Autumn Spiced Applesauce Cake

A perfect welcome to Autumn with this Spiced Applesauce Cake that is topped with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting and Toasted Coconut.

Tomorrow marks the first official day of Autumn, and an expansive new array of dishes that have been in hibernation for a year can peep their noses out to play heavily in the weekly rotation now. While my beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte could easily satisfy me for every meal, Autumn brings new nourishment to the table. Chilled pasta salads filled with tart, vinegary dressings morph into comforting, saucy delights. Frigid popsicles and bursting berry tarts banish themselves and instead we find ourselves turning to cinnamon and cloves to spice our after dinner indulgences.

Tender chunks of spiced apples are nestled in the middle of this Autumn Spiced Applesauce Cake.

Following our Apple Hunting Adventure, I found out I may have been a tad overexcited about the amount of apples we caught. The applesauce was delicious, but there were still about 13 pounds of apples to work through.  I have some savory applications percolating in my noggin, but to kick off Autumn I wanted to share an everyday cake to celebrate. 

An everyday cake, to me, is something that does not take a lot of fussing in the kitchen, and makes a random Tuesday very special.  It is something that you would not be ashamed to pull out if a friend unexpectedly stopped by, or is something that makes your afternoon snack just a little fancy with that cup of tea.  It is the cousin to the quick bread, yet is more delicate in texture and often has a nice schmear of cream cheese frosting or a light dusting of powdered sugar. It is the cake that, in my opinion, says “I love you” to your dear ones more than the fancy celebration cakes, because you wanted a sweet surprise for them after a long day at work, at school, or just because

Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, and Nutmeg are your typical spices used, but the addition of a bit of Black Pepper is what really makes this cake so special.

This Spiced Applesauce Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting and Toasted Coconut is something that I found inspiration from three different places. First, from this recipe published on Food 52 for a full sized bundt cake intrigued me as it included black pepper. But I didn't have a bundt cake pan and the frosting sounded too rich for me (sometimes frosting can be very overwhelming!!  I know not everyone agrees), so I was not completely committed to this cake.    The second recipe was from Deb at Smitten Kitchen, and her recipe had a Cinnamon CreamCheese frosting that sounded delicious and perfect for an everyday cake that is spectacular. The third recipe was actually for an apple bread, and I just liked the idea of thinly sliced apples in the cake. You see, when I was looking for a recipe, I could not find an apple cake that was not uber fancy or looked like it was going to be moist enough OR include sliced apples. 

So I used the Smitten Kitchen cake as a template for dry to wet ingredients, and then played around with spice ratios and decided on toasted coconut as a topper. First, I thought thatcoconut would not overwhelm the other flavors, but add a delicious nuttiness.   Second, the texture of toasted coconut is fantastical and adds an element of crunch to the feather light cake.  After two attempts where some friends were plied with cake, and one friend took home the remainder of the first cake, (much to my husband's sadness), the end result is a pretty enticing way to welcome Autumn with open mouths and arms.  The cake itself is perfectly fluffy, moist, delicately flavored of apple from the applesauce. The spices are deliciously warm thanks to the cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Then there is that very faint undertone the black pepper lends to the cake, prominent as an afterthought to the Spiced fresh apples. The cinnamon is subtle in the cream cheese frosting, which is sweet and tart, but not overly so. The toasted coconut adds a crunch, then chew between your teeth, and adds a subtle nuttiness with a hint of the exotic.

This little cake can brighten up a mundane Tuesday, yet still be fancy enough for afternoon tea.

Autumn Spiced Applesauce Cake

Author: Iris Anna Gohn

Servings: 9-12

In a single bite, the creaminess of the frosting tops a cloud-like cake that is, simply put, the embodiment of Autumn. This cake is simple to put together, and on first taste, the texture is fluffy. Then you get the Crisp of the baked apples and the snap of the coconut which make this cake special, but not quite so fancy pants that you cannot enjoy it with an afternoon cup of tea.

If you are a fan of chopped, toasted nuts, I imagine chopped pecans or walnuts would work well in this cake. I am allergic to tree nuts so cannot say with certainty, however you could toast them at the same time as the coconut and sprinkle on top of the frosting. I imagine you could also fold them into the cake batter as well.  I bet about 1/3 to 1/2 Cup would be a good amount. 

I did some research, and it seems you can leave Cream Cheese Frosting out on the counter for up to 72 hours if you love the lightness of the cake. However, since I am extra careful about food prep and storage due to my immune system being suppressed, I stored the leftovers in the fridge. The cold air changes the texture of the cake, deepens the flavors of the spices, and it is a completely different and delightful experience on the second, or third, piece!!

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 3/4 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/8 Tsp Ground Cloves
• 1/8 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1/8 Tsp finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Cup (1 stick) Butter, softened
• 1/2 Cup firmly packed Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup firmly packed Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce (I used THIS applesauce, and the tiny amount of sweeter used is fine in the finished cake)
• 1 medium tart Apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced 
• 1 Tsp Light Brown Sugar
• 1/8 Tsp Ground Cinnamon 

For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 5 ounces full fat Cream Cheese, softened
• 3 Tbsp Butter, softened
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup Confectioners Sugar

For Serving:

• 1/2 Cup Sweetened Coconut, toasted

Directions

For the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. I used 2 pieces of parchment, carefully placed so the edges were above the edges of the pan. This helped me lift the cake out cleanly for cooling and frosting.
2. Peel and core one medium apple. Slice into 1/8" slices. Toss with 1 Tsp Light brown sugar and 1/8 Tsp cinnamon. Set aside. 
3. On a small baking sheet, evenly sprinkle the shredded coconut and set aside. 
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper. Set aside. 
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, cream together the light and dark brown sugars, butter until light and fluffy, roughly 3-4 minutes on medium to medium high speed. 
6. Turn mixer speed to medium and add vanilla and the eggs, one at a time. Thoroughly incorporate the first egg before adding the second, about 60 seconds per egg. 
7. Add in the applesauce, and thoroughly incorporate, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary. 
8. Add in half the dry ingredients, mix till mostly combined, then add the remaining half. You just want the dough to come together, and do not want to over beat the flour. 
9. Release the paddle attachment and remove bowl from mixer. Scrape down sides of bowl and gently mix in any remaining flour if there is any. Evenly spread 1/2 the batter into the prepared baking dish. 
10. Place the reserved sliced apples in three neat, even rows in the batter and gently press them in. If you have a few leftover you get a mini snack, as you do not want to overload the apples and have too much moisture from the apple juices. 
11. Evenly spread the remaining batter over the apples and bake for 45-55 minutes. Toothpick will come out clean when inserted. 
12. The last 8-10 minutes of bake time, pop the prepared pan with the coconut into the oven. 
13. Cool in pan for 10 minutes or so, them gently lift the cake out of the pan with the parchment paper to cool completely on a wire rack. 

For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Cream together the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and cinnamon. You can either use a stand mixer, a hand mixer, or you can do it by hand with a spatula. 
2. Slowly add 1/3 the Confectioners sugar and incorporate, then add the remaining Confectioners Sugar till smooth and creamy. 

To Assemble:

1. Place cake on cake stand or pretty plate. 
2. Evenly spread the frosting on the top, using gentle, even pressure. I used a mini spatula, but a butter knife will work just as well.  Try to keep the frosting from going down the sides if you are looking to make it pretty for company. 
3. Sprinkle the toasted coconut over frosting evenly.