A deliciously moist apple spice cake with a smooth cinnamon frosting and apple cider drizzle. This amazing 3-layer 6-inch cake is the perfect showstopping dessert for your fall feast. 

I haven’t made nearly enough cakes for the blog. Sometimes when I go through the recipe index, I wonder what it is I am actually making for the blog because there just isn’t nearly enough of anything. I obviously need to get my butt in gear and spread the love to all the different desserts out there. I said earlier in the year that I wanted to work on my cake skills. I made what? Coffee Flavored Cake, Honey Cake, and a Lemon Blueberry Cake? That isn’t nearly enough cake. Consider this as a promise to give you more cake. I am also going to make more cookies because for a site called A Cookie Named Desire, there aren’t nearly enough cookies around here. But trust me, I plan on sharing a lot of cookies with you for the holidays. You cookie plates will be filled to the brim come Christmas.

At least I am coming to you with some cake right now. Probably my favorite seasonal cakes ever. This apple spice cake is everything! It has a lovely dose of cardamom and cinnamon, then a smooth cinnamon frosting that I adapted from this recipe from my friend at Sugar Hero. I then topped it with some of the apple cider caramel I made earlier. My original idea was to use the caramel for something else, but I am so glad I saved it for this cake because look at how gorgeous it is!! I love a good drippy cake.

I cannot over sell how incredible this cake is. It’s more dense than your typical cake – it would work really well as a bundt cake if you ever wanted to convert it – and also so incredibly moist. It isn’t too sweet, nor is the frosting. The brightness of the apple cider caramel pairs incredibly well with the cake. It’s the perfect cake to have with a cup of tea or coffee after a long day when you want to relax with something sweet, and perhaps a good book (I am reading The Winter People if you want to read along with me!)

Yield: 1 cake

Apple Spice Cake with Cinnamon Frosting

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Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

Apple Spice Cake

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 2/3 teaspoon allspice
• 2 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup finely chopped apple

Cinnamon Frosting

• 1/4 cup pasteurized liquid egg whites
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cups unsalted butter cut in cubes, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Decoration

• 1/2 cup apple cider caramel
• 1 apple

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 6-inch cake pans (they should be at least 3-inches high). Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice. Set aside.
3. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix well between each addition of egg.
4. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and apple sauce. You should add the flour in three additions, and the applesauce in two additions. Begin and end with the flour mixture.
5. Fold in the chopped apple.
6. Evenly distribute the batter among the three cake pans. Spread the batter in the cake pans so the tops are an even layer.
7. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the sides of the cake pull away slightly from the pan.
8. Run a knife between the sides of the cake and the pan. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before removing from the pan and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Cover tightly and chill in the freezer as you make the frosting.
10. Beat the egg whites, powdered sugar, and salt for about 10 minutes (this is best done with a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer).
11. Add the butter one cube at a time, mixing until the butter is completely incorporated before adding more. Beat in the vanilla and cinnamon. The mixture may look broken, but keep beating for at least another 10 - 15 minutes, or until the mixture becomes smooth and silky.
12. Remove the cake from the freezer and level the cake as needed.
13. Add some of the frosting on each of the layers, then place each layer on top of one another. Add some of the frosting to the sides of the cake and smooth, removing any excess frosting as needed.
14. Drizzle the caramel over the top of the cake. Dip the apple in the caramel, then place on top of the cake.