Cinnamon-Apple Cake

During our first year of marriage, nearly 12 years ago, I regularly tried new recipes on My Husband. Honestly, that was a year of learning what I was capable of cooking and trying to improve on any failures. One of the best things I did that first year was begin reading cooking magazines and really following recipes closely.

One of the recipes that I remember making during that year, was the Cinnamon-Apple Cake that I mentioned last week when I wrote about the Dulce De Leche Apple Bars. This cake is so moist and that's due to the cream cheese that is in the batter. The top is sprinkled with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon right before baking and it helps to create a beautifully browned top that has a slight crunch to it.

This cake will stay moist for up to 3 or 4 days. It should be covered completely with aluminum foil to keep it from drying out. I think it tastes even better the second day after baking. With the abundance of apples right now, I do hope you give this simple cake a try soon! Don't you just want to take a bite right now?

If you have a ton of apples left to use, you may want to check out these fantastic apple desserts:

There is a unique twist on crust with Recipegirl's Apple-Cranberry Pie with Oatmeal Cookie Crust.
Another twist on the apple cake can be found at Dinners for a Year and Beyond with her Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake.
And, over at Peanut Butter and Julie, she shares a fun Apple Pie Bar recipe that will eliminate any pie crust issues you may have.

Cinnamon-Apple Cake
Source: Cooking Light - for a printable version of the recipe click HERE.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup stick margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 ounces block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2 large)
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, margarine, 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.
2. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
3. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.