2cupspeeled and diced apples, about 2-3 large apples (I used Honeycrisp)
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
2cups(450 g or 16 oz) cream cheese, softened, but still cool
½cup(113 g or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, but still cool
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
2 ½cups(480 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1teaspoonground cinnamon
Instructions
Apple Spice Cake
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease three 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray or my magic cake pan release and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, applesauce, sour cream, eggs and vanilla until well combined. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in three parts, mixing just until combined after each addition. Stir in apples with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake cakes for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with little to no crumbs. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon, then mix just until combined, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as necessary.
Assembly
If the cakes domed while baking, use a serrated knife to level them until flat. Place the first cake on a plate, then top with a scoop of frosting and spread evenly. Top with the second layer and frost again. Top with third layer and use the remaining frosting to frost the top and outside of the cake. Garnish with chopped pecans (or spiced pecans), cinnamon sticks and/or apple slices.
Notes
Apples: The best apples for baking are Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Braeburn. They keep a crisp texture and flavor.Cream cheese frosting: Make sure cream cheese and butter are softened, but still cool to the touch. If the frosting is too thin, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Mix again for 5 to 10 seconds, then frost the cake.Store apple spice cake covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.Freeze apple spice cake (unfrosted) for up to 1 month. Double wrap cake layers individually in plastic wrap. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before bringing to room temperature and frosting.High altitude adjustments: This recipe was written for sea level. For high altitude adjustments (Denver, CO, alt. 5,280 ft), use a high-protein flour such as King Arthur All Purpose Flour. Decrease baking powder to 1/2 teaspoon and baking soda to 1/4 teaspoon. Decrease granulated sugar to 3/4 cup. Baking times may vary.