Apple Spice Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
This apple spice cake is tender and filled with apples and spices, and topped with a cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups Apples with the peel
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup Granulated sugar plus ¼ cup for the top
- ¾ cup Brown sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ⅔ cup Sour cream
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Ginger
- ½ cup Applesauce
- ⅔ cup Vegetable oil
- 2 ¼ cups Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking soda
For the whipped cream frosting
- 8 oz Cream cheese room temp
- 1 cup Heavy cream cold
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
- ⅓ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a 9x9 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
- Wash and dry the apples with a towel and in a box grater, on the smaller holes (to get finely grated apples) great the apples with the peel on.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the grated apples, sour cream, oil, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla extract, applesauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, eggs, and salt, and mix with a whisk until well combined.
- Add the flour, and baking soda and mix with a whisk until there are no lump of flour visible.
- Pour the cake batter into a prepared 9 by 9 inch pan with parchment paper and smooth it out using a rubber spatula. Evenly sprinkle ¼ cup of sugar on top to create a crunchy and sweet layer of caramelized sugar on top.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 40-45 minutes (depending on your oven) or until a toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter.
- Allow the cake to reach room temperature for at least 1 hour.
Make the cream cheese frosting
- In a large mixing bowl add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, and mix with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Add the cream cheese and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Top the cooled cake with the whipped cream cheese frosting and make swirls using an offset spatula. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and serve!
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Grate the apples finely. Use a box grater to shred the apples into small pieces. This ensures even distribution throughout the cake and helps maintain moisture.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- When baking, Granny Smith apples are a great choice because they're tart and firm, which helps them keep their shape and add a nice flavor to baked goods.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that has unmixed parts of the mixture.
- Don't overbake. Check the cake 5-10 minutes before the recommended baking time. Insert a toothpick into the center; if it comes out with a few moist crumbs, the cake is done.
- Cool completely before frosting. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Ensure it's completely cool before applying the cream cheese frosting to prevent melting.
Nutrition
Calories: 356kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 4gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 238mgPotassium: 110mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 510IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg
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