Impress your guests with this lovely crowd-pleaser on the dessert table.
Apple–Cream Cheese Swirl Bundt Cake
Makes 1 15-Cup Bundt
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 cups plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, divided
- 5 large eggs, room temperature, divided
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
- 1¾ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons cane syrup
- Garnish: chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons flour at medium-low speed until creamy. Add 1 egg; beat until smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
- In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 4 cups flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.
- In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of bowl. Add remaining 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Shred apples using the large holes of a box grater. Add apple and vanilla to batter; beat for 1 minute. Gradually add flour mixture to apple mixture, beating just until combined.
- Spray a 15-cup Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Spoon half of batter into prepared pan; tap on counter several times to get rid of any air bubbles and evenly spread batter in pan. Using the back of a spoon, make a ½-inch-deep trench in the middle of the batter in pan, staying about ¼ to ½ inch away from edges. Spoon alternating dollops of batter and cream cheese mixture over batter in pan, staying about ¼ inch away from edges, if possible. After completing 1 ring in pan, spoon batter over cream cheese dollops and vice versa until all cream cheese mixture is used. Drag a butter knife through the center of each dollop to swirl into batter. (It’s okay if some cream cheese mixture touches edges of pan.) Spoon and gently spread remaining batter over top, covering cream cheese filling. Do not tap the pan. Smooth top of batter.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, milk, and cane syrup until smooth. Drizzle onto cooled cake. Garnish with pecans, if desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
