Apple Chai Bread Pudding Bundt Cake with Vanilla Bean Caramel

This apple chai bread pudding bundt cake will turn some serious heads at Thanksgiving this year. This rich chai flavored dessert looks like cake but actually tastes like bread pudding. Is your mind blown?! The batter is laced with chai spices and drizzled on top is an unbelievable vanilla bean caramel sauce. Add this to your Thanksgiving menu STAT!

This whole cake concept started out as chai bread pudding and then quickly turned into a cake. You see, I recently got this fancy bundt pan and knew it would create a show stopping dessert on our Friendsgiving table. The caramel sauce itself is delicious on anything but combined with this chai bread pudding bundt cake, is an unbeatable pairing!

Apple Chai Bread Pudding Bundt Cake with Vanilla Bean Caramel

Recipe By Elizabeth Van Lierde

Servings:

ingredients

For vanilla bean caramel
1 Cup of granulated sugar
½ Cup of heavy cream
6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter diced
1 Vanilla bean pod scraped
¼ Teaspoon of flaky sea salt
For apple bundt cake
Unsalted butter for greasing
14 Cups of cubed stale French bread
1 Pink lady apple grated
3 Large eggs
3 Egg yolks
⅔ Cup of heavy cream
3 Cups of whole milk
½ Cup of honey
¼ Cup of vanilla bean caramel
2 Teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 Teaspoons of ground cinnamon
½ Teaspoon of cardamom
¼ Teaspoon of ground cloves
¼ Teaspoon of sea salt

instructions

For caramel
In a heavy bottom saucepan heat one cup of sugar until melted, 5-10 minutes. Stir consistently with a wooden spoon and be VERY careful not to burn. The color should be amber brown. Any darker and you have burned your sugar. Add in butter slowly and stir until melted.
Very slowly add in heavy whipping cream.
Continue to boil and stir for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove pan from heat add in salt and vanilla beans from pod. Transfer caramel to a glass jar to cool completely and thicken.
For apple bundt cake
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 10-Cup Bundt pan well with unsalted butter and set aside. Fill a separate 8-inch cake tin with ¾ cup of water and place on the bottom rack of oven. The steam will ensure a moist Bundt cake.
In an extra large bowl toss together bread cubes and shredded apple. In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk, honey, caramel, vanilla extract, salt and spices until smooth. Pour egg mixture over bread cubes and stir mixture to coat evenly. Let mixture soak for 15 minutes.
Press the soaked bread mixture into greased bundt pan in 3 increments. Press each layer down into the bundt pan. Place bundt pan in the middle of the oven above water filled cake tin. Bake cake for 50-55 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Remove the cake tin with water. Turn the oven off and open the door to vent. Keep Bundt pan in the oven until cake has cooled completely. Flip the cake onto a serving platter and drizzle with remaining vanilla bean caramel.