Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

Thanksgiving prep week, pandemic edition. The question is: how many people? The CDC says small gatherings. The heart says everyone. The compromise is: us and Gayle. Seven people. The same seven as last year, except last year was pre-pandemic and seven felt normal, and this year seven feels like a decision, a calculation, a risk assessment disguised as a dinner invitation.

Gayle is coming. She decided weeks ago and the decision is final and I have stopped trying to talk her out of it because talking Gayle out of things is like talking the wind out of blowing — theoretically possible, practically futile. She will wear a mask until she sits down. She will wash her hands when she arrives. She will sit at the table and eat the turkey and say the stuffing is dry (it will not be dry, but Gayle says this every year because Gayle believes constructive criticism is a love language, and for Gayle, it is).

I ordered the turkey — twenty pounds this year, slightly smaller because eight months of pandemic grocery shopping has refined my sense of exactly how much turkey seven people eat, and the answer is: not twenty-two pounds. The leftover math has been adjusted. The sandwiches will still happen. The soup will still happen. The second Thanksgiving will still be better than the first. Some things the pandemic cannot touch.

I started the pies. Apple first — homemade crust, sliced Granny Smiths, cinnamon, sugar, butter. The apple pie will go in the freezer and come out Wednesday night and bake Thursday morning and the house will smell like cinnamon at 7 a.m. and the smell is the Thanksgiving alarm clock, better than any alarm, because the smell says: the day is happening, the kitchen is working, the pie is in the oven, and everything else will follow.

With the apple pie already tucked in the freezer and the whole house holding its breath until Thursday, I needed something to do with my hands — something apple, something warm, something that said the kitchen is working without the pressure of that show-stopping pie. This Caramel Apple Bundt Cake is exactly that. It bakes up while the turkey thaws, it smells like everything good about November, and when Gayle inevitably critiques the stuffing, you can just quietly cut her a second slice and let the caramel do the talking.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 20 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced (about 3 medium apples)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
For the caramel glaze:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Prep the oven and pan. Preheat oven to 325°F. Thoroughly grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan, making sure to coat all the ridges.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
Beat the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes.
Combine. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just incorporated — do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
Fold in apples and nuts. Gently fold in the diced apples and pecans or walnuts if using. The apples will release moisture as the cake bakes, keeping it tender throughout.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spread evenly. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean. The top will be deep golden brown.
Cool in pan. Let the cake rest in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes before inverting. Run a thin knife around the edges if needed to loosen.
Make the caramel glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and milk, stirring to combine. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
Glaze and serve. Place the inverted cake on a serving plate and slowly drizzle the warm caramel glaze over the top, letting it run down the sides. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Caramel Apple Bundt Cake — The Smell That Says Thanksgiving Is Here