I found this near perfect recipe in Dorie Greenspan's "Baking". Superfabulous and it uses up apples, which is always a blessing when I get over-eager and come home with a bushel of Macs. You can make the applesauce fresh (we use the slow cooker overnight to caramelize it well) or use last year's quarts which seem to be hogging the pantry shelves now.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup apple-butter or thickened applesauce
- 2 apples, peeled, cored and grated (I used Macs)
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 cup plumped raisins
Steps:
- Center rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Butter a 9-to-10 inch (12-cup) Bundt pan.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
- Working with a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, thick and pale.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition; you'll have a light, fluffy batter.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the apple butter - don't worry if it curdles the batter.
- Still on low, add the grated apples and mix to completely blend.
- Add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter.
- Fold in the nuts and raisins.
- Roll the batter into the Bundt pan and smooth the top of the batter with the rubber spatula.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a thin knife instered deep into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 10 minutes before un-molding.
