National Bundt Appreciation Day, Nov. 15: Sour Cream & Apple Bundt Cake

Over on The Great American Cooking Project, as part of her year-long trek through century-old cooking and techniques, Nora Leah is hosting the National Bundt Appreciation Day on November 15th. My Adam will be 15 that day, so yesterday when we celebrated his birthday, he and I made a Sour Cream & Apple Bundt Cake.

Well, it was supposed to be a bundt cake. It’s in the right shape … we used the right pan. We even used the right recipe! But if you look at the image above of what we ended up with, and compare it to the photo on the right from the pages of Russell Cronkhite’s A Return to Sunday Dinner … well, when an anxious young cook forgets to add both the baking powder and the baking soda, it ends up to be more of a torte!

Oh, but it was good. Real good. So good that people were going back for seconds, particularly of Adam’s handmade fresh whipped topping. Aaron even had thirds! We had none left!! Even made incorrectly, what some would consider “badly”, we couldn’t get enough of this bundt cake … er … bundt “torte”. We’ll definitely be making this recipe again. We might even add the baking soda and baking powder. But … then again … maybe we won’t!

We’ve made a few changes to this recipe so it flows better.

Sour Cream — Apple Bundt Cake

12 servings
adapted from A Return to Sunday Dinner by Chef Russell Cronkhite

Remove two large eggs from the refrigerator so they’ll come to room temperature

Apples
6 medium Golden Delicious apples
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom

Peel, core and quarter the apples; slice each apple into 3 slices lengthwise. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; when it begins to bubble, add in the apples. Gently sprinkle the sugar and cardamom over the apples so there are no heavy areas. Sauté the apples, stirring almost constantly, until they’re tender but still firm. Remove the apples from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Drain the apple slices and reserve the syrup — you should have 2 to 3 tablespoons of syrup.

Adjust the rack in an oven so the cake will be centered, and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Cut the crusts from three slices of fresh bread and discard the crusts. “Puree” the bread in a food processor so you have 1 cup of fresh bread crumbs. Split this into two 1/2 cup portions and set aside.

Cake Batter
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
reserved syrup from the apples
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

For The Pan
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Make the Cake
Melt the butter and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon and salt; whisk together thoroughly.

In another large bowl, combine the cooled butter and sour cream and beat until smooth; add in the eggs and beat until they are fully blended.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing on low speed just long enough after each addition to incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add in the vanilla and the reserved apple syrup, then increas the mixer speed to medium and beat for about one minute. Toss the cooked apple slices with the 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs and fold them into the batter.

Liberally butter a 9-inch bundt pan with the 2 tablespoons butter, and sprinkle the inside with the other 1/2 fresh breadcrumbs. Make sure the pan is completely coated before shaking out the excess.

Spoon the prepared batter into the bundt pan and bake for 50 – 60 minutes. When it is done, the cake should be pulling away from the edges of the pan and a wooden pick should come out clean when it is inserted. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then run a thin metal spatula around the edges of the pan to loosen. Gently inver the cake onto the cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to a serving dish. Gently powder with powdered sugar before serving topped with …

Freshly Whipped Cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar

Whip the heavy whipping cream on high-speed until peaks barely start to form. Add the vanilla and sugar, and continue whipping until peaks can form and hold their shape. Refrigerate until serving.