Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Filling and Praline Frosting
Ingredients:
- cream cheese, softened - 8 ounces
- butter, softened - 1/4 cup
- sugar - 1/2 cup
- egg, lightly beaten - 1
- flour - 2 T
- vanilla extract - 1 t
- salt - pinch
- flour - 3 cups
- sugar - 1 cup
- packed light brown sugar - 1 cup
- ground cinnamon - 2 t
- ground nutmeg - 1/4 t
- ground allspice - 1/2 t
- salt - 1 t
- baking soda - 1 t
- eggs, lightly beaten - 3
- canola oil - 3/4 cup
- unsweetened applesauce - 3/4 cup
- vanilla extract - 1 t
- apples, peeled, finely chopped - 3 cups
- finely chopped walnuts, toasted - 1 cup plus 2 -3 T for garnish
- packed light brown sugar - 1/2 cup
- butter - 1/4 cup
- milk - 3 T
- vanilla extract - 1 t
- powdered sugar - 1 cup
Instructions:
Prepare cream cheese filling -- in a bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter. Add 1/2 cup sugar, beat to combine. Add 2 T flour, 1 lightly beaten egg, 1 t vanilla and pinch of salt, beat until mixture is light and creamy; set aside.
Prepare batter -- in a bowl, combine on low speed 3 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt and baking soda. Add 3 eggs, oil, applesauce and 1 t vanilla, mix on medium speed. Fold in apples and 1 cup walnuts.
Pour half of the batter evenly over the bottom of a greased and floured 14 cup bundt pan. Spoon cream cheese mixture over batter, leaving a 1 inch border around edges of pan. Spread remaining batter over the cream cheese mixture, making sure the batter extends to the outer edges of the pan.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60 - 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 - 15 minutes, invert cake onto rack to cool completely.
While cake cools, prepare frosting -- in a saucepan combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter and milk, cook until mixture boils and sugar dissolves. Stir in 1 t vanilla. Gradually stir in powdered sugar, until smooth and creamy. Place cake on serving plate, drizzle with warm frosting, sprinkle chopped walnuts over top.
