Spiced Apple and Cranberry Bundt Cake

I have made so many versions of a 'spicy bundt' that it's becoming a bit of a habit, but I'm making no apologies for it. Christmas baking is about that wonderfully spicy smell which permeates the house; a smell so good that even Yankee haven't mastered it.

On my last trip to Tesco, I found a tin of Princes ready made pie filling. Intrigued. It was always going to go one way or the other; thankfully, this went my way. It's like stewed fruit in a thick, spicy syrup, which is ready to stick in your pastry case. I had to try it in a bundt... These ready-made wonders seem commonplace in America, but this is the first time I've seen them here.

The result is a very moist cake, which is a bit like a pudding to be honest. That syrup somehow ripples throughout the batter, even when fully mixed in, and you'll get lovely chunks of fruit throughout. If you're struggling to find this tinned beauty, try a nice thick jam instead.

Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 450g golden caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 360g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 250ml vanilla yoghurt 
• 100g tinned apple and cranberry pie filling (I used Princes from Tesco) 
• Icing sugar and apple juice to decorate - optional.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with melted butter and dust with flour. I used the Nordic Ware Cinnamon Bun tin. 
3. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add the extract.
6. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices.
7. Pour the yoghurt into a jug.
8. Sift in a third of the flour mix followed by half the yoghurt. Repeat this until everything is combined. 
9. Tip in the tinned pie filling.
10. Give everything a quick mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds.
11. Pour the mix into your prepared tin. 
12. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
13. Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
14. When completely cool, make the glacé icing by mixing icing sugar with enough apple juice to make a runny consistency.

Where to buy this stuff:
Cake Release
Apple Pie Filling

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and basic recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page.