Apple Layer Cake With Vanilla Chai-Spiced Buttercream
Moist, tender, and incredibly flavorful homemade apple cake, frosted with the silkiest whipped vanilla chai-spiced buttercream!
Ingredients
Apple Cake:
- 4 medium-sized apples peeled and cored*
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Vanilla Chai-Spiced Buttercream:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup milk
- 1 ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean**
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Thinly slice the apples and place in a medium saucepan along with both sugars. Cook over medium-high heat, bringing it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue stirring. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the apples are completely tender and cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.***
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, then grease with nonstick cooking spray. Purée the cooled apple mixture in a food processor or blender. Once puréed, you should end up with about 2 cups of the apple purée.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a fork or whisk to stir flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and spices together. Add apple purée, eggs, oil, and vanilla and stir until just combined. Batter will be thick.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with few crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk flour and milk together, stirring constantly, until it thickens. It should look like thick pancake batter. Remove from heat and immediately pour milk mixture into a bowl to cool completely.
- After the milk mixture has cooled to room temperature, use a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a beater to cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and spices together on medium-high until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure consistency. Whip for 7-8 minutes.
- Add the completely cooled milk mixture in four parts, beating well after each addition. Once all of the milk mixture has been added, beat it for about 3-4 minutes on high until it looks like whipped cream.****
To Assemble:
- Slice each cake layer in half horizontally, so that you end up with 4 layers total. Place one cake layer on a plate or cake pedestal and spread a layer of buttercream. Repeat, alternating layers of cake and filling. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
*Once peeled and cored, it should equal 23 ounces of apples.
**If you don’t have vanilla beans on hand, just add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
***Cooling process can be sped up by placing cooked apple mixture in the refrigerator.
****If the mixture starts looking curdled or separated, don’t worry! Just keep beating and it will eventually come together.
**If you don’t have vanilla beans on hand, just add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
***Cooling process can be sped up by placing cooked apple mixture in the refrigerator.
****If the mixture starts looking curdled or separated, don’t worry! Just keep beating and it will eventually come together.