AMERICAN APPLE & PECAN CAKE

AMERICAN APPLE & PECAN CAKE image

Categories Cake Fruit Dessert Bake Quick & Easy Healthy

Yield 18 slices

Number Of Ingredients 27

Ingredients

Cake:
3 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg (or ground mace)
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut
250g unsalted butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons bourbon, apple brandy, or rum
1 cup sultanas
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce (Or 2 peeled/cored granny smith apples stewed and mashed.)
2 medium apples (medium-sweetness), peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1 cm cubes
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
Pecans for decorating the top
Frosting:
225g cream cheese (or Carrée cheese, or St Moret)
250g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 cups powdered sugar
Special equipment: 2 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides

Steps:

For cake: Mix sultanas with 4 tablespoons of the bourbon/rum. Let soak for a few hours. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 180C. Butter and flour the SIDES of two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch high sides. Line bottom of each pan with parchment paper round. Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat 250g butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until creamed. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, then 2 tablespoons of the bourbon/rum, if desired (mixture may look curdled). Add flour mixture to egg mixture in 3 additions alternately with applesauce in 2 additions, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in apples, sultanas and pecans. Divide batter between cake pans; smooth tops. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer cakes to racks and cool in pans 15 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Invert cakes onto racks; peel off parchment paper. Place another rack atop 1 cake and invert again so that cake is rounded side up. Repeat with second cake. Cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap each cake in plastic and store at room temperature. For frosting: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until frosting is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Transfer 1 cake to platter. Spread half the frosting over it. Add the other cake on top - and spread the other half of the frosting on to it. Decorate with pecan halves.