Yay for apples! I still have an entire refrigerator shelf full of apples, so the recipes are gonna keep on coming! I whipped up this delightful cake last Sunday and am still smiling when I think about how it was dusted with cinnamon and sugar, studded with apples, and soft with cream cheese. The cream cheese is what it’s all about. It had the consistency of a slightly dense coffee cake. According to the recipe’s source, this is a traditional Jewish Hanukkah recipe. Well, it’s not the Holidays yet but that doesn’t mean I can’t have my cake, and love it!

The original recipe called for 6 ounces of cream cheese. Six? Well I was being my usual flighty self and threw in the whole block without thinking twice. After the batter was mixed and in the pan I realized my mistake. Oops-too late! But I liked the result so much that I decided to change the recipe- it seems silly to waste 1/4 block of cream cheese anyway! The cake could probably handle more apples as well. Two (large) apples was almost underwhelming- you could easily up it to three!

Apple-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cake

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup stick butter, softened
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups apple, peeled and chopped (I used a Granny Smith and a Fuji)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a springform pan with cooking spray.

2. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

3. Combine 3 Tbsp. sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into springform pan and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.

4. Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife. Yummy served with vanilla ice cream.

Makes 1 round cake.

(Adapted from Cooking Light)