Apple Cider Poke Pound Cake

My week. The candy aftermath. Aiden and Zaria came back from Brianna's on Wednesday with pillowcases still half-full from trick-or-treat, and the first thing Zaria did was dump hers on the living room floor and organize it by type. Chocolate in one pile. Gummy in another. Hard candy Γçö which she called "old people candy" Γçö in a reject pile she generously offered to me. She is six years old and already running an inventory system. I ate three Butterfingers from the reject pile and felt no shame.

Basketball practice Thursday. Week four. The kids are starting to look like a team, which means they pass to each other sometimes instead of never. I ran a basic two-man game drill Γçö pick and roll, simplified to the point where it's really just "stand here and then move there" Γçö and Aiden picked it up immediately. He sees the floor. That's not something you teach. That's something you have or you don't, and he has it. I caught myself doing the math Γçö if he plays travel ball by ten, AAU by twelve Γçö and I stopped. I physically stopped on the sideline and took a breath. That math leads to a gym floor and a scream and a torn ACL. I'm coaching seven-year-olds. I'm not scouting my son. I blew the whistle and ran a dribbling relay and let the joy be enough.

Saturday I made beef stew. Real fall cooking now Γçö the kind where you want the apartment to smell like something warm when the wind is pushing through the windows. Chuck roast cut into chunks, seasoned heavy Γçö salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika. Seared in the Dutch oven until every side has a crust. Onions, carrots, celery, garlic. Tomato paste, beef broth, a splash of Worcestershire. Potatoes in halfway through so they don't turn to mush. Bay leaves. Thyme. Low and slow for two hours while the apartment fills with the kind of smell that makes Zaria wander into the kitchen and say "is it ready yet" fourteen times. I served it with Mama's cornbread Γçö sweet, golden, cast iron. Aiden had two bowls. Zaria ate around the carrots with surgical precision. I saved a container for Mama and dropped it off Sunday. She tasted it and said, "The potatoes are good." Which means everything was good but she's not going to say that out loud. The woman has never given a five-star review in her life. I'll take the potato compliment.

Pop was watching the Lions. Not the Tigers Γçö football season now. He said the Lions might actually be good this year. He's said this every year since 1991. But this year he might be right, which is the most dangerous thing a Detroit sports fan can feel: hope.

The stew had been going for two hours and the apartment already smelled the way October is supposed to smell, so I figured if I was going to cook like it was actually fall, I might as well commit. That’s when this Apple Cider Poke Pound Cake came back to me — the kind of dessert that belongs on the same counter as a Dutch oven, right next to Mama’s cornbread. Zaria had already eaten three pieces of Halloween candy while I wasn’t looking, but she still found room for a slice of this, which tells you everything you need to know about it.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 60 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup sour cream
For the cider soak: 1 cup apple cider, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon
For the glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 2–3 tbsp apple cider

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan thoroughly, making sure to coat every crevice.
Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Alternate dry and wet. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the apple cider and sour cream (beginning and ending with flour), mixing just until combined after each addition. Do not overmix.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
Make the cider soak. While the cake bakes, combine the apple cider, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reduces slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Poke and soak. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a skewer or chopstick to poke holes all over the top of the cake (which will be the bottom once flipped). Slowly pour two-thirds of the warm cider soak over the holes and let it absorb for 10 minutes.
Invert and finish soaking. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Poke holes over the top surface and pour the remaining soak over the cake. Let cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
Glaze and serve. Whisk the powdered sugar and apple cider together until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Slice and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Apple Cider Poke Pound Cake — The Sweetest End to a Beef Stew Saturday