Cinnamon-Apple Cake

Tonight, I'm taking dessert to our Bible study group. This is the recipe for what I'm taking. It comes from Cooking Light magazine, and I've had it for years. I almost always have apples on hand at home, so many of the desserts I make use them.

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces block-style cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped, peeled Rome apple (about 2 large)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes.) Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

Yield: 12 servings.

Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.


DONNA'S NOTES: By now, you will know that I use half all-purpose flour and half whole-wheat pastry flour. I also reduce the sugar in almost every recipe I make, so I used only one cup of sugar in the batter. I don't use anything low-fat, so I used regular cream cheese.