Apple Cinnamon Cake

I am very partial to cinnamon.   I love the taste.   I love the smell of it cooking.  I even love the color of it.   This cake is easy to make and tastes wonderful.

APPLE CINNAMON CAKE
(serves 12)

Ingredients:
*1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
*1/2 cup butter, softened 
*1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
*3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
*2 eggs, room temperature
*1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
*1/4 cup granulated sugar

• *2 rome apples, peeled & chopped
• *1 jonathan apple, peeled & chopped
• *3/4 cup pecan or walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

~In a large mixing bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup butter,  1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 3/4 cup cream cheese, about 4 minutes.

~Add 2 large eggs, 1 egg at a time, beating between each egg.

~In a large bowl, sift 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt together.

~Add dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, mixing at low speed.

~In the bowl that the flour was in, mix 1/3 cup sugar & 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon.

~Combine 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar to chopped apples. 

~Mix in 3/4 cup pecans/walnuts.

~Stir 2 chopped apples into cake batter.

~Spray cooking spray into a 8 or 9-inch spring form pan or a 9 inch square pan.

~Pour cake batter into pan.

~Sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar over cake batter.

~Bake for 1 hour & 15 minutes.

~Cool cake on a wire rack.

~Best to cut the cake with a serrated knife.


Variation:
-make a glaze to pour over the top of the cake while it's still a little warm.
-add 1 cup raisins to batter.

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