Cinnamon Apple Cake

The arrival of Fall finds me pulling out the spice scented candles and room sprays from closet storage, and I begin looking at those big pumpkins at the grocery store, trying to find the perfect one for my husband and daughter to carve. I also start thinking about my favorite Fall comfort foods – pumpkin streusel bread tops the list, as does this recipe for cinnamon apple cake. This cake is unbelievably moist with a crunchy, cinnamon sugar layer on top. It is the perfect Fall dessert for a family gathering, just be prepared to be asked to make it every year.

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups sugar, divided
4 T butter, softened
1 t vanilla
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ t baking powder
¼ t salt
2 t cinnamon
3 cups Rome apple, peeled, seeded and chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9” springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl with a mixer, beat together 1 ½ cups sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream cheese until well-blended, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix at low speed until blended

In a separate bowl, mix together ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar mixture with the chopped apple in a small bowl. Stir apple mixture into cake batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until cake pulls away from the side of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack before removing from the pan.