In this healthy cranberry-walnut Bundt cake recipe, Greek yogurt and shredded apple or pear keep the cake moist and are a healthy substitute for extra butter. If you want to use something other than allspice, try pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon in the filling. For a nut-free variation, omit the walnuts in the cake or use chopped dried cranberries in their place.
Cranberry Bundt Cake
Serves 16
Serving Size: 1 slice
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours (including 2 hours cooling time)
Equipment:
10-cup Bundt pan or tube pan
Filling:
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup 100 cranberry juice or water
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or pumpkin pie spice
Cake:
1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 medium apple or ripe but firm pear, shredded
3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Glaze:
1/2 cup packed confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons water
1. To prepare filling: Combine cranberries, brown sugar, juice (or water) and allspice (or pumpkin pie spice) in a small nonreactive saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar is melted. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the cranberries have burst, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a 10-cup Bundt or tube pan with cooking spray.
3. To prepare cake: Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Combine yogurt and vanilla in a small bowl.
4. Beat butter, oil and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the yogurt mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients and beating on low speed just until incorporated after each addition, scraping down the sides as necessary. Fold in apple (or pear) and walnuts.
5. Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon the filling on top of the batter, leaving a little border of batter on both sides. Top with the remaining batter and smooth the top.
6. Bake the cake until light brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and center, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours.
7. To prepare glaze: Place confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon water and stir until smooth. Add more water as needed to achieve a thick glaze consistency. Paint the glaze over the cooled cake with a pastry brush.
8. To make ahead: Tightly wrap cooled, unglazed cake and hold at room temperature for up to one day. Glaze before serving.
Recipe notes: White whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole-wheat flour. It is available at large supermarkets and natural-foods stores and online at bobsredmill.com or kingarthurflour.com. Store it in the freezer.
Be sure to use a nonreactive pan baking dish or bowl -- stainless-steel, enamel-coated or glass -- when cooking with acidic food (citrus, cranberries, tomatoes) to prevent the food from reacting with the pan. Reactive pans, such as aluminum and cast-iron, can impart off colors and/or flavors.
Recipe nutrition: Per serving: 330 calories; 11 g fat (3 g sat, 4 g mono); 43 mg cholesterol; 53 g carbohydrate; 29 g added sugars; 33 g total sugars; 7 g protein; 3 g fiber; 148 mg sodium; 110 mg potassium.
3 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving(s)
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fruit, 2 other carbohydrate, 2 fat
(EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.)
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