Apple Spice Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

So, can we all just get together for a second to agree that daylight standard time is really hard to adjust to?! I am sitting at home, it is 3:00 in the afternoon, and it feels like I should be eating dinner right now. I know everyone says this every year since the history of daylight savings, but man it's tough when it gets dark at five o'clock. Cake always makes things better, so I'm going to post about that, right after some updates about our trip to Big Sur!

We have been feeling the fall chill here in Monterey, and had to get our space heater out of the garage to survive the cold evenings and mornings. The days have still been beautiful though, and we went on a picture perfect day trip to Big Sur yesterday! It's only a one hour drive from us, so we hopped on highway one, stopped at Bixby bridge, took a little hike at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, then had lunch at Nepenthe restaurant which has drop dead gorgeous views. We got the Caprese salad, chicken sandwich, and a basket of fries. It's on the pricier side, but you have to remember it must not be easy to get all their supplies trucked in since the restaurant is so isolated. Definitely worth going to for the unique ambiance and killer views. We will be back.

 View from our table

 Great balsamic on the Caprese, which was almost a Caprese/Greek salad hybrid

 More fries please.

Yes you are correct, I wear this shirt everywhere.

When we got home, I made this amazing apple spice cake that screams "cozy fall day" right in your face. I can't get enough of anything with apples at any time of the year (see Apple Oven Cake, Apple Crisp, or Sweet Potato Apple Soup) but the spices here are spot on for a snuggly Saturday cake fix. I tweaked this from a recipe I found on Bake or Break. You should probably make it right away, preferably after inviting guests over for dinner. We had no guests visiting, so now we just have a LOT of cake to eat our way through. Not that I'm complaining or anything.

 

Ingredients:
2 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2 medium apples, finely chopped 

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, nice and soft at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper. Butter paper.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
5. Add flour in 3 portions, alternating with 2 portions of milk. Mix just until combined. Stir in apples.
6. Divide batter between prepared pans and smooth evenly. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 15 minutes. Then, remove pans to wire racks, remove parchment paper, and allow to cool completely.

To make the frosting:

1. Place cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until combined and smooth.
2. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, mixing until smooth. Add cinnamon and vanilla and mix well.
3. Frost as desired and garnish top of cake with the chopped toasted nuts.