When life gives you ( a lot of ) apples...

While I love going to the pumpkin patch as much as the next person, the one fall festivity I absolutely cannot forgo is a trip to the apple orchard. This fall I brought home a very large bag of apples, and after my family and I had eaten our fair share of them, we were still left with quite an abundance. What to do? Apple crisp is usually our go-to dish, but this fall I wanted to make something different. When I stumbled upon this Apple Spice Cake recipe, I knew this was it. This recipe is great for entertaining, especially during the season when family and guests are in town, as the cream cheese allows the cake to be stored for quite some time without drying out. It's also great paired with coffee for an afternoon snack or an after dinner dessert. 

Ingredients:
Cake: 
1 3/4 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 lbs of cooking apples
1/3 c brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cardamom
2 tsp cinnamon
8 tbs unsalted butter
8 ounces of cream cheese (full or low-fat)
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Glaze:
3/4 c confectioners' sugar 
3 tbs sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon to taste
For the Cake: 
Preheat the oven to 350º F.  Spray a 9-inch round springform pan with non-stick baking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
Peel, core & chop the apples into thin 1 inch slices. In another bowl, toss the apples with the  brown sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon. (I threw in a dash of nutmeg & cloves too*) Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. (A handheld mixer will work fine too)  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again.  Add the flour in 3 additions and beat until smooth.  
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the apple mixture just until evenly distributed; do not over mix. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 60-70 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.
For the Glaze:In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, warmed sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth and pourable adding more milk if needed.
Remove the sides of the springform pan and place the cake on a wire rack set over a piece of waxed paper to catch drips.  While the cake is still warm, drizzle with the glaze.  


Enjoy!