Apple Cider Bundt Cake

This easy recipe for apple cider bundt cake is a sweet taste of autumn on a plate!  And the perfect way to use those freshly picked apples.

Ahhhh, crisp fall weather, it’s here at last!

It’s the time of year that makes me want to make All The Apple Things, usually because the Southern husband and I are recently back from Vermont with a peck of freshly picked apples.

But now that we are North Carolinians, this year’s fall getaway was to Banner Elk, a beautiful mountain town in western North Carolina where the temperature was in the 50s and the leaves were just starting to change.

My sweet son-in-law was in charge of fun fall activities, and the main event on the first day was…ZIP LINING.

This is me in the back seat on the way to the zip lining. Don’t I look relaxed?

I had never been zip lining, but the kids had and they were all kinds of reassuring about how much fun it was.

For some reason I imagine that it would be one speedy zip along one line, but as it turned out, there were ELEVEN lines that you zipped along over the course of about an hour and a half.

And I have to say, while that first practice zip was, well, terrifying, once I got used to stepping off the platform into mid-air, I had pretty fabulous time!

It helped enormously that my sweet son-in-law usually was right next to me to make sure I was doing okay. #LoveHim

Here I am again with some of my team, now as an Expert Zip Liner.

Hats and helmets off to the great team at Hawk’s Nest Zipline – our guides were all kinds of wonderful!

The next day we did one of my favorite outings…MINI GOLF!

I think everyone managed to get at least one hole in one, and also to hit their golf ball completely off the course and into the bushes.

And an excellent time was had by all!

We didn’t run into any apple orchards, but if your fall outings include apple picking (or if you just see some nice ones in the grocery store), this easy peasy apple cider Bundt cake is for you!

It’s got just the right amount of apple and spices to make you feel all the good autumn feels, and it’s topped with a sugar cider glaze that is both pretty and scrumptious!

Here’s how you make apple cider Bundt cake!

Spray a 12 cup Bundt pan with cooking spray and preheat your oven to 350.

Next, put some flour, white and brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir it all up. I like to use a whisk for this!

Add some milk, canola oil, eggs and vanilla to the flour mixture and beat it up with an electric mixture for one minute.  Last but not least, stir in some fresh chopped apple.

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.  (Your kitchen is going to smell ALL kinds of wonderful.)

Let your beautiful Bundt cake cool for 20 minutes and then carefully take the cake out of the pan – you can tap it on the counter a few times to loosen it up if you think it needs it.

Place the cake on a rack to cool completely (I know! So hard!) and when it is totally cool, make the glaze: Put some confectioner’s sugar into a large measuring cup and stir in some melted butter.  

Drizzle in some apple cider until the mixture is thick but pourable.

Now the fun part! Pour the glaze evenly over the cake, letting it drip down the sides.  Let it sit for another 10 minutes or so while the glaze sets, then slice and serve!

Oh, and if you need any zip lining tips, just let me know! :)