Apple-Spice Layer Cake

For me, Fall has officially begon with this Apple-Spice Layer Cake. I found some gorgeous red apples in my backyard yesterday and today I decided to make use of them. I was thinking of maybe baking an apple crumb pie, but I just have been craving a cake lately so I settled on an Apple Cake from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. I'm so excited to tell you that this cake is - hands down - one of the best cakes I have ever baked! Sooo incredibly yummy, and I know I say that a lot but, this one is sooo good, there is only 1 slice left as I am typing this (just a mere 4 hours after baking). Rating: can I give a 6 out of 5?!

Apple-Spice Layer Cake recipe: Martha Stewart - Baking Handbook

Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup honey
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups applesauce
- 1 cup apple chunks (optional)

Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg; set aside. In a small bowl, combine milk and vanilla; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and honey on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, until smooth.
- With mixer on low speed, add flour in three parts, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with flour; beat just combined after each, being careful not to overmix. Add applesauce; mix to combine, about 1 minute. Fold in apple chunks.
- Divide batter among two 9-inch pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cakes pull away from the sides of the pans and a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Reinvert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.

Cream Cheese Frosting recipe: my own

Ingredients:
- 2 packages cream cheese, room temperature
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, preferably clear vanilla
- 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions:
- Whip the heavy cream until firm peaks form; refrigerate.
- Beat the cream cheese on low speed until fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and mix to combine. Fold in the heavy cream with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes before using.


Chopped apple-pieces from my own home-grown apples.


The batter was so incredibly lickable, I knew then that this cake was going to be amazing.


You're supposed to eat the cake upside-down, so that's what I did.


I crushed some speculaas cookies (Dutch equivalent to gingerbread cookies) and used the crumbs for garnish.








Love, love, love this cake!

Comments

"E" Street said…
That looks delicious..... I agree that there is nothing that says "fall" like apple in anything baked! How lucky are you to find apples in your back yard!? The crushed speculaas cookies are fun and were nicely done (do you have a secret for making such a nice well-done circle!?).

Thanks for sharing!
A Bowl Of Mush said…
That's a high rating, I'm sold!
It looks absolutely delicious!
Eliana said…
Those apple chunks look amazing. And your decoration on top of the cake is very pretty.
Snooky doodle said…
oh this is surely a must try. Looks so good!! Fall is in the air :)
Xiaolu said…
Great idea to use the cookie crumbs to decorate! Seeing everyone's apple recipes is getting me excited for fall.
Anonymous said…
Wowser - that cake looks amazing!
apparentlyjessy said…
I am very impressed with this cake! Firstly cause I am rather partial to apple in my cakes, and secondly because speculaas cookies frequent our home around Christmas time when our Dutch "Family" friends send us some, oooh they are my favourite, such an amazing flavour!
Sophie said…
Can't go wrong with an apple dessert, especially in the fall. My apple cakes tend to come out more like bread but this is such a beautiful looking cake :).
Allison said…
This cake looks melt-in-your mouth amazing! YUM!! Perfect for Fall too. I'm going to have to make this ASAP :) Anything with apples is a winner
Cathie said…
wow, that looks amazing, and the garnish idea is fabulous.
Kate said…
Amazing! I just made this cake today, and I have to say it is delectable. It is so smooth, moist and just delicious!
Also, for anyone wanting to make this cake, I took a few bites before I put the frosting on, and this could also be made into a bread using the same recipe (just maybe without the chunks). I will definitely be making a bread using this recipe as well.
Thanks!

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