Description
A beautifully spiced apple cake with swoops of thick, fluffy cream cheese frosting and a garnish of tiny marzipan “honey bees”—perfect for Rosh Hashanah and other fall celebrations. Adapted from Boston Girl Bakes.
Ingredients
Scale
For the cake:
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened completely but not melted
- 3 1/2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- 3/4 cup diced pecans
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (sift after measuring)
For the marzipan honey bees:
- Find my tutorial here.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit; grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter and set aside. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and fully incorporate using a wooden spoon (you’ll notice here why the butter really needs to be at a true room temperature—it’ll be too difficult to mix if it’s not completely softened).
- Next, add in the chopped apples and nuts; mix again until thoroughly incorporated. At first, the batter will seem too thick—note that as you continue to stir, the apples will release a surprising amount of moisture and help to thin out the batter ever so slightly.
- Using a rubber spatula, pour, spread, and smooth the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 42-45 minutes, then remove the cake from the oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes in the pan before flipping over the pan and removing the cake onto a platter or cake stand (note that this step is optional; if you’re not comfortable flipping cakes, leave it in the pan so it stays in one piece—and serve from there!).
- While the cake continues to cool out of the pan, make the frosting. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed for 2-3 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla; beat on low speed (to gradually combine) before switching to high speed for 2-3 minutes.
- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature (must be truly cool or frosting will melt and drip over edges of cake—if the cake is cooled, frosting will sit on top properly and look nice and fluffy), use an icing spatula or dinner knife to spread the frosting over the top of the cake with big swirls and swoops. Add marzipan honey bees as a garnish.
Notes
- Storage: The un-frosted cake will last for up to 4 days at room temperature in an airtight container or sealed in plastic wrap; once frosted, it’ll last up to 24 hours at room temperature, after which point you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for another 48 hours (refrigerating the cake will dry it out a bit, so I recommend frosting on the day of serving and keeping it out at room temperature). Freeze un-frosted slices of the cake for up to three months; thaw to room temperature before frosting or serving.