Apple and Butterscotch Mini Bundt Cakes

Directions

1. Cakes
2. Pour 1 cup of the apple cider into a small saucepan. Boil until it’s reduced to ½. Pour in a bowl and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in the same saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar, ¼ cup apple cider, ¼ cup reduced apple cider (keep the remainder for the cake), and the cream. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer another minute then set aside to cool.
4. Preheat oven to 350. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add the apples, ½ cup apple cider, and 4 tablespoons of the reduced apple cider. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes over medium high heat, until the liquid is reduced to ½. Set aside to cool a bit.
5. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves.
6. Add the ⅔ cup melted butter to the apple mixture. Make sure the mixture is not too hot and then add in the eggs whisking quickly–you want it to be a consistent mixture, not curdled! Add the apple mix to the flour mix and stir until just combined.
7. Butter and flour 12 mini bundt cakes-be thorough! So sad when cake sticks. Pour into bundt pans, filling ⅔ full. I find it easiest to use a cookie scoop and plop in 2 scoops on each end of each bundt cake. Add more with a spoon if you didn’t get in enough batter. Do a low, quick drop of your pans onto your counter to deflate bubbles and to get a more even spread of your batter. If you have more batter leftover, pour into lined and greased mini cupcake pans-just shorten the time on these guys to about 10 minutes. Bake mini bundts about 14 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 8 minutes and then invert onto cooling rack misted with cooking spray. Evenly brush apple cider glaze all over each cake. If you still have more glaze remaining, do another coat.

1. Sauce & Frosting
2. Melt the butter in a medium heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir in the corn syrup and turn heat up to medium. Add the sugars, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cream and stir until it boils again. Take off the heat and add the vanilla. It will thicken as it cools.
3. In a large bowl beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla about 2 minutes until very creamy, light, and fluffy. Add 5 cups of powdered sugar and the ½ cup of butterscotch sauce. Beat until well combined. If you’d like it thicker, add more powdered sugar and beat again until well blended. Add the tiniest pinch of salt if desired.
4. Pipe or spread the frosting onto your mini bundt cakes (and cupcakes if you have them). Refrigerate the cakes to help them set and to keep them happy. Remove 30 minutes before serving. Warm the butterscotch sauce in the microwave for about 20 seconds and drizzle each cake right before serving.