Alton Brown's Apple Spice Bundt Cake Recipe

For those of you looking for Alton Brown's Apple Spice Bundt Cake recipe from last week's Best Thing I Ever Made episode you can find it on here Alton's website, and printed below. Looks yummy! Sorry, couldn't locate an online video of the episode yet.

For the cake:
15 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour, plus extra for the pan
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground grains of paradise
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground rosemary
1/8 teaspoon ground star anise
12 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature, plus extra for the pan
8 ounces granulated sugar
7 ounces light brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Granny Smith apples, about 8 ounces each, 1/4-inch dice
3 ounces pecans, chopped
1 1/2 ounces crystallized ginger, finely chopped

For the glaze:
6 ounces powdered sugar
4 teaspoons dark rum
1 tablespoon water
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Cake Procedure:
Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Lightly butter a bundt pan and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices, together in a large bowl.
Combine butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, beat on medium until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Whisk together the eggs and vanilla and slowly add, with the mixer on low speed, to the butter and sugar.  Add the flour one-third at a time and beat on low just until combined after each addition.  Stir in the apples, pecans, and ginger.
Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan, the batter is thick and will fill the pan.  Bake for 75 minutes, rotating the pan after 30 minutes.  The cake is done when it pulls away from the sides of the pan, springs back when pressed and the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F.

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Invert and remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely on the rack before glazing.
Glaze Procedure:
Combine the powdered sugar, rum, and water in a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.  Pour the glaze onto the bundt cake and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Let the glaze set for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Alton Brown Interview: Why Writing Recipes Doesn't Work

A short segment from a Serious Eats interview with Alton Brown where he explains how a recipe just doesn't work well for somebody if they do not have the proper context.

Alton Brown's Twas the Night Before Good Eats

I wish Alton had done more dedicated Christmas specials along the way with Good Eats since there are so many recipes and culture to cover. Twas the Night Before Good Eats showcases Alton's talent for mixing cooking and entertainment, and also some features of the show's regular character actors. Bart Hansard was my favorite and I love him as Santa. Always entertaining!

Enjoy

Alton Brown's Chocolate Coconut Ball Cookies

From Food Network's listing of the 12 Days of Cookies:

Alton Brown's Chocolate Coconut Ball Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup toasted chopped Macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• One 7-ounce bag sweetened shredded coconut
• One 12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate morsels, melted
• 1 tablespoon shortening

Directions

In a bowl mix together the nuts, condensed milk, almond extract and coconut. Using your fingers, press the mixture into balls about 3/4-inch round. Place onto sheet trays and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours or in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
After the balls have set up, melt the chocolate and shortening until smooth. Dip into the chocolate to coat evenly and lightly. Place onto a parchment or foil lined sheet pan to dry.