Applejack Butter Pecan Bundt Cake
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus cooling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:10 to 12 servings
- ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
- ½cup/120 milliliters heavy cream, at room temperature
- ¼cup/60 milliliters applejack or apple brandy, plus more to taste
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- 1½teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2cups/400 grams granulated sugar
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- ¼cup/55 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4large eggs, at room temperature
- 1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2½cups/320 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾cup/180 milliliters whole milk
- ¼cup/60 milliliters applejack or apple brandy
- 1cup/120 grams coarsely chopped pecans
For the Caramel Sauce
For the Cake
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
604 calories; 32 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 48 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 191 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Make the caramel sauce: This calls for close attention; don’t wander off, but do use the time to measure out the ingredients for the cake. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar with ¼ cup water. Swirl together and bring to a boil over high heat, brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming (or use a nonstick saucepan).
- Step 2
Once it comes to a boil, cook over medium-high heat (do not stir, but it’s OK to swirl the pan occasionally) until the mixture is bubbling at a slower pace and has turned a deep golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Step 3
Turn off the heat, then gradually and carefully stir in the cream (it will splatter a bit). Add the applejack, butter, vanilla and salt, stirring until thoroughly combined and smooth. Taste and add more applejack and salt, if desired. You’ll use ¼ cup of this caramel sauce in the cake batter, and the rest for brushing on the cake after baking.
- Step 4
Make the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the inside of a 9- or 10-inch Bundt-style pan, preferably nonstick, with nonstick cooking spray. If your pan is not nonstick, refrigerate the greased pan for 10 minutes, then grease it again to thoroughly coat.
- Step 5
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the granulated sugar, butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce the speed to medium-low, add the ¼ cup caramel sauce and beat until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Step 6
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, add a third of the flour mixture, then the milk, then another third of the flour mixture, then the applejack, and finally the remaining flour mixture, mixing until well combined after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the pecans by hand just until evenly distributed.
- Step 7
Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bang the filled pan on the counter a couple of times to release any air bubbles. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until the cake is well browned and starts pulling away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.
- Step 8
Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes; the steam will help with release. Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Step 9
Flip the cake (still in the pan) onto the rack and let cool another 5 to 10 minutes. The cake may drop out of the pan as it cools. If not, shake the pan to loosen it, running a knife around the edges.
- Step 10
Meanwhile, warm the remaining caramel sauce. When the cake is turned out on the rack, brush sauce over the entire surface. Let it soak in, then repeat once or twice more until the cake is well coated. Let cool for 1 hour before serving; the caramel will become somewhat set and be much less sticky.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
JMBY
There is NOT too much sugar in this recipe. It is not an overly heavy cake. Professional pastry chef here - and I have to say, people who tinker with baking recipes then complain the texture or flavor are wrong are causing the issues themselves. Sugar is a tenderizer. Just adding/reducing it without consideration of other ingredients is not a simple thing. Adding sour cream adds an acid which may or may not ruin a batter. Not mixing properly, not following instructions is why cakes fail.
Claudia
I just made this and it was delicious. Grease that Bundt pan like your life depended on it and after baking, let it sit in the pan for longer than indicated before you attempt to slip it out of the pan. The instruction to "Shake the pan to loosen" was a terrible idea and caused some of the cake to tear. The Caramel/Applejack sauce is amazing but it does take longer than 5 minutes to turn golden brown - more like 12 minutes for me. I will make this again!
Tom
A winner! Worth the trouble. Yes, the sauce needs to cook longer. Gorgeous texture. I ran out of milk so had to use buttermilk, which worked just fine (maybe even better texture?).
SueAnn56
Outstanding recipe....however even with a nonstick Bundt it stuck to the pan. Is Baker's Joy the solution?
Annie Patterson
Where can I get the pan used for baking the cake in the photo?
Robin
The pan used is a Nordicware Brilliance Bundt pan. A Google search will tell you where you can find it in your area.
Susan Jacobsen
A little too much alcohol in the caramel topping. Just a splash of apple brandy is plenty. Cake is delicious and gorgeous!
Sierra Zephyr
I'll never make this again. I followed the directions exactly and the bottom stuck to the bundt pan and pulled away from the rest of the cake. I had to pull it out with a silicon spatula and flop it onto the top of the cake to coat with caramel (which never really blended, even though I cooked it enough & added the cream, vanilla etc. properly). The previous cake (cinnamon donut type) I made came out perfectly. Disappointed.
Sierra Zephyr
Too dry under the sticky crust, so it crumbles & falls apart when you try to take a bite. The bottom stuck to the pan, even after following directions perfectly, & I had to pull it off with a silicone spatula & flop it on the top of the cake. Disappointing. Caramel didn't cook in recipe's time, nor mix with cream & vanilla well.
Rocky
I made the cake as written with 2 significant changes. I swapped out the applejack with dark rum in equal quantities and I baked 12 "cakelets" using a Texas muffin pan. The rum version tastes great. I baked 6 minis for 25 minutes which was a shade too long. The 6 baked 23 minutes worked better. The amount of caramel was perfect for 3 coats for the minis (more surface area than a whole bundt). You must grease the living heck out of your pan and have patience while making the caramel. Worth it.
SueAnn56
Outstanding recipe....however even with a nonstick Bundt it stuck to the pan. Is Baker's Joy the solution?
Divine
Add *what* cream to the caramelized sugar?
SharonATX
This cake is fine, but unimpressive. I agree with others who claim that the texture is off--it is. Mine was a bit dry as well and I followed the directions exactly (using apple brandy). For the caramel coating, I did one layer right when it came out of the oven and then did another layer after the whole thing cooled, achieving the glossy finish in the photo and using the entire batch. Maybe it'll be better tomorrow, but...there are better bundts (like the Lee/Detroit poundcake) out there.
JMBY
There is NOT too much sugar in this recipe. It is not an overly heavy cake. Professional pastry chef here - and I have to say, people who tinker with baking recipes then complain the texture or flavor are wrong are causing the issues themselves. Sugar is a tenderizer. Just adding/reducing it without consideration of other ingredients is not a simple thing. Adding sour cream adds an acid which may or may not ruin a batter. Not mixing properly, not following instructions is why cakes fail.
DogMa77
And yes, you can leave 1/4 cup of the sugar out and that’s fine.
DogMa77
I would offer the following suggestions. It has a bit of an odd texture. It’s a little heavy but not in a moist sort of way. I think you could ponder adding a quarter cup of sour cream to it. Second, one way to use up some of the extra caramel sauce would be to poke holes in the top of the cake at random places and then when you brush the caramel sauce on it will go through the cake and make it a little tastier. Third, the caramel sauce has way too much butter. You could halve that easily.
Tom
A winner! Worth the trouble. Yes, the sauce needs to cook longer. Gorgeous texture. I ran out of milk so had to use buttermilk, which worked just fine (maybe even better texture?).
Claudia
Yes, this does make more caramel sauce than you think you need but do NOT reduce the recipe! After brushing the cake with sauce 3 times at the end, save the leftover caramel sauce and when you serve slices of cake on subsequent days after baking it, serve with a spoonful of sauce on the plate with the slice. Heaven!!
Aviva Garrett
It seems like these will be very sweet. Has anyone tried to reduce the sugar in the cake batter?
Ioana
I did, by half a coup, which was maybe too much
Ioana
I agree that the caramel sauce should be reduced. The cake came out nice and moist and looks beautiful.
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