#BundtBakers ~ Cranberry and Apricot Fruit Bundt Cake

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

Welcome to our December 2019 Fruitcake Bundt event! A fruitcake for our intents and purposes is any cake containing dried fruits and nuts. I did a little bit of searching around and found this recipe calling for the combination of cranberries and apricots which sounded intriguing! I had to give it a try - and my opinion of fruitcake is forever elevated.

Come see all the delicious fruitcakes we are sharing with you today:

• Applejack Bundt Cake from Palatable Pastime
• Cake aux Fruit Bundt from Patyco Candybar
• Cranberry and Apricot Fruit Bundt Cake from Making Miracles
• Dried Fruit Bundt Cake from Living the Gourmet
• Gram's Famous Fruit Cake from Food Lust People Love
• Macadamia and Tropical Fruit Bundt Cake from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Sorrel/Hibiscus Fruit Cake from Sneha's Recipe
• Spiced Rum Cake from A Day in the Life on the Farm

This cake is a lovely dense cake, almost pound cake-esque in texture. It has a subtle flavor, and is just chock full of chewy bites of delicious fruit.

I cannot believe how quickly this year has started coming to a close. It has been a year of such big ups and downs. So much love, and continued heartbreak and frustration in some areas. I am immeasurably blessed in my life in many ways, and I choose to focus my heart and attention there but there are other areas I continue to hope to see improve and grow in this coming year. My biggest wish is always for my children - I hope Kent will find a little more of a purpose in this coming year as he continues to struggle with the physical disability from his stroke over 4 years ago. And for Lindsey I hope she continues to blossom and grow into her unique strong brave quirky amazing little self. May she always feel empowered and so very loved.

Cranberry and Apricot Fruit Bundt Cake adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

Dried Fruit
2 cups dried apricots, chopped
2 cups dried cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice

Cake
16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup orange juice
1 16-oz jar maraschino cherries, drained

Glaze
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk or water (more or less to make a thin, pourable glaze)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Pull out a large 12-cup bundt pan (don't spray until right before you're ready to fill with batter).
2. Add your dried fruit to a large microwave safe measuring cup (5-cup capacity) or a small / medium bowl; add the orange juice. Microwave about 2 minutes, liquid should come to a simmer. Stir and set aside while you prepare the batter. 
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the softened butter with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the baking powder and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides as needed, until well incorporated. Alternate the flour with the 1 cup of orange juice until batter is combined, do not overmix. Finish by hand with a spatula if needed. Stir in the softened dried fruit and the drained marashino cherries, gently stir just until combined (batter should be thick and tolerate the fruit well).
4. Spray your bundt pan generously with baking spray and then add in the batter.
5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 90 minutes; checking at 80 minutes for doneness. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Place bundt on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes, before turning out to complete cooling.
7. Place a sheet of parchment or a silpat under your cooling rack.
8. While still warm, use a pastry brush and add the glaze all over, adding glaze that drips down underneath back to the cake until cake won't tolerate anymore. Once completely cooled, wrap and let it sit at least overnight before slicing and serving.

Little fingers needed in on the taste testing and photos!