Heavenly Spiced Cake

Ingredients

• 0.3 cup apple juice 
• 2  apples (granny smith, winesap, etc)
• 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 0.3 cup brown sugar 
• 1 cup brown sugar 
• 0.3 cup butter softened
• 1 cup butter softened
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 1 cup buttermilk 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 2 cups powdered sugar 
• 250 ounce cream cheese 
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 0.3 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 0.5 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 0.5  optional: lemon 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 0.1 teaspoon pepper white (pinch)

Equipment

• frying pan
• oven
• blender
• toothpicks
• bread knife

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.Cream together butter and sugar, brown sugar until smooth.
2. Add eggs and vanilla, blend for 1 minute.Stir all dry ingredients together.Alternate adding scoops of dry ingredients and buttermilk to the creamed mixture while beating until all ingredients are combined.Blend until there are no lumps.
3. Pour into two 9 inch rounds and bake for~40 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.Allow cakes to cool.If you wish to stack the cakes you should cut the rounded tops off with a bread knife once they have cooled so that they will stack flat, save the removed portion for apple filling.To make fried apple filling, scoop a trough into the top of the first cake layer for the apple filling, about 1 inch deep but leave the edges to form a shallow dish or basin in the cake.Save the crumbs from this procedure.Peel and core 2 baking apples.Chop apples and put into a skillet along with 3 T butter, about 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
4. Heat on medium heat, stir occasionally to prevent burning but allow the apples to brown slightly (this turns the sugars to caramel).Once the apples have stopped sweating and are caramelized, add the juice from 1/2 lemon or lime and 1/4 cup of apple juice.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Add the cake crumbs until all liquid has been absorbed.Spoon this into the shallow trough on the cake and place the second cake on top.To make frosting, ceam butter and cheese together.Blend in vanilla and add sugar.Once sugar is incorporated turn mixer to high and whip until light and creamy.Frost the top and sides of the cake, sprinkle with additional cinnamon or nutmeg if desired.