Everything's Better with Bacon

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, prepare to be amazed!  Prepare to be terrified!  Prepare to be shocked by the awesomeness!  Prepare yourselves for... Apple Bacon Bundt Cake. 

Now that you've had a chance to pick yourselves up off the floor and have steadied your constitutions, I'll repeat, prepare yourselves for Apple Bacon Bundt Cake.  That's right, there's bacon in this cake.  I have to admit when my wonderful mama passed along this recipe I was a bit horrified, so of course I had to try it.

Imagine, if you can, a combination of sweet/tart, warm cinnamon and nutmeg, with smoky, salty bacon all wrapped up and covered in a layer of glazed goodness.  That, in a nutshell, is today's cake.  You start by cooking the bacon until crisp.  Once the bacon is cooked, you remove it from the pan and add the apples to the hot bacon grease.  I really thought this step would make me gag, but the smell of the apples caramelizing in smokey bacon drippings was actually amazing.  Like a chocolate covered pretzel with its sweet/salty aroma, but a hogillion times better.

The batter itself is a pretty basic spice cake recipe, minus the bacon of course.  Once combined, you add the bacon and caramelized apples, pour into a greased/flour bundt pan and bake until the dogs are sitting in front of the oven salivating like Pavlov has rung a bell.  On a side note, all I could think while baking this cake was "There's a hole in this cake" in a very Greek accent.  Don't worry, I fixed it...

When the dogs have practically licked the door off the oven, take it out and let it cool for about 10 minuts, plop it onto your cake plate of choice, slather it in the glaze that's been sitting patiently in the bowl on the counter, and then sprinkle it with bacon.  You heard me... I said sprinkle it with bacon.  Do it... just trust me.  The end result is something that will make your mouth water and your boyfriend groan.. in a totally PG kinda way of course.

And now, what you've all been waiting for... Bacon Cake Pictures!

And because we could hardly wait to try it, here's what it looks like when you cut into it:

See the bacon pieces in the cake??  YUM.

What?  You want the recipe?  Sure thing.

Cake:
2 c finely diced granny smith apples
10 slices thick apple-wood or maple-smoked bacon
3 eggs
1 c natural no-sugar added applesauce
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 c sugar
3 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder

Glaze:
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp no-sugar-added applesauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 10-in fluted bundt pan. 

Dice the bacon into small pieces (no larger than 1/2 in) and brown in skillet until crispy.  Set bacon aside to drain; add apples to remaining bacon fat and cook just until they are a little caramelized (about 1-2 min).  Remove apples from skillet and set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer at medium speed until thick and lemony-looking.  Add applesauce, oil, and vanilla.  Mix on medium speed until everything is incorporated.  Add sugar and beat for 1 minute.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and baking powder; add into wet mixture and beat until fully incorporated.

Reserve 3 tbsp of cooked bacon for cake topping.  Add the rest of the bacon and the apples to mixture and beat for 1 minute.  Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Right after you put the pan into the oven, mix ingredients for the glaze and let sit in a covered bowl until the cake is ready. 

Remove the cake from the oven and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Turn cake onto cake place.  Drizzle glaze all over warm cake and sprinkle with reserved bacon.

So, there you go.  Hope you all can terrify your friends and family, and enjoy!