It’s been about a month since my last post (sorry!) but I guess you can say that I’ve been busy with a good amount of traveling as well as exploring more areas in the state of Maine. At the beginning of September, Alex and I flew back to California for two full weeks to see family and friends for the first time since May, which I felt very lucky to do. It was a first for both of us flying during the pandemic and it was exactly what you think it would be like: stressful, and I have no intention of doing that again anytime soon. I also got to experience another pandemic first: getting tested for Covid, and not only once, but a total of three times (twice in CA and once when we were back in ME). Fortunately, every test came back negative and I’m actually impressed by how easy the whole experience was in both states. If you’re still worried about getting a test since it can be kind of daunting, don’t worry about it, I seriously thought it wasn't a big deal. But if you’re being smart and continuing to wear a mask, you need not worry about that!

In other news, fall foliage is here in Maine and it’s been equal parts exciting and nerve-wracking planning trips to see all the beautiful colors. This is my first time experiencing the changing of the leaves to this extent so I want to see as much of it as possible before it’s over, hence the worrying on my part. This past Sunday, we drove two hours to western Maine to Grafton Notch State Park and hiked in one of the most stunning places I’ve ever visited (Sedona is up there for me as well). We chose a pretty challenging trail, Table Rock, but the moment we made it to the top, we were rewarded with a sea of colorful trees ranging from red to yellow to orange and in between; it was so beautiful that I actually started to tear up a bit. If you’re able to see the fall foliage this season, definitely don’t miss out on it… it makes you forget about all the crap we’re going through right now, even if it’s just for an hour.

One fall activity that I have yet to accomplish is apple picking but I did do the next best thing: shopped at a farm stand filled to the brim with dozens of local apple varieties. I kind of went crazy and bought 5lbs. worth of apples including an heirloom variety called Frostbite (aka the cute baby ones featured in the pictures), along with fresh apple butter and of course, a couple of apple cider doughnuts. It was at this farm stand where I found inspiration for today’s recipe which led me to the super cozy and fall-friendly apple butter spice cake. I actually posted a similar recipe last year with my pear spice cake with mascarpone, but the two recipes differ in a couple of ways. In today’s recipe, there is no fresh fruit utilized, only the apple butter component; I added a frosting on top to really drive home the decadence that we start to see when the weather gets cooler; and the mascarpone cheese is not found within the cake ingredients, but actually only in the frosting. I’d been wanting to make mascarpone frosting for a while now and I knew it would pair perfectly with the intense apple flavor from the apple butter and the array of spices. Luckily for me (and you), the cake and frosting complemented one another perfectly.

Let’s talk about the main component of today’s cake: the apple butter. Do you have to make it yourself? Of course not! I obviously didn’t make it for this recipe, but I did go out of my way to purchase one that was made locally here in Maine that also wasn’t loaded with high fructose corn syrup, which is what you’ll usually get stuck with when shopping at regular grocery stores. So if you can’t make your own (here’s the link to my apple butter recipe, along with a recipe for apple cider doughnuts), then maybe try to buy it at your local farmers market. If either options are out of the picture for you (hello, Covid, I know you’re still around), then go ahead and buy the store bought version. But promise me you’ll make your own apple butter this season!

Moving on to the mascarpone frosting, I’m going to be honest and say that you actually don’t need to have it with the cake; that’s just how delicious I think the cake is on its own. Like I mentioned earlier, I had been wanting to make a mascarpone frosting for a while now and felt a spice cake would be perfect with it (which it is!), but if you’re wanting to have this cake with a little less sugar and/or intend on making this for breakfast to enjoy with a hot cup of coffee, then by all means, leave the frosting off! In turn, I would simply do a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar with fresh apple slices which makes the presentation a bit more exciting, even though you might just be making the cake for yourself.

Apple Butter Spice Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

Yields (1) 8-inch round or square cake

Recipe adapted from Life as a Strawberry

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg (or freshly grated)
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4oz.) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup apple butter, store bought or homemade
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting

3 oz. (3/4 a stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 oz. mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
Directions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease an 8-inch round or square cake pan with either cooking spray or butter, then line it with parchment paper with some overhang.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, spices, baking soda and salt together until combined. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer), mix the melted butter, apple butter and sugar together for a couple of minutes on medium speed. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix again. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Try not to over mix the batter.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and spread it evenly using a spatula (an offset spatula is best). Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out cleans. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing it and transferring to a cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely before frosting it.

For the frosting:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer), combine the butter, mascarpone, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low for about 10 seconds before increasing the speed. Beat until everything is incorporated and smooth.
Spread the frosting in an even layer on top of the cooled cake (you may not use all of the frosting). Finish the cake with a dusting of ground cinnamon (or whatever spice of your choice) and thinly slicked apples. Enjoy!