Apple Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

This Apple Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect cake for fall! It's light, incredibly moist and full of fresh apple flavor!

I made this cake for the Fall Harvest Issue of Entertain & Celebrate Magazine along with 3 other fall recipes and I'm so happy to share it on the blog today!

This cake is super easy to make and is made with simple, fresh ingredients. The maple cream cheese frosting pairs perfectly with the apple and it is MELT IN YOUR MOUTH GOOD. It's the perfect cake for fall parties, Thanksgiving and every gathering in between. If you're an apple lover, you'll also love my Glazed Apple Pie Bars.

My favorite cake decorating supplies:

• Cake pans-Most of my cake recipes call for 8-inch cake pans and I love these from Williams Sonoma. I also use thesefrom Wilton.

• Wire rack-I love this wire rack from Williams Sonoma because it's non-stick and is easy to clean.

• Turntable-Having a turntable is crucial to decorating a cake and getting it smooth on all sides.

• Rubber spatula-I keep about 10 white rubber spatulas in my utensil crock because I use them EVERY DAY! I use them when making the cake and frosting.

• Offset spatula-I love using the smaller offset spatula when decorating cakes because I have more control of the frosting.

• Icing smoother-If you want a beautiful, smooth cake, you need this icing smoother. It's one of my favorite tools!

• Piping bags-I use these for cake decorating and cookie decorating and love that they are disposable so I don't have to worry about cleaning them.

• Piping tips-This is a great set of large piping tips for creating pretty borders around a cake.

I hope you make this Apple Spice Cake for the ones you love. Happy baking!

Photos by Mary Grace Bethea.

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Apple Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: 3 layered, 8 inch cake

Author: Elisabeth and Butter

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 /2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 cups peeled and finely chopped apples (I used Granny Smith)

For the Frosting:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 8 oz package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• Cinnamon for sprinkling on top

instructions:

How to cook Apple Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

For the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 3, 8-inch cake pans.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until combined.
3. In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat together softened butter, brown sugar and oil for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Add in half of the dry ingredients, beating until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the vanilla extract, milk and applesauce, mixing until just combined.
5. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until smooth, then add in the 2 cups of chopped apples and stir to combine.
6. Pour batter into the 3 greased cake pans and bake for 18-24 minutes or until the cake is set and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
7. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Frosting:

1. In a clean mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the softened butter and cream cheese together for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add in the confections sugar, vanilla and maple syrup and beat on medium speed for 1 minute until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
2. To assemble, place one cake layer on a plate or cake pedestal and spread a layer of buttercream. Repeat with the other layer and then frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream. Store the cake in the refrigerator but let it return to room temperature before serving.

NOTES:

The assembled cake will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also make a 9×13 cake with this recipe. Follow the recipe completely but bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Created using The Recipes Generator