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Apple Spice Cake

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Cake
Servings: 10 -12
Author: Gotta Get Baked

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 1/2 lb about 4 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces (I used a mix of gala and golden delicious apples)
  • Juice from half a lemon
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup whole milk at room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temp
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
  • 4 large eggs at room temp

For the cream cheese filling:

  • 2 blocks of cream cheese room temp
  • 1 cup unsalted butter room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

For the apple pie filling:

  • 4 apples I used a mix of gala, honeycrisp and golden delicious, peeled, cored, and cut into ½-1 inch pieces
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp cloves
  • ½ tsp nutmeg

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Place your diced apples in a large saucepan with the lemon juice and brown sugar. Cook the apples over medium heat until the apples are soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans, then place a round of parchment in the bottom of each and spray the round. I used 9-inch cake pans.
  • Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl. Whisk the milk and vanilla together in a small measuring cup. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, 3/4 cups granulated sugar and the maple syrup on medium speed (stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice) until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after eat addition.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then with the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients in three additions, and the milk mixture in two, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and beating just until combined. Mix in the cooked and cooled apples.
  • Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pans on wire racks for about 20 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto the racks to complete cooling.

For the cream cheese frosting:

  • In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter on medium high speed for at least three minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla and maple syrup. Mix until fully combined.

For the apple pie filling:

  • Place the diced apples into a large saucepan over medium heat with the lemon juice. Cook until it begins to soften, then add the sugar and spices. Mix to combine. Cook until the apples are completely softened.

To assemble:

  • I cut my two cakes into four layers. Place one layer of the cake on a cake plate. Spread a thin layer of frosting, then top with apple pie filling. Place the next layer of cake over top and keep building until you get to the last layer of cake. Frost the top and sides of the assembled cake with the remaining frosting. Chill the cake for at least 1 hour before serving (I CANNOT stress this enough!). Don’t transport this if you can – the cake is HEAVY. You can garnish the sides with chopped walnuts as I did – it provides a lovely contrast in texture (I love the oily, nutty crunch against the smooth frosting and the spicy apple cake).