happy september!!!! back to work, back to school (so glad i am no longer part of the latter category) calls for a cake. not just any old cake, but an APPLE PIE cake. actually though, it is filled with fresh apple pie filling, sandwiched between three layers of apple spice cake & finished off with cream cheese frosting. as if that wasn't enough, i decided to give it a drizzle in salted caramel because YOLO.
this special cake is not just to celebrate the beginning of a new month (the month that kicks off my FAVOURITE months.. hurry up october), but was also for my older sister's 30th birthday.. i mean 29th birthday! while her favourite cake is chocolate cake, her favourite dessert is apple pie. i figured in her thiry years she has had her share of chocolate cake, so it was time to create something a little more special. when she went away to university, i would send apple pies up with my parents any time they went to visit her. it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try & make a cake that taste just like those old memories. she absolutely loved it & said "this actually taste like pie" so that means it was a huge success! now i need to see what else i can whip up with apples because the apple orchards are starting to open here & i want to go apple picking so badly! what are you most looking forward to this month?! i don't know if it is sweater weather quite yet;)
ingredients
for the apple spice cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup grated apples, packed
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
for the apple pie filling
- 3-4 medium apples, peeled & thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
for the cinnamon cream cheese frosting
- 1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups icing sugar, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 ounces full fat cream cheese
- salted caramel, optional
directions
for the apple spice cake
- preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and brown sugar.
- add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. mix until mixture is pale & fluffy.
- beat in the grated apples & whole milk.
- in a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg. gradually add to stand mixer at low speed.
- evenly distribute batter amongst two greased 8-inch round cake pans or three greased 6-inch round cake pans.
- bake each layer for about 15-20 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
- let cakes cool completely before flipping & frosting.
for the apple pie filling
- in a skillet over medium heat add the apples, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cornstarch, cinnamon & nutmeg. toss to coat.
- cook until the apples are tender & gooey just like apple pie.
- set aside & let cool before using.
for the frosting
- add butter, icing sugar, vanilla & cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until light and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes.
- turn mixture to medium speed & add the cream cheese one chunk at a time. beat for 30 seconds.
- when you are ready to frost the cake start with a layer of cake, frosting then filling until you reach the last layer of cake. to ensure the filling stays inside the cake, create a thick border along the edges with the frosting.
- frost the outside as desired & drizzle with salted caramel!
like what you see? get it here. table runner | cake stand | plate | mug | flatware | chemex