Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake {Guest Post}
ShareToday, Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures has cooked up something extra special. I had zero doubt in my mind that I’d be wowed by whatever she decided to make for the apple celebration. She’s always creating something drool worthy and her photos never disappoint, which makes her recipes that much more enticing. I wish smell-o-vision, or taste-o-vision, were real right now. Someone should get on that asap.
Hi! I’m Tracey from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures, and I’m beyond excited to be taking part in Rachel’s apple celebration today. As much as I hate to see summer come to an end, I really do look forward to apple season every year. I can’t wait to visit the orchard and load up on my favorite varieties in anticipation of all the apple treats to be made. I already have a ton bookmarked, and something tells me by the time this party is over I’ll have added many, many more to the to-do list!
I’m probably the most indecisive person ever, but it was surprisingly easy to choose a
recipe to share today. I pinned this apple-cream cheese bundt cake last winter and have
basically been counting down the days until I could make it happen in my kitchen. Nine
months is a long time to wait for a cake that sounds so good :)
The weather even decided to cooperate with me when I made this recipe. It’s been a hot
summer, but for the first time in months it was cool enough to turn off the a/c and open
the windows! With a slight breeze blowing through the house and the aroma of apples
and cinnamon filling the kitchen, fall was most certainly in the air.
This bundt was the perfect dessert to kick off apple season; I could not get enough! In
addition to diced apples interspersed throughout the cake, there’s also applesauce in the
batter for double the apple goodness. The thick pocket of cream cheese in the center is
to die for, but my favorite was the sweet praline frosting on top of the cake. Dig in for
dessert, or enjoy a slice for breakfast (with all those apples plus the cream cheese, it’s
totally justifiable!) – you can’t go wrong either way.
Print
SaveApple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
Ingredients:
Cream Cheese Filling
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cake
1 cup finely chopped pecans (plus extra for garnish, optional)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 2-3 medium apples)
Praline Frosting
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 12 or 14 cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray with
flour (the cake will fit in a 12-cup bundt, but just barely).
To make the filling: Add the cream cheese, butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer
fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until well combined and
smooth. Add the egg, flour and vanilla and continue beating just until incorporated. Set
aside.
Place the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toaste in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or
just until fragrant. Remove the pan to a wire rack.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, both sugars, the cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and
allspice together. Add the eggs, oil, applesauce and vanilla and mix just until combined
(I started with a whisk and switched to a rubber spatula). Fold in the toasted pecans and
chopped apples until distributed throughout the batter.
Spoon about 1/2 to 2/3 of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Top evenly with the
cream cheese filling, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge of the pan (I found this
tricky, just do the best you can). Use a thin paring knife to swirl the cream cheese filling
with the cake batter just a few times - less is more. Top the filling with the remaining
cake batter.
Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out
clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto
the rack and allow to cool completely (at least 2 hours).
To make the frosting: Combine the brown sugar, butter and milk in a 2-qt saucepan. Set
over medium heat, and bring to a boil, whisking almost constantly. Boil for 1 minute,
whisking constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Whisk in the
confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, until it is completely incorporated and the frosting
is smooth. Gently stir the frosting until it starts to thicken, then pour it over the cooled
cake. (The frosting will set up quickly, so don't make it in advance - wait until the cake
has cooled completely.) Garnish with extra pecans, if desired.
You can find Tracey on Facebook and Twitter.
Check out these other drool worthy recipes from Tracey: Samoas Scones, Jalapeño Cheddar Rolls and Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake.
Related Posts
Stay Connected
I am a huge fan of Tracey’s blog so I’m not surprised at all that this looks amazing!
Tracey, seriously, this looks and sounds amazing! I can almost smells all the flavors through the screen!
This looks so amazing!
That swirl inside is perfection!
Love Tracey’s blog, and love this recipe! I think the tunnel of cream cheese would definitely be my favorite part… :)
Stunning. Simply stunning. And I’m pinning! :)
This is one stunning cake, ladies. Tracey never fails to disappoint!
Thanks for the kind words Rachel, and for inviting me to the party :) Can’t wait to see what everyone else cooks up this month!
This is magnificent!
good god – this is a STUNNING and GORGEOUS cake. wow, i don’t think my bundts would ever come out that perfect and clean haha
Slice me off a hunk of that!!
Wow, that is gorgeous!!
Can you imagine the sheer delight of cutting into this beast?! Yum!
What an absolutely gorgeous cake!
That is one gorgeous looking cake!
Love the cream cheese filling!!
It was soooo good – its like cheesecake and cake in one!! I grated my apples, and used an ice cream scoop to put in my cream cheese – worked really well. This is going into my favourite recipes collection!!
For some reason, the best bundt cakes to me are those involving cream cheese, so obviously I am totally loving this!
Wow, this is so impressive! This bundt cake puts me to shame and I’m almost afraid to stop baking myself! Thanks so much for sharing!!
cream cheese hidden in there is a great surprise. love it.
Usually when I make things, they don’t turn out like the picture, but it came out perfect and was amazing!!! Thanks!! I am not sure how I missed that in Southern Living last year.
I’ve made this twice and the second time the cream cheese mixture was pretty warm. Consequently, it oozed instead of staying in the middle as some people have noted in the reviews on the original recipe.
I think if the cream cheese mixture were made ahead of time and put in the fridge to firm up a bit, it would eliminate this frustration.