This September marks 7 years for kelliericecakes.com! It is hard to believe how much time has passed! To celebrate I made a spiced apple cider cake with thick cream cheese espresso frosting, apple butter layers, and candied pecans.
I know these layers look extra thick, but the frosting is more cream cheese and not as sweet. I wanted to have an extra creamy no bake cheese cake vibe.
I bought a roll of cake collars online. It is hard for me to decorate any other way because this is so simple and easy! I froze the cake layers, then as I built I sprinkled them with apple cider, a layer of apple butter, hearty layer of frosting and repeat. When you peel the plastic back you have a rustic mess free layer cake!
This is the PERFECT fall cake! All of the sweet spiced bites remind me of everything I love during the fall season.
Ingredients
For the cake-
1 box of spice cake
3 room temperature eggs plus 1 yolk
1 cup of apple sauce unsweet
1 cup of apple cider plus more for sprinkling on the cakes
1 tbsp of Rodelle Vanilla Paste or vanilla extract
For the frosting-
16 oz room temp cream cheese
1 stock of salted butter
1 tbsp Rodelle Vanilla Paste or vanilla extract
2 tbsp instant espresso
2 cups of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of heavy cream
2 tbsp of shortening or coconut oil
Apple butter
Candied pecans
(I found both at my local grocery store)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees
Prepare three 6 inch cake pans
Mix the cake mix, eggs, apple sauce, vanilla paste, and apple cider
Pour evenly into cake pans and bake for 20 minutes or until the middles are set
* I prefer to freeze my layers for easier building, but you are welcome to let them cool and use right away.
Beat the cream cheese, shortening, butter, espresso and vanilla paste. Slowly add the powered sugar.
I go back and forth with the cream and sugar until the frosting is thick and creamy. You just don’t want it to be too sweet.
Take one cake layer on a flat surface and wrap with a cake collar. I find them on Amazon for $10 a roll.
Use a piece of tape to secure.
Sprinkle a tsp of apple cider over the layer. Spread a layer of apple butter, top with cream cheese mix, add your next cake layer and repeat. Finish with frosting and pecan pieces.
Happy fall baking!
