Apple Spice Cake

This is one of my favorite fall recipes to make. Based on this recipe from Cooking Light, I have made numerous changes, as I found the original recipe lacking. This time I subbed light Laughing Cow cheese for the cream cheese, since I didn't have any on-hand.


Apple Spice Cake

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup (3 oz) low-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
~2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup low-fat buttermilk (I subbed with 1 cup skim milk w/ 1 tsp lemon juice)
1 chopped and peeled apple
2 tbsp brandy
2 tsp powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.

Place the first four ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour thru cloves in a large bowl and combine. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat well after each addition. Stir in apple and brandy. Pour mixture into a greased 8" square baking pan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.