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Fall is Here! Apple Cinnamon Cake Too!

You know how it happens… you wake up one morning and the ligh has changed, the cold air starts nipping at your nose and the landscape has changed! I wish the switch in seasons was that pronounced in the South Carolina Lowcountry but we are definetely not in summer anymore! My in laws went apple picking in the upstate a couple of weeks ago and were nice enough to make us a big basket of gorgeous, fragrant and delicious apples. They were so good at the first bite that I immediately decided I had to do something with them. Because of our activities this weekend (I do not recommend teaching Pilates with a hangover), I put those lovelies to the side and got myself covered in powdered sugar instead.

Everything in the air today prompted me to make an apple dessert and I remembered reading about a Cooking Light recipe on a blog just recently. I can’t backtrack my steps to the actual post or blog (as it happens often after a couple of hours browsing), but I did find the recipe on the magazine website and with so many great reviews I felt encouraged to try it, even or especially (depending on which way the scale dips today) if it is "light".

The only changes I made were to use real butter instead of stick margarine. I am not being an hypocrite since I just admitted using some Crisco in my latest buttercream but I don’t keep margarine in the house so butter it was, and regular cream cheese. I also only used 2 TB. of the cinnamon sugar called to top the cake prior to baking and not the 1/4 cup the recipe suggested.
Result? Delicious! Strong but not overpowerig cinnamon flavor. I can’t wait to try it with cardamom.

Cinnamon Apple Cake, adapted from Cooking Light

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces block-style cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped peeled Rome apple

Cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350°.
Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.
Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes. Yield: 12 servings

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Comments


wheresmymind October 25, 2006 um 1:47 pm

I love this cake…my Mom makes a great one!


Anonymous October 25, 2006 um 5:55 pm

I love apple anything…and hey, it’s from Cooking Light so you can eat the whole cake right?


Anonymous October 26, 2006 um 12:02 am

Looks delish, apple and cinnamon anything automatically wins my heart!


Anonymous October 26, 2006 um 6:53 am

Helene – I made Apple Cinnamon Cake this week too! Yours looks wonderful.


Lauren October 26, 2006 um 2:48 pm

yum yum! I’ve been looking through a lot of my old Cooking Light’s lately.. this seems like a great one to try.


Anonymous October 26, 2006 um 6:17 pm

Alors là, tu me prends par les sentiments, tout ce que j’aime dans un gâteau, l’aspect rustique et les pommes.. miam!


Helene October 26, 2006 um 11:41 pm

wheresmymind: please share your mom’s recipe!

peabody: ahahah! well, we almost did eat the whole thing!

Ellie: you are right, it is always a winning combo!

Barbara: I saw it! It is gorgeous, I think I’ll have to try your recipe too!

Lauren: I found this one on teir website but all their little pies in this month’s issue look good too!

Bea: j’adore les gateaux rustiques aussi, en plus c’est bien la saison maintenant.


La Cuisine d'Helene October 30, 2006 um 5:36 pm

Allo,

merci de me visiter. J’ouvre ton blog ce matin et je vois la recette de Apple Cinnamon Cake de CL que tu as faite et c’est exactement cette recette que je m’apprête à faire aujourd’hui. C’est une coincidence. Je te donne des nouvelles après que nous l’ayions goûté.


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