This one is AMAZING and perfect for this time of year!
All-in-one Holiday Bundt Cake
Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsps. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsps. grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp. ground ginger)
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 large apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 cup cranberries, halved or coarsely chopped
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting, or maple syrup icing (see note)
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9- to 10-inch (12-cup) Bundt pan. (If you have a silicone Bundt pan, there is no need to butter it.) Don't place the pan on a baking sheet -- you want the oven's heat to circulate freely through the Bundt's inner tube.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ground ginger, if you're using it (not the grated ginger).
3. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, and beat for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and add pumpkin, chopped apple and grated ginger, if you're using it. Do not be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Still on low speed, add the flour mixture, stirring only until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, stir in the cranberries and pecans. Scrape batter into Bundt pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula.
4. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, then cool to room temperature on the rack. Just before bringing the cake to the table, dust with confectioners' sugar. Alternatively, drizzle with maple syrup icing.
Note: For maple syrup icing: Sift 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Add more maple syrup, little by little, until you have an icing that runs nicely off the tip of the spoon. You might need another 1/2 tablespoon syrup to get the right consistency. Put the cooled cake on a sheet of wax paper and drizzle icing from the tip of a spoon over the cake. (Sprinkle top with chopped pecans, if desired.) Let the icing set for a few minutes before serving.
--Recipe from "Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan