Start off autumn with the season’s bounty of apples! This New England Apple Cake has a velvety texture with a compliment of warm spices.

Go inland. Away from the ports, the rocky shores, and whipping Atlantic air. Get closer to the towns nudged into valleys or on the banks of rivers. Stone mills lay stream-side like artifacts of livelihoods. Here Tuckerberries and corn give way to apples and gourds. Orchards sink under the autumnal weight. There is something about New England autumns that evoke a sense of age. Not worn, not decayed. This sort of age is antiqued the same way that a patina forms, shielded from sun, hidden in quilt chests. Here the quintessential vibrancy of crisp autumn is exchanged for something subdued and ever so intriguing. Subtle classics don’t show all of their cards.

This New England Apple Cake is wrapped in the colors a northeast town. Pewter blue, with plaid accents of rust red, sage green, and buttermilk yellow. Underneath the décor, apple spice seasonings don’t overpower the mouth. Rather the blend accentuates the natural apple flavor. The New England Apple Cake is for slipping into that hunters jacket. Spend the morning splitting the (now finally) dried cords of wood. It is a cake to be enjoyed with Beech-nut coffee, the eyes absorbing the slate grey afternoons

Baking Talk: Just like with any fruit filled cake, the less moisture the better. When shredding the apples, squeeze out the excess moisture with paper towels before incorporating the fruit into the batter. Though not instructed , toasting the nuts in a dry skillet before chopping and incorporating makes for a better developed walnut flavor. For more Autumn recipes:

New England Apple Cake

Ingredients

For the New England Apple Cake:

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour (270g)
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 3-4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and finely grated
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1¼ cup canola oil
• 1½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
• ⅔ cups light brown sugar, firmly packed (135g)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

For the Cream Cheese Buttercream:

• 24 ounces (3 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
• Food gel (optional, to duplicate design)

Instructions

To make the New England Apple Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 2 8-inch baking pans. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices to combine. Set aside.
3. Line a plate with paper towels. Dry the finely grated apples on the towels, pressing to absorb excess liquid.
4. Combine eggs, oil, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
5. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Fold in apples and walnuts.
6. Pour batter into prepared pans, tapping pans to remove air bubbles.
7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating halfway through.
8. Remove from oven, let rest in pans for 10 minutes before transferring to cool completely.

To make the Cream Cheese Buttercream:

1. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.
2. Add vanilla, then slowly add sifted powdered sugar.