Everything about this cake from Nicole Aufderhar says Minnesota, right down to the pan it’s baked in.

“Almost everyone I know has at least one apple tree in their yard and visiting the apple orchard is something I look forward to every year,” she writes about the recipe on her website, Ten Thousand Bakes. Aufderhar will bake a version of this cake for this year’s State Fair competition, but says she’ll likely forgo the candied pecans for toasted pecans. Feel free to do the same — it’s delicious either way.

Serves 12-16.

This Bundt cake takes the classic fall flavors you love but elevates them just enough with the addition of brown butter cream cheese frosting and candied pecans studded throughout the cake and artfully decorating the top. From Nicole Aufderhar of Ten Thousand Bakes.

For the candied pecans:

For the cake:

For the top:

Directions

For the candied pecans: Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, mix together sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg white and vanilla. Toss in the pecans and stir to coat. Pour the sugar mixture over the pecans and stir until evenly coated. Spread the pecans over the parchment-lined baking sheet. Try to get them in a single layer for best results. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until egg mixture is dry/crystallized and nuts are evenly toasted, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before using.

For the cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray Bundt pan with baking spray, such as Baker’s Joy or Pam baking spray made with flour. Alternatively, brush pan thoroughly with melted vegetable shortening and coat with flour.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk to combine buttermilk, apple cider and fresh ginger. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add butter and brown sugar. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping bowl down as needed. Once the butter and sugar are creamed, add the eggs one at a time. Scrape the bowl down and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds between each addition to properly incorporate the eggs.

Next, add the flour mixture in three batches, slowly alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Mix the batter on low for 20 seconds after each addition and scrape down the bowl before the next addition.

Chop the candied pecans you have set aside for the cake batter. Add the chopped apples and pecans to the batter and gently fold in by hand to incorporate.

Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, using a skewer or cake tester to check for doneness. A few loose crumbs should remain on your tester.

Let cake cool for 10 minutes before flipping it out of the pan. Cool completely before frosting.

For frosting and decorating: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add brown butter, room temperature butter and cream cheese. Mix on medium until combined, approximately 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and mix on medium until combined, approximately 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.

Add the vanilla and apple cider and mix on medium/high until light and fluffy. If mixture seems too thick to pipe, add more cider a little at a time to avoid turning your buttercream into a glaze.

To decorate, fill a piping bag fitted with a 6B piping tip (alternatively, fill a large zip-top bag and cut a 1¼-inch hole on the corner). Pipe design on top and top with additional candied pecans.