Foodie Fridays: Easy Applesauce Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Simple Maple Glaze

This past weekend we had our neighbors over for dinner.  I made my favorite chili recipe (with the addition of our new favorite green chiles, of course!), my husband put together a fabulous salad, and I baked an easy bundt cake for dessert.  The latter was a new recipe and was quite tasty, especially with the addition of semisweet chocolate chips.  My biggest recommendation is to make sure that you leave plenty of time for the cake to cool (preferably overnight), because if you try to get it out of the pan before it cools completely the cake will probably not release in one piece!  However, even if the cake does not come out of the pan perfectly, it is still delicious, so give this recipe a try when you are in the mood for a Bundt cake.

Easy Applesauce Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Simple Maple Glaze

2 sticks (1 C. ) butter, softened
2 C. dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 C. flour*
1 T. baking powder
1 T. cinnamon
2 C. unsweetened applesauce
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips
Simple Maple Glaze (below) or confectioner's sugar

Spray a nonstick Bundt pan generously with baking spray (such as Baker's Joy).

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.  Add the eggs and mix until well combined.  Blend in 1 C. flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Add 1 C. applesauce and combine well.  Blend in the remaining flour, followed by the remaining applesauce.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared Bundt pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool completely.  Carefully invert the cake onto a plate.  Drizzle with glaze or sift confectioner's sugar over the top, if desired.  Serves 16.

Simple Maple Glaze

1 C. confectioner's sugar
2-3 tsp. milk (more if needed)
1/4 tsp. maple extract

Combine the sugar and milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth and shiny.  Stir in the maple extract.  Add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, if the glaze is too thick.  Drizzle over the cake.  (Keep covered with plastic wrap until ready to use.)

*I used 1 1/2 C. white whole wheat flour and 1 1/4 C. all-purpose unbleached flour

Note: I always seem to have trouble getting Bundt cakes out of the pan in one piece, probably because I do not let them cool completely.  Next time I will bake the cake the night before and leave it to cool overnight before trying to remove it from the pan.  I may also try freezing it in the pan for a short time, allowing it to cool more and firm up without freezing it solid, to see if that makes it easier to get the cake out of the pan.  I will let you know how these methods work when I get the chance to try them out!