The decided to get it based on the table of contents and, after making an apple bundt this afternoon, no disappointment! When my daughter walked in the door tonight, she said "it smells like delicious in here!" As noted in the book the recipe was originally from the Epicurious website, which the author then tweaked. I've tweaked it again and really like the results.
Apple Filling:
3 large or 5 medium apples, diced small. I used Crispins, which have a lower moisture content and hold their shape nicely when baked
5 tbsps sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsps cinnamon
Batter:
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp grated orange zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 12 cup bundt pan either with butter and flour or non-stick spray to prevent sticking.
Peel and dice apples finely. Mix apples with lemon juice, 5 tbsp sugar, cinnamon and set aside. Blend flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large stand mixer bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups sugar and oil. Add eggs one at a time, followed by orange juice and zest and vanilla extract. When fully blended, add flour and mix slowly. This is a very heavy batter and the bowl should be scraped to make sure all the liquid is fully mixed in.
The cake is layered with batter and the apple mixture. Start with the batter and spread evenly, top with a layer of apples, followed by batter, apples and the remaining batter. It was recommended that it bake for 1-1/2 hours, but 1 hour and 15 minutes was enough in my oven.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes on a rack before turning out the cake. The cake needs to cool for a full hour before cutting, since it will fall apart if attempted too soon. I dusted the top with a little powdered sugar and it was a big hit!
