Since I’m unable to bake at the moment (and probably for another couple of weeks), I’ve asked a couple of great gals to bake up some delicious food and share it with you. I hope you enjoy the new recipes as much as I am! This one looks incredible Erin! -Caroline (Chocolate & Carrots)

 

Hi there! I’m Erin from Texanerin Baking and I’m here with a healthy, yet delicious, recipe that’s perfect for the fall.

When Caroline asked me to do a guest post, I was outrageously excited. Back in February, when Caroline posted her Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones, I was inspired by her beautiful photos. I was just into baking back then as I am now, but I hadn’t even thought about food photography or blogging. The very same day, I got myself a blog and started trying to improve my photography. So basically, my blog exists because of her. Thanks, Caroline! 🙂

Here we have a 100% whole grain applesauce spice bundt cake. It’s autumnal and it’ll make you feel all warm and fuzzy.

If you don’t want to make the caramel glaze, then you can sprinkle some cinnamon sugar in the bundt pan after you spray it. Actually, you should do that even if you use the glaze because the cinnamon sugar adds an amazing crunch. But I wouldn’t recommend skipping the glaze. It makes the cake.

I made the cake once each with whole wheat, whole spelt, and all-purpose flour. Thanks to the spices and caramel, it’s almost impossible to tell the difference between the whole grain and all-purpose versions. And the olive oil? You definitely can’t tell that there’s olive oil. If you prefer, you can of course use canola oil.

Ingredients:

Cake:
2 1/4 cups whole wheat or whole spelt flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
3 large eggs
3/4 cup olive oil – I used extra-virgin
1 cup unrefined or brown sugar
1 3/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cinnamon sugar:
3 tablespoons unrefined or granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Caramel glaze:
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 – 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (unless yours is already lump free)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and allspice.

2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs a little. Add the olive oil and sugar and mix. Then add the applesauce and vanilla extract.

3. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and stir. But just until combined!

4. Spray a 12 cup / 10″ bundt pan with cooking spray. Be sure to spray it very well. Then mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle the mix in the pan. Bake for 45 – 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. This recipe can also be halved and baked in a 6 cup bundt pan, which is what I always do. If using a 6 cup bundt pan, bake for about 27 – 30 minutes.

5. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn it out onto a rack and let it cool completely before glazing.

6. For the glaze: Put the butter, brown sugar, cream and salt in a saucepan at medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring it to a full rolling boil. Let it boil for one minute and then take it off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat it until it’s very smooth and  there are no lumps. Pour over the cake.

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do! It stays good for a few days, but it never lasts that long for us. 😉

Source: I created the cake recipe, but the caramel glaze recipe came from The Runaway Spoon.