Categorized:
- Cake & Cupcakes
- Desserts
- Fall Faves
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
Tagged:
- allspice
- applesauce
- brown sugar
- butter
- buttermilk
- cinnamon
- cloves
- cream cheese
- eggs
- flour
- ginger
- nutmeg
- pecans
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- vegetable oil
Autumn Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (318g) all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon*
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 3/4 cups (370g) packed light-brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (175ml) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (185g) unsweetened applesauce
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk**
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 oz cream cheese, nearly at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, nearly at room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups (440g) (440g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round baking pans well with non-stick baking spray then lightly dust with flour and shake out excess.
- Wrap cake strips around pan if you have them (for a more level cake). Set pans aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves for 20 seconds, set aside.
- Pour brown sugar into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Break up brown sugar with fingertips until no clumps remain.
- Pour in vegetable oil and applesauce, set mixer with paddle attachment and blend until well combined (occasionally stop and scrape bowl throughout mixing process).
- Mix in eggs and vanilla.
- Add in 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined, then blend in buttermilk, then add remaining 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
- Divide mixture evenly among two prepared baking pans. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 28 - 32 minutes.
- Allow to cool in pans about 5 - 10 minutes then run a knife around edges to ensure cake is loose and invert upside down onto a wire rack to cool.
- Cool completely then level tops of cakes as needed. Frost with cream cheese frosting, sprinkle pecans around edges if desired.
- For the frosting: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until well blended***.
Notes
- *You can adjust the amount of spices used here to suit your taste. I’d say this has at amount of spice flavor, not too strong but not mild either.
- **If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own by mixing 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar with enough milk to equal 1 cup. Whisk and let rest 5 minutes before using.
- ***At this point I like to freeze the frosting in 5 minute increments, then mix again with stand mixer, then freeze another 5 and more as needed until it’s a stiffer yet creamy consistency.
- Store the cake in refrigerator in an airtight container. Let rest at room temperature before serving.
- Recipe source: Cooking Classy
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