Happy first day of fall! I tend to view anything after Labor Day as fall, even though it technically isn’t yet, but now we are officially in the season of pumpkin and apples and falling leaves. Here in Washington the weather is starting to cool off and you can feel a crispness in the air in the morning. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite season in the Pacific Northwest because the summers are so strikingly beautiful, but fall was always my favorite season as a kid growing up in the Midwest and they are pretty special out in Washington too. Fall for me means a lot of baking, and this chai-spiced apple cake is perfect for the season.
I am a big fan of bundt cakes. Since they aren’t layer cakes, they aren’t as time-consuming to assemble, and I think they can definitely pass as a coffee cake and enjoyed for breakfast. Last fall I shared this double chocolate pumpkin bundt cake, which is also pretty darn delicious if you’re looking for a pumpkin fix. The most stressful part of making a bundt cake is making sure that they come out of the pan, but I haven’t had an issue as long as I grease and flour the pan well.
I love pumpkin in the fall, but also in the running for my favorite fall flavors are apple cider, chai, and cinnamon. Those flavors are so cozy and combined in this delicious chai-spiced apple cake! Apple cider doughnuts are also one of my favorite baked goods of fall, and I will seek them out anytime we go to a pumpkin patch. Sometimes, I will even pick which pumpkin patch we go to depending on whether or not I can get my apple cider doughnut fix. As a kid, I remember apple picking and getting these doughnuts, but the closest apple orchard to us is over an hour away and I haven’t taken the boys yet. Maybe next year!
Tucked into this chai-spiced batter are chunks of apple. When I bake with apples, I almost always use Granny Smith apples, as I’m sure a lot of people do. The super tart apple is such a great pair with the sweet and spiced cake. Tossing the chopped apples with a little flour before folding them into the sweet and spiced batter makes sure that they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake. That way you get apples and cake in almost every bite!
Whether you serve this cake for breakfast, dessert, or it finds its way onto your Thanksgiving table, it’s perfection. Perfectly light and moist thanks to using Greek yogurt in addition to butter, deliciously spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg, and tart apples spread throughout, it’s the cake you’ll enjoy all autumn long.
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1½ cups plain Greek yogurt
- 3 cups + 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- ½ tsp. nutmeg
- 3 apples, peeled and chopped (I used Granny Smith)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a bundt pan. I have not used cooking spray with flour, I highly recommend using vegetable shortening to grease the pan and then shaking flour inside the pan to evenly coat it.
- Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer and a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add vanilla extract and Greek yogurt and mix well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Mix chopped apples and remaining 1 tbsp. flour in a small bowl.
- Fold apples into batter.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 5 minutes in pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I would bump up the spices a bit the next time I make it tho. The chai wasn’t real apparent.