a blog post using apples with this delicious maple syrup that our youngest son brought home. He had gone to Vermont for vacation over the summer and surprised us with this Vermont Maple Syrup when he returned.  
So, I began running through ideas in my mind before deciding to create this cake. My first thought was to make apple fritters, but I had just made pancakes for breakfast… and honestly, I was not in the mood to stand at the stove again, this time to fry up some fritters, lol. Plus, I love making those cakes that you can eat for breakfast or dessert 😊. Also, when I realized that my Bundt pan was not packed away, I exclaimed…it was meant to be.
This cake is moist and flavorful. It will go great with coffee or alone as a dessert.

Ingredients:
3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled/cored and diced
1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
1/3 Cup Raw Cane Sugar
1/3 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) Earth Balance Butter
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
–
2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 Cup Applesauce
1/3 Cup Canola oil
1/2 Cup Warm Water
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Powdered sugar for topping, optional

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a Bundt pan with Earth Balance (vegan butter) plus a dusting of flour (remove excess flour), or you can just use cooking/baking spray, if you prefer.
-In a small saucepan, combine apples, brown/cane sugar, maple syrup, earth balance and cinnamon. Heat over medium and cook for two to three minutes, stirring occasionally.

-In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients for the cake together: flour, baking powder, salt, vinegar, applesauce, oil, water, and vanilla. Stir together to combine.

Note: This cake batter may look thick as you are mixing, but don’t worry; once you add the apples it will balance out the moisture.  
-Next, add the apple mixture from the saucepan into the cake batter and stir together to combine.

-Pour cake mixture into Bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes at 350. After 45 minutes, check the cake with a toothpick to be sure it comes out clean.
Bundt cakes are tricky like that, if it is not baked all the way through, it will collapse.
-Allow the cake to cool for 20-30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When you let the cake cool while still in the Bundt pan first, before inverting it, it helps for it to firm up.
-Lightly dust with powdered sugar to top or leave as is like pictured below.

Enjoy!

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

God, may you bless and always protect our daughters. Thank you Lord for Megan, Hailey, and Jasmine. We recognize them not only on this National Daughter’s Day, but every day. Daily you occupy our hearts, prayers and thus our home. We love you ladies, and you are each truly a blessing to us. We are so proud of each of you. Our love will endure forever. Love always.