Apple-Pear Bundt Cake

This cake is spectacular. Honestly, when I think of bundt cake it isn’t usually with happy thoughts. Most that I have had tend to be rather ordinary at best. They are either too dry, too dense, or just plain flavorless…sometimes all of the above. This Apple-Pear Bundt Cake is an exception to the rule.This cake is easily the best bundt cake I have ever made, or eaten! It has a nice moist crumb and is bursting with delicious, warm flavor. I used pear butter in this cake which I loved, but you could easily substitute apple butter to make Double Apple Bundt Cake (which is how the recipe is originally written).

Apple-Pear Bundt Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup store-bought pear butter
• 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and grated*
• 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (I used pecans)
• 1/2 cup plump, moist raisins, (dark or golden)**

Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350º F. Butter and flour a 9-10 inch bundt pan. Don’t place pan on a baking sheet; you want the oven’s heat to circulate through the bundt’s inner tube.

Whisk together the dry ingredients, flour through salt.

Working with stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed, scraping the bowl as needed, for 3 minutes, or 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. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the nuts and raisins. Turn the batter into the bundt pan and smooth the top of the batter with the spatula.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Transfer the cake to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before unmolding. Cool completely before serving.

*I just finely chopped the apples.

**I was out of golden raisins. I prefer them to dark in a recipe like this so I just omitted them. I think golden raisins would be fantastic in this though…

I adapted this recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s Double-Apple Bundt Cake.