Crème Fraîche Apple Bourbon Bundt
Makes one bundt cake
1 pound (about 450 grams or 2-3 medium-sized) apples, any variety (I used a mix!)
1 lemon
1 cup (227 grams) crème fraîche
3 tablespoons (45 ml) bourbon
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla
2 sticks (1 cup of 226 grams) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (330 grams) brown sugar, lightly packed
3 eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 cups (312 grams) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Preheat the oven to 325. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan and set aside. Do not skip this step or your bundt will not be too pleased when leaving the pan.
Zest the lemon into a small bowl then whisk in the crème fraîche, bourbon, and vanilla. Next, cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a medium bowl. Peel, core, and grate the apples. Add them to the bowl with the lemon juice and stir a few times to coat (this prevents the apples from browning too much). In another medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Set all the bowls aside.
In a large bowl beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs – one at a time – mixing well after each addition.
Alternately add the crème fraîche mixture and the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture in three additions. Fold in the apples (and any juices) then scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean or about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powered sugar or frost with bourbon buttercream (recipe below).
Bourbon Buttercream
Makes enough to frost one bundt cake + extra
1 stick (1/2 cup or 113 grams) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 – 2 cups (150 grams – 200 grams) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) bourbon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Beat butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar to the butter – 1/2 cup at a time – beating well after each addition. Add the bourbon, salt and vanilla and beat until smooth and spreadable, or about one minute more.
