Enjoy the flavors of the fall season with this simple to make Apple Butter Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. This is hands down my favorite snack cake.
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might recall that I visited Asheville, North Carolina last month for the Food Blog Forum Conference. It was such an amazing experience. If you like food, you’ll want to visit Asheville. With 15 active farmers’ markets, 250+ independent restaurants, 18 fantastic craft breweries, America’s most visited winery and hundreds of inspired local products—all within a city of 85,000—Asheville it’s understandable why the city is also known as Foodtopia.
Related Recipe: Slow Cooker Apple Crisp
One of the many fantastic events during the conference was a Meet the Foodtopians Tasting Event held at the legendary Highland Brewing Company.
The event showcased tastes from some of the city’s best restaurants. One of the standouts for me might seem rather simple to you, but one taste is all it would take for you to understand why.
The Autumn Night Apple Butter from Crooked Condiments had me embarrassingly returning for second and third tastings.
I just love apple butter, and this was the best I have had. It’s so wonderful smeared on a piece of toast or spooned over a bowl of cottage cheese.
Related Recipe: Apple Upside Down Cake
It’s rather spectacular when baked in a cake, so I found when I made an Apple Butter Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.
This spiced snack cake is oh-so moist thanks to the apple butter, and is perfect for the fall season. Slather on some cinnamon cream cheese frosting and you’ve got quite a treat!
Related Recipe: Butterscotch Apple Cake
Apple Butter Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups apple butter
For the Frosting:
5 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and set oven rack in the middle. Butter an 8 or 9 inch square cake pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the apple butter. Lastly, mix in the dry ingredients on low speed until just combined. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure ingredients are well incorporated.
Evenly pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown, and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen, and invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Sift the confectioners sugar and cinnamon over the cream cheese mixture, and beat to thoroughly combine. Spread frosting over top of the cooled cake, and enjoy!
Related Recipe: Sour Cream Apple Bars
Apple Butter Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 20-24 servings
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups apple butter
- For the Frosting:
- 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and set oven rack in the middle. Butter an 8 or 9 inch square cake pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the apple butter. Lastly, mix in the dry ingredients on low speed until just combined. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure ingredients are well incorporated.
- Evenly pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown, and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen, and invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Sift the confectioners sugar and cinnamon over the cream cheese mixture, and beat to thoroughly combine. Spread frosting over top of the cooled cake, and enjoy!
Courses Dessert
Recipe adapted from Gourmet.
What a delicious recipe! I love the addition of ginger. Fabulous for fall.
Amazingly delicious recipe!! I especially love the cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Super delicious!!
This is something that we’ve been talking about making. This is perfect timing.
Oh yummy! Reminds me of pumpkin spice cake and ginger spice cake…I just love spice cakes!
Wow – I want a bite of that!
There were so many delicious flavors in Asheville to choose from! You picked a winner, Angela! I am pinning this to make soon. While others may enjoy pumpkin-mania, I am an apple-mania baker!
That recipe sounds utterly scrumptious!
This sounds so delicious. Apple butter is so versatile.
Seems like the trip was beneficial as your cooking/baking has gotten even better 🙂 This sounds so moist and spicy!
Geez, everything about this sounds good. I love cream cheese frosting.
I wish you could make this a print friendly page
Done! 🙂
Yum these sound great and look yummy.
Yummy! This sounds really good. I would love to make it. I am looking forward to trying new recipes.
That sounds so good! My husband loves apple butter, so I know he’d love this!
I love fall! The cooler weather, the holidays, the flavors. Pumpkin is my favorite fall flavor with apple close behind.
looks delicious, but what is Apple Butter, never heard of it here in the UK
What a delicious sounding recipe – thank you for sharing at Share It One More Time. Cathy
Holy cow…I love Apple Butter…always ate it as a kid, not as much as an adult. I so totally need to make this and eat it all!!
Pinning it!
Thanks for sharing 😉
This looks so sweet and yummy! I love the use of the apple 🙂 – especially for fall!
Apple butter is one of my favorite fall foods, so this sounds amazing!
YUM! Saw this recipe at the link party and had to check it out for myself. I LOVE apple butter and this cake looks amazing!
So perfect for this time of year! Thanks for linking up with SNF! Pinned to our party board!!
I wish I had a slice of this now! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wedesday!
This really looks delicious, I also love that the frosting seems soft and not too sugary, perfect!
This looks absolutely delicious! I wish that I could taste it lol.
I love Ashville and all of the southern cooking and hospitality. I such a wonderful place to visit not to mention the tasty looking Apple Butter Cake! Yum!
I love apple butter and your cake is making my mouth water. I’m a new follower on G+, thanks for sharing. Blessings
This looks delicious! I have never eaten apple butter, but I can’t wait to give this a try. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I was wondering if cinnamon buttercream frosting would be just as good as the cream cheese frosting?
I bet that would be delicious!
Could this be put in a 9 x 13 pan??
Absolutely. It would be more bar-like. You will probably need to adjust the cooking time as well. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get over-baked. Let me know how it turns out and enjoy!
I made this cake and got Rave reviews. Moist and delicious. Frosting is excellent. Will definitely make again.
Do you think adding apple pieces would make the cake soggy?
Looks delicious!
I think if you do a small dice and don’t add more than a cup or so, it should be just fine. Please let us know how it turns out!
Thanks for the yummy recipe and the Asheville recommendations – we are heading there for a conference in June and can’t wait!
I love this cake! It looks so delicious and fun to make. The frosting sounds so good and this is a cake my family will love for me to make.Thanks for sharing!