Chocolate Applesauce Bundt Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/3 cups applesauce
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 18 hazelnuts, toasted and peeled

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 325 degrees f.
• 2 grease and sugar a 10-cup bundt pan.
• 3 beat the butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.
• 4 add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• 5 beat in the vanilla.
• 6 in a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
• 7 whisk the buttermilk and applesauce together.
• 8 add the flour to the butter mixture, alternating with the applesauce mixture, mixing well after each addition.
• 9 stir in the chocolate chips.
• 10 spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• 11 cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• 12 for the glaze, heat the cream to just below a simmer and pour over the chopped chocolate.
• 13 let sit for one minute then stir to smooth out.
• 14 stir in the butter to melt in and thicken the glaze.
• 15 pour over the top of the cake and let drip down the sides.
• 16 garnish with the hazelnuts.