SPICED APPLE-WALNUT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING

Spiced Apple-Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Icing image

Provided by Giada De Laurentiis

Time 2h47m

Yield 10 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 21

Butter for greasing the pan
Flour for dusting
3 medium green apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and diced into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups maple syrup
3 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoon water, plus extra, as needed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Steps:

For the cake: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally butter and flour a 10-inch fluted tube or Bundt pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the apples, maple syrup, eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. In batches, mix the dry ingredients into the apple mixture. Stir in the walnuts. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester or skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
For the icing: In a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream, cream cheese, 3 tablespoons water, and vanilla. Process until smooth, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing is pourable. Spoon the icing over the cake and allow to set for 20 minutes before slicing.