If you could only smell the way this Cinnamon-Apple Cake perfumed our house...

There has been a recipe in my to-try pile since I started it a few years ago. I would often come across it and say to myself "I really need to make this...", but then I'd find something else that caught my eye. However, with that overflowing bushel of apples we picked a few weeks ago, I figured it was just the right time to finally make this Cinnamon-Apple Cake.

The batter for this cake is quite a decadent combination of softened cream cheese, butter, granulated sugar and sweet vanilla. As with most cakes, once we had beaten the eggs in, the dry ingredients were tossed in and mixed until the flour had just disappeared into the creamed mixture. If you fear over-beating, stop just short of flour being completely combined and finish mixing it by hand.

To the batter, we added a healthy amount of chunky chopped apples that we first tossed with vanilla sugar and our favorite aromatic Vietnamese cinnamon. If you don't have a jar of vanilla sugar brewin' in your pantry (which you should start if you don't have one!), regular granulated sugar would be fine. Since we didn't use all of that cinnamon and vanilla sugar combo on those apples, once we scooped the batter into the baking pan, we showered the top with those sparkling cinnamon-dusted crystals.

Testing for doneness of this cake may be a little tricky with all those bits of apples stuck inside - you'll be looking for the edges of the cake to begin pulling away from the side and the top should spring back when lightly pressed near the center. If you can find a clear spot for a toothpick, it should have a few moist crumbs attached when you take it out. Exceptionally moist, your best bet to cut into this cake when completely cooled is with a serrated knife - this will help saw through the tender apples inside without not tear them out and crack that crisp sugary crust on the outside. If you fancy a taller cake than what we have, throw the batter into an 8" springform pan instead and increase the baking time by about 5 minutes. If you happen to be looking for an exquisite cake that bellows with fall flavors, I'd suggest you run and get the ingredients to make this soon!

Recipes

Cinnamon-Apple Cake