Apple Bacon Cakes

Mini Apple Bacon Cakes

Photo courtesy of Amy Hobbs Photography; amyhobbs.com

This past holiday season, I created a new dessert, mini apple bacon cakes with a whisky caramel glaze.  A few years ago, a dear friend gave me  her grandmother’s apple cake recipe which we jokingly called “Marry-Me Apple Cake” because any time we baked it and took it anywhere, well, you get the point.

The cake was fairly dense, and originally a bundt cake.  But I always had issues with its consistency.  Sometimes it took longer to bake than others, a few times it would fall apart and parts would be stuck in the pan, leaving us very frustrated.

After closer inspection, I realized we could cut the oil and sugar almost in half. I also realized I could add more elements to give it more texture. Then I started modifying the ingredients even more, until finally I landed on my prize-winning (fine, it was an office party competition) mini-cakes.

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c chopped apples (use a combination of 3: I recommend a tart, i.e. Granny Smith/Allington Pippen, smooth: i.e.Jonalicious/Perry Russet, and one full bodied you get the point…)
• 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp almond extract – or 1 tsp of either
• 1 1/4 c granulated white sugar
• 3/4 c vegetable oil (I usually only use 1/2 c or eyeball it)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. chopped candied bacon (recipe below)
• Small bottle of whisky, 1/2 c. brown sugar, (for caramel glaze, recipe below)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees, F. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Separately, whisk together sugar, oil, and eggs. Add the wet elements to the dry elements, a portion at a time to ensure proper blending. Fold in apples, 1 c. bacon, and the vanilla/almond extracts. Pour mixture into greased/floured cake pans:

• Bundt: Cook 1 hr; after cooling, invert. Poke holes in it, pour glaze over cake, top with reserved 1/2 c. bacon
• Mini cakes: recommend greasing but not flouring the tins. Bake for about 12-15 min. I dip the cake tops in the glaze and then into reserved bacon. You may want more candied bacon for maximum effect.
• Full size muffin: Grease but do not flour tins. Bake about 15-20 min. Like the minicakes, I dip top into glaze and then reserve candied bacon.

Candied bacon  

• 1 pkg cured thick-cut bacon (I prefer smoked) – about 2 lbs
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar (this is a guess. I don’t really pay attention)
• About 2 T cinnamon, dash of cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, cardamom, clove (or allspice)

Combine sugar and spices, to taste. Place bacon on foil-lined baking sheet. Coat sugar mixture on top side. Bake for about 7-9 minutes, checking. Before cooked through, remove, and flip the bacon, coat the second side and finish. It should be about 15 min total– it is crispy bacon. I put my oven at 400 to speed the process. Let cool on cooling racks before chopping, about 30 min.

Whisky Glaze:

• Bottle of whisky; I use the smaller Jack Daniels bottle, it’s flavor is distinct
• 1/2 c. brown sugar (I normally use light)
• If you want to add milk or butter for added creaminess/texture, it is nice.

Add ingredients in a saucepan. Let simmer until the alcohol is cooked out and the liquid is reduced at least by half. It should be thicker.

02 Jan This entry was published on January 2, 2012 at 01:49 and is filed under almond extract, apple, bacon, brown sugar, cardamom, cayenne pepper, chili powder, clove, cumin, DESSERT, granulated sugar, SUGAR, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, whisky. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.