spiced apple pie cake

happy september!!!! back to work, back to school (so glad i am no longer part of the latter category) calls for a cake. not just any old cake, but an APPLE PIE cake. actually though, it is filled with fresh apple pie filling, sandwiched between three layers of apple spice cake & finished off with cream cheese frosting. as if that wasn't enough, i decided to give it a drizzle in salted caramel because YOLO.

this special cake is not just to celebrate the beginning of a new month (the month that kicks off my FAVOURITE months.. hurry up october), but was also for my older sister's 30th birthday.. i mean 29th birthday! while her favourite cake is chocolate cake, her favourite dessert is apple pie. i figured in her thiry years she has had her share of chocolate cake, so it was time to create something a little more special. when she went away to university, i would send apple pies up with my parents any time they went to visit her. it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try & make a cake that taste just like those old memories. she absolutely loved it & said "this actually taste like pie" so that means it was a huge success! now i need to see what else i can whip up with apples because the apple orchards are starting to open here & i want to go apple picking so badly! what are you most looking forward to this month?! i don't know if it is sweater weather quite yet;)

ingredients

for the apple spice cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup grated apples, packed
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

for the apple pie filling

• 3-4 medium apples, peeled & thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

for the cinnamon cream cheese frosting

• 1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups icing sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 ounces full fat cream cheese
• salted caramel, optional

directions

for the apple spice cake

• preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and brown sugar.
• add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. mix until mixture is pale & fluffy.
• beat in the grated apples & whole milk.
• in a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg. gradually add to stand mixer at low speed.
• evenly distribute batter amongst two greased 8-inch round cake pans or three greased 6-inch round cake pans.
• bake each layer for about 15-20 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
• let cakes cool completely before flipping & frosting.

for the apple pie filling

• in a skillet over medium heat add the apples, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cornstarch, cinnamon & nutmeg. toss to coat.
• cook until the apples are tender & gooey just like apple pie.
• set aside & let cool before using.

for the frosting

• add butter, icing sugar, vanilla & cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until light and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes.
• turn mixture to medium speed & add the cream cheese one chunk at a time. beat for 30 seconds.
• when you are ready to frost the cake start with a layer of cake, frosting then filling until you reach the last layer of cake. to ensure the filling stays inside the cake, create a thick border along the edges with the frosting.
• frost the outside as desired & drizzle with salted caramel!

like what you see? get it here. table runner | cake stand | plate | mug | flatware | chemex

chai tea latte cupcakes

this is my first post for fall & i don't think there is any going back. i know we technically still have a few weeks left of summer, but as soon as september nears i bust out all the apples + pumpkins. i thought i was going to ease into the flavours of fall but instead i decided to go all out & create this chai latte cupcake! however, on NOM this week i made a pumpkin + pineapple bundt cake as an "end of summer, beginning of fall" inspired treat. but back to these cupcakes!

they literally taste like a chai tea latte in a cupcake form, which in a way means it is better then an actual latte because cake always wins. the base of the cupcake is infused with stash tea's double spice chai black tea & sweetened with a dark brown sugar. the double spice chai black tea packs SO much flavour, just opening the bag made the whole room smell delicious. for the frosting, i went with a light version of a buttercream to act as the whipped cream on a latte. i did a classic style american vanilla buttercream, but at the end added in a touch of whipping cream to lighten up the texture. i let justin take some of the left over cupcakes to work this week & they were gone before nine (am). what does that tell you? happy baking!

ingredients

for the chai cupcake cake

• 2 teaspoon stash loose leaf double spice chai black tea
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon

for the whipped buttercream frosting

• 1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3-4 cups icing sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup whipping cream, cold
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for dusting

directions

• preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• in a saucepan over low heat add the milk & loose leaf tea. let simmer for five minutes to infuse the tea into the milk. do not let the mixture come to a boil. remove from heat & let cool to room temperature. strain out tea.
• in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and brown sugar.
• add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. beat until light and fluffy.
• in a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves & cardamon. gradually add to stand mixer at low speed.
• once flour is JUST combined into the wet ingredients, add the infused milk & beat until batter is smooth.
• evenly distribute batter amongst lined cupcake tins.
• bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops bounce back to touch.
• while the cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
• in the bowl of a standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the butter, icing sugar & vanilla. beat until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• add the whipping cream & beat for an additional minute.
• fill piping bag with frosting & pipe as desired. sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon & voila!

this post was created in partnership with stash tea! you can find the double spice chai black tea i used here. they make the best flavours of tea to bake with. thank you for supporting the brands that keep hey modest marce running xo

like what you see? get it here. plate | pinch bowl | tumbler | linen | flatware | wood serving board | brass wood spoon  

GIVEAWAY + fresh VANILLA blackberry ice cream crepes

oh monday & the last of my blackberries (sad face). i figured making a dessert crepe was the best way to use what is left of the summer berries! i would be lying if i said i wasn't looking forward to baking with fall flavours again though... pumpkin, apples, pears & cinnamon everything. i actually went to a barbecue last weekend & brought a pumpkin pineapple cake for dessert! is that a weird flavour to bring to an outdoor summer party? probably, but everyone loved it & i figured if i added some pineapples to the mix it would pass as a summer dessert.

ANYWAYS, i am teaming up with zwilling canada today to give you the chance to WIN (yay!!!) a staub crepe pan over on my instagram so you too can make crepes like a boss. it seriously makes crepe making so much easier & i feel like i am a seasoned pro using the little wood wand & flipper that it comes with. there was this crepe restaurant right in downtown toronto on queen street where the cooks would make crepes in the window all day long. as a daily passerby i would just stare it awe because i never understood how they made them so damn perfect every. single. time. but alas, a few more batches to go with my staub pan & maybe i'll be making them in the window too. so head on over to my instagram HERE to enter for a chance to win & get the recipe below to make fresh blackberry ice cream crepes!

ingredients

for the blackberry sauce

• 2 cups fresh blackberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons water

for the crepes

• 1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted & cooled
• 1 pint of vanilla ice cream

directions

for the blackberry sauce

• in a saucepan add the blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, corn starch & water. toss to coat.
• cook on medium low heat until the blackberries begin to melt & burst open. i used a fork to smash them up a bit.
• let simmer for 5 minutes & remove from heat.
• set aside while you prepare the crepes.

for the crepes

• using a blender or food processor add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, milk, eggs & butter. blend until a smooth batter is formed. let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• once batter has rested, heat crepe pan over medium heat. adding a touch of butter per crepe, scoop 1/3 cup of batter into the pan & swirl around until a very thin pancake has formed. cook for 1-2 minutes per side. repeat until no batter remains.
• add a scoop of ice cream to each crepe & roll tightly. the ice cream will dispurse throughout the crepe as you roll.
• place in the freezer for 15 minutes to allow the ice cream to firm back up.
• top with blackberry sauce, powdered sugar & whipped cream.

like what you see?  get it here. crepe pan | bowl | mug | linens | sweet gum scoop | plate | flatware | copper pan | copper kettle