A few months ago, Hungry Bear favorited this cinnamon-apple cake on foodgawker and she finally made it for our Lunar New Year celebration this year. It’s not Chinese or Vietnamese in any way, but Hungry Bear didn’t want to make anything too elaborate and we had two apples to use up. So that’s how a cinnamon-apple cake got served at a New Year’s party with Chinese hot pot.
I was working that day when Hungry Bear was baking the cake and I wasn’t paying much attention. She told me that it was a Cooking Light recipe, but she was making it full-fat because she hates margarine and fat-free cream cheese. I honestly wasn’t very excited about the cake. I don’t get too excited unless there’s chocolate involved.
I don’t think anyone at dinner knew how damn good this cake was going to be. Then everyone wanted seconds. It’s a light, moist cake with the perfect amount of sweetness from the cinnamon-sugar topping. Hungry Bear thinks it tastes like coffee cake and she’d happily eat it for breakfast.
Our friend, Deb, made it for a family gathering the next day. And I asked Hungry Bear to bake it again a few days later so we could document it for SND. It’s probably my favorite non-chocolate dessert at the moment!
Cinnamon-Apple Cake Recipe
- 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 cups chopped peeled Fuji apples (about 2 large)
- Cooking spray
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- 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, one 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.
- Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine two tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apples in a bowl. Stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle top with remaining cinnamon mixture.
- Bake for 65-70 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack. Cut using a serrated knife.
Makes 8-10 servings
[Adapted from Cooking Light]
[tags]apple, cinnamon, cake, easy, cream cheese[/tags]
Sunday Nite Dinner 
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