Recipe: Spice and Apple Cake

So I've been making this cake for over 35 years. Literally! I entered it in a baking contest through my city's parks and recreation when I was eleven. (It got the blue ribbon.) The recipe says to bake it in a 9x13 Pyrex and slap buttercream frosting on the top, but I wanted to increase the frosting-to-cake ratio by making it as a layer cake. I tried it tonight, and the result was delicious.

INGREDIENTS

1 Duncan Hines spice cake mix

1 can Comstock apple pie filling

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A GLASS 9x13 PAN

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Pour the oil into the pan and tilt to spread, covering the bottom and sides. pour pie filling, eggs, and cake mix directly into the pan and mix with a fork. The mix usually has lumps, so this may take a while.

Bake for 40-50 minutes. The toothpick test works on this cake. Cool completely in the pan. Frost with buttercream or cinnamon buttercream frosting (see below).

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A LAYER CAKE

Preheat the oven to 350F (325 F if you have dark nonstick pans). Grease the bottoms of the pans with shortening or butter.

Mix the ingredients by hand. Batter will be thick. Pour or spoon into cake tins. Bake at least 25 minutes, using the toothpick test to ensure doneness. Cool for 15 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto a wire rack. Frost.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

2/3 cup salted butter, softened

dash salt

1 T vanilla extract

powdered sugar (about a pound, maybe more)

milk

cinnamon, if desired

I use a hand mixer for this. Start with butter, salt, and vanilla, and sift in sugar, one cup at a time. When it gets lumpy and un-spread-able, add a tablespoon or two of milk to smooth it out. Use at least a pound of powdered sugar to make sure you have enough frosting to cover the cake. Add a tablespoon of cinnamon, if desired.

Sorry the frosting recipe isn't more precise. I stopped measuring and started eyeballing it a long time ago.

Put a small dab of frosting on the plate, then put a layer down. Spread frosting over that layer and put the next layer on. Use the rest of the frosting to cover the top and sides.

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