New England Harvest Bundt Cake
Submitted by Laurie Lufkin
Ingredients
For the Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup Vermont maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons Cape Cod whole berry cranberry sauce
1/3 cup sweetened dried Cape Cod cranberries, chopped
 For the Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 For the Topping
1/2 cup Macintosh, Granny Smith or other tart New England apple sauce
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoons apple brandy
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup New England hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup sweetened dried Cape Cod cranberries chopped
 Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease Bundt pan well and set aside.
In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt and set aside.
In a medium bowl prepare the filling. Beat together cream cheese, egg, cornstarch and maple syrup. Add brown sugar, butter, salt and cinnamon, cranberries and cranberry sauce until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use (you can make the filling a day in advance)
In a large bowl beat granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time until blended. Beat in pumpkin, sour cream and vanilla until well combined. Beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
Spoon one half of the batter into the pan. Spoon filling on top of batter in a ring but do not allow filling to touch the edge of the pan. Top with remaining batter, spooning cake batter to the edges of the pan so that the filling is enclosed in batter on all sides (like a tunnel of filling). Bake for 60 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake (not in to the filling) comes out clean.
Remove from oven and place on cooling rack for 15 minutes. Turn out on to rack to cool completely.
When cake is cool, place on serving plate. Whisk together apple sauce, confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, brandy, heavy cream and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over cake and sprinkle with hazelnuts and cranberries