Cinnamon Apple Cake

My work Christmas party is tonight!  We always do it way after Christmas!  The host is making beef tenderloins and cheesy potatoes.  The rest of us are bringing a dish to pass.  I decided to bring a dessert, since many people were bringing something besides dessert.

I decided to bring Cinnamon Apple Cake from Cooking Light.  The cream cheese in the batter give this cake lots of moisture. Because it’s so tender, use a serrated knife for cutting.

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup (6 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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°. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition; set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, and beat at low speed until blended. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl; 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° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of pan. Cool cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

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

Yield: 12 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 281(28% from fat); FAT 8.7g (sat 1.8g,mono 3.7g,poly 2.6g); PROTEIN 4.8g; CHOLESTEROL 39mg; CALCIUM 89mg; SODIUM 234mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.3g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2000

It’s smelling so good in my house right now.  I can’t wait to try some.  13 people gave this recipe 5 stars!  I didn’t realize that, until it was in the oven.  I found the recipe in one of my Cooking Light magazines, not online.

My kitchen is sooo cozy, which is nice, since it’s only in the single digits outside.  Brrrr.