This time of year I always have way more on my plate than I know what to do with – and I am not just talking about food here.  There are so many places I want to get to during the holiday season, things I want to do with my kids, and an endless supply of goodies to make.  There are a few staples that I make every year – like these, and oh these – but I also try to do some new baking as well, just to see what happens.  Hopefully I will be posting some good ones over the next couple of weeks.  Just know, nothing I do during the holidays takes too much time, as I just don’t have that much time to spare.  So if you work full-time, have kids, and other priorities in your life that take you away from the kitchen…don’t worry, these posts will be just for you.

My family loves a good bundt cake – and for the most part I do too.  Lately though I have not been doing well in the bundt cake department.  The last few that I have made completely stuck to the pan, so much that it was just embarrassing.  I actually thought about it quite a bit, and decided on a different strategy the next time I tackled one.  When I saw this in last month’s Cooking Light, I decided it would be my guinea pig.  Instead of just spraying the pan and dusting with flour, I heavily greased the pan with butter – a good thick layer, and then dusted with flour.  I know I am adding to the calories here, but it was completely worth it, because the bundt cake came out beautifully, all in one piece, and with nothing stuck to the pan.  I was thrilled.  For a light recipe, this bundt cake was moist and delicious.  The filling added a nice touch – and even though I doubled the cinnamon from the original recipe (updated below), it still could have used more.  I opted to leave out the walnuts, but that would help the filling as well.  If you are looking for a cake to bring to a potluck, that will serve a lot of people – this is a keeper.  Otherwise, check back soon for other holiday treats – they might not be light on calories, but definitely light on your time.  That is what I consider a gift right now…

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups diced peeled Granny Smith or other tart apple
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

Streusel:

• 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cake:

• Baking spray with flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 3/4 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare filling, combine first 4 ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 20 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates and apple is tender, stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature. Discard cinnamon stick.

To prepare streusel, combine walnuts and next 3 ingredients (through ground cinnamon) in a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.

To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup bundt pan with baking spray. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs and egg yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; add seeds to sugar mixture. Reserve bean for another use. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine milk and yogurt in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until combined.

Spoon one-third of batter into prepared pan; sprinkle batter with half apple mixture and half walnut mixture. Repeat layers, ending with remaining third of batter; smooth with a spatula. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes; remove cake from pan. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Apple-Cinnamon Bundt Cake