UPDATED: Cider Soaked Apple Cake Recipe a Seasonal Treat

This is the perfect time of year for an apple cake and there are many variations. This one is very moist, not too sweet, and is great with a cup of coffee or cider from the Dexter Cider Mill. You can get the apples there, too!

Cider Soaked Apple Cake

1 1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped, peeled apples (all one kind or a
mix of choice; preferably tart)

1 cup toasted wheat germ

Cider Soaking Syrup:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup cider
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter -- (1 stick) chopped into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch saltHeat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a bundt pan and dust with flour. (I use Wondra because it is very fine, sprinkles evenly without clumping and always seems to work well.)

Mix oil and sugars with an electric mixer until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla; scraping side of the bowl with a rubber spatula to combine completely.

In another bowl, stir together the wheat germ, flour, soda, and salt. Add these to the wet ingredients and mix until blended and evenly incorporated. Fold in the apples; mixture will be thick. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

To make the sauce, place sugar in a medium heavy saucepan. Add water and corn syrup and stir quickly just to blend. Over medium-high flame, begin to heat the sugar mixture. Swirl pan gently until sugar dissolves, but do not let it boil and do not stir. Once the sugar is melted, turn the heat to high, cover, and cook for 2 minutes (this washes down any un-melted sugar crystals and keeps the sauce smooth.) Do not stir. Remove the lid and continue cooking/swirling for another 5 minutes.

Turn heat down to medium and add the butter, a few pieces at a time, swirling pan to melt butter completely. Remove from heat and gently whisk in the cream.

Be careful in case sauce bubbles up. Stir in vanilla and a pinch of salt. Keep warm over low heat on stovetop until cake is done. When cake is done, set a timer and cool pan on wire rack for 10 minutes exactly. (The manufacturers of the bundt pan suggest this on their website and it has always worked well without leaving any pieces of cake in the pan.) Then invert the bundt pan on a wire rack. Poke holes all over top and sides with a skewer or toothpick.

Wipe out any lingering crumbs from the pan and lower the pan over top of the cake, matching the formation of the pan and re-invert so the cake is nestled back in the pan. Poke holes in the bottom of warm cake with a skewer and then slowly pour/brush about half of the warm syrup over the cake. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes or until cider syrup is absorbed. Invert cake again and brush/pour remaining syrup over top and sides of cake.

It’s best to place the cake and wire rack over a cookie sheet to protect the counter from dripping syrup. Serve cake plain, with freshly whipped cream, or ice cream.

Jody Hayden, Artistica guest artist, commented, “It is not cloying sweet like some glazed cakes. It makes you want to have another piece!”