Winter Spice Cakes

By Hklbrries

We love these individual "Bundtlettes," but you can use a full-size Bundt pan and bake the cake at 325 F for 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can also use large muffin cups or a 13-by-9-inch pan.

(We used "Bundlette" pans, but many of our recipe testers baked the cake whole in a standard Bundt pan (one even used a 13-by-9-inch pan) with good results).

Put your cell phones on silence, and tell the kids "no texting." It's time for an old-fashioned evening, Dickens style. The house lights dim and a man dressed in a faded nightshirt, nightcap and slippers shuffles over to our table. "Humbug!" he exclaims gruffly. "What do you want to order?" But by the time dessert rolls around, a once grumpy Ebenezer Scrooge becomes pleasant and cracks a smile as the holiday spirit touches even him.

For 27 years, innkeepers Michael and Laurie Gibbs have opened the doors of the Winchester Inn, in Ashland, Oreg., for a Dickens' Christmas Feast. The Victorian house is filled with characters from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, the fragrance of fresh greenery, and the rousing voices of carolers. And the six-course dinner—including the last course, Winter Spice Cakes—is one that Dickens himself would relish.

"Some guests have been coming to our Dickens' Feast for over 19 years," Laurie says. "It's become an annual family tradition, with some families bringing three generations." This old-fashioned spice cake is timeless. Some things never change.



Tips from the Test Kitchen:

Nice brown caramelly color. It would be easier to make one big Bundt cake! Tastes great, but 1 1/2 cups of oil seems like a lot! I'd be more apt to make it again or more often if it had less fat/better nutritional profile.

I can only give this a 2-1/2 the cake was way to (sic) oily for me. I didn't have the size pan you suggested and used a 10-cup Bundt pan and the first cake I had to throw away. I made it again and reduced the oil to 1 cup and added 4 cups of apples—the taste and appearance were a lot better, to my taste anyway. The glaze to me didn't add anything and it was too much for the cake, again just my thoughts. You might consider revising the recipe a bit.—Amanda Bowyer

Editors’ note: We decreased the amount of oil to 1 ¼ cups.

I reduced the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon. I reduced the oil to 1 cup. Certainly not a low calorie dessert, but great for the fall. —Margaret Foster

The cakes were delicious, but the apples need to be chopped quite small as they tended to leave gaps in the cakes. I would put the word “apple” in the name of the recipe as it really is a main ingredient—perhaps Apple-Spice Cakelets? I would also say “generously grease” the pans for emphasis. Even though I used nonstick Bundt pans, a few still stuck a bit if an apple was touching the side. Recipe definitely makes 12 cakes! Could also double the amount for the glaze as it’s really delicious!—Margaret M. Johnson

It looked cake-like but had some cracks. Possibly I over baked it. The cake had a nice color, and the chopped apples gave it a rustic appearance. Great flavor. I could pick out all the spices. Though I am going to increase the cloves and cardamon by 1/2 teaspoon and see how that tastes. Very soft and moist. I stored the cakes in an air-tight container and noticed the areas where the glaze touched made the texture crunchy. I did not have Bundlettes and used a mini-loaf pan that can hold 8 loaves. I had extra batter and transferred it into two 6-inch cake pans.—Emily Alejandrino

I baked this cake in a 13 x 9 pan rather than in the mini-Bundt pans. I poured the warm glaze over the hot cake before cutting and serving. I served each slice with a dollop of fresh whipped cream on the side. Delicious! I think the next time I try it I will increase the amount of cinnamon to accentuate the taste of the apples even more. The glaze was delicious—a nice alternative to frosting. The slow baking of this cake caramelizes the apples beautifully. I think if I was reading this recipe in a magazine I probably wouldn't try it, because of the instructions to use mini-Bundt pans. (I sold mine years ago in a yard sale—way too much work to clean, even with the non-stick coating!) The recipe worked perfectly in the 13 x 9 pan. You might consider offering that possibility also in the instructions, as it might encourage more people to try it. I will definitely be making this again. There's nothing like the aroma of apples and spices baking together—a perfect comfort food combination!—Mary Cooper

They're fine but the glaze cools quickly and becomes gloppy looking. The cooled, stiffened glaze tastes really good, though. If I were making this recipe again, I would double the glaze and make it after the cakes had come out of the oven. The glaze does not take too long to make. and the cakes would still be warm. —Adrienne Lee

I do not have the mini-Bundt pans, so I used a regular fluted Bunt pan and baked it for 1 hour and 20 minutes. The cake came out beautifully brown and appetizing. The brandy left a little heavy alcohol taste. I think next time, I will use only 1 tablespoon then increase gradually until the taste is more favorable. The cake had a very nice medium crumb that held together well and sliced evenly and nicely. I might also add that cardamom, in our local grocery is very expensive. Therefore once this bottle is gone, I will probably not buy it again and just leave it out. It doesn’t seem to have a big flavor impact on the recipe.— Sue Staggs

This is excellent—I'll make it over the holidays for gifts. Very moist. I substituted 2 tablespoons vanilla in the cake and 1 tablespoon vanilla in the glaze instead of the brandy because I never have brandy around the house. Couldn't be any better than it was using vanilla.— Shirley Burchett

Nice color—smelled great. Everyone in my family loved it and the sauce. Moist, but in an oily way. Outside was crisp. Sauce was thick when hot but crystalized as it cooled. I would substitute at least 1/2 of the oil with unsweetened applesauce in order to lose the oily texture. Also would increase the apple taste. I used the cardamom, but even as a frequent baker, had to go out and get it. Maybe nutmeg could be a substitution? I used Granny Smith apples and they were delicious in the cake. Half-and-half can be subbed for the heavy cream. We have half-and-half in our frig for coffee already and would have had to buy heavy cream. I like to see recipes that are accessible for the average baker—with most of the ingredients available at home. I used a full-size Bundt pan instead of the individual ones. If home bakers have specialty pans, they would be more likely to have the full-size Bundt. I raised the oven temp to 325F and baked about 1 hour 15 minutes—until tester came out clean. I usually omit nuts when called for in a baking recipe—my family doesn't care for them—but a lot of people like them and they would probably be a good option in this cake.— Joelle Hurst

Slightly gummy and oily-looking despite extra bake time, and the glaze separated and began to look unappetizing. Too sweet and oily, the predominant flavor being sugar instead of the spices. Was crying out for an "earthy" note especially since it is labeled as a "winter" cake. The glaze was not necessary and was too rich for the delicate spicing in the cake, again tasting only sweet without deepening the experience. As it appeared very oily and dense, it needed a "toothsome" element like nuts or oats to break up the batter. The glaze separated into butterfat and sugar layers, which coated the mouth. The phrase, "Bake 1 hour or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean" shouldn't apply to the Bundt pans as they have no centers, and I would suggest cooling the cakes completely in the pans rather than attempting to turn them out early—two of my 10 fell apart. Would also suggest instructions for baking in standard muffin cups as mini-Bundts can be expensive and hard to find. While drastically improved with additional nuts and spices and a 1/3 reduction in both sugar and oil, this recipe is a decent base dessert for those who are used to standard "bakery-style" cakes. I am looking forward to further tweaking the batter components and possibly adding grated parsnips for extra spice. — Sarah Reid

The brandy in the cake and the sauce elevated this from a standard apple cake to something very special. It was delicious.—Janet Walker

Ingredients

• Cakes:
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/4 cups coarsely chopped, peeled and cored apples (such as Cortland, Empire or Winesap)
• 3 tablespoons brandy (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• Glaze:
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons brandy (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• Powdered sugar (optional)

Details

Servings 16
Adapted from winchesterinn.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 300F. Grease 16 (6-ounce) mini-Bundt pan cups or large muffin cups.

Combine oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a wire whisk until thick and opaque. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

Sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; blend well. Add apple and brandy all at once; stir until apples are evenly distributed.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before removing from pans.

While cakes are baking, make glaze: Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in sugars. Add brandy and cream; stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Pour glaze over warm cakes just before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.


Nutritional Information:
Per serving
420 calories
22 g fat
50 mg cholesterol
4 g protein
52 g carbohydrates
1 g fiber
190 mg sodium