Ingredients
Scale
- For the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cake:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch cloves
- 1 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder (optional – for color)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup buttermilk (room temperature)
- For the Apple Pie Filling: 2 ½ cups peeled & chopped Granny Smith apples (about 2 apples)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch salt
- 1 cup water
- For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting: 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, cubed (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the Pie Crust Inside the Cake, Accents, & Braid:
- Four 11” store bought pie crusts (or homemade)
- 1 egg lightly beaten with a splash of milk
Instructions
- For the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour three 6″ cake pans, line bottoms with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cocoa powder until well combined.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla extract.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition. Do not over-mix.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pans. Smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
- For the Apple Pie Filling:
- Toss chopped apples in lemon juice, set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add chopped apples and bring back to a boil. Simmer until apples are tender (approximately 10 minutes). Remove from heat and cool completely before using on cake.*
- For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer**, whisk until combined.
- Place bowl over a pan of simmering water to create a double-boiler. Whisking constantly, heat the egg mixture until it registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. Carefully transfer the bowl onto the stand mixer.
- Using the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch and the meringue is fluffy, glossy and holds a stiff peak.
- Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, slowly add cubed butter and mix until incorporated.
- Add vanilla and whip on medium-high until silky and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.***Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Roll out each crust and cut out two 7” circles. They will shrink a bit, so it’s important that they are larger than the 6” cake. I placed a 6” cake pan on top of the crust and used my knife to cut out a slightly larger circle.
- Re-roll the dough and cut 3 long ¼” wide strips for the braid. Trace a 6” circle onto parchment. Braid the dough and place it on the outside of the circle (again, it will shrink a bit so make it a tad bigger). Cut more strips and braid as needed until the braid goes all the way around the circle.
- Use remaining pie dough to cut out leaves and flowers if desired. Re-roll pie dough as needed.
- Transfer pie discs, leaves, braid, and flowers onto baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush with egg wash. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on pan.
- For the Pie Crust Lattice:
- ” cake ring
- Preheat oven to 400F. Place oven rack in lowest position. Place a 6” cake ring on its side on a sheet pan. Anchor it as best as possible to prevent it from rolling. I used two folded silicone baking mats around the sides. Lightly spray outside of cake ring with cooking spray.
- Roll out pie dough and cut into ½” strips. Take 4 of the longest strips and place them together. Use the other strips to create a lattice effect. I used a small brush dipped in water to help adhere the pie dough pieces to each other.
- Trim edges and cut lattice into 6” sections.
- Repeat until you have enough to go around the cake. Apply leaf and flower cutouts using the egg wash as glue if desired.
- Place a 6” lattice section on top of the cake ring. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush with egg wash.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on cake round.
- Very carefully, transfer to parchment lined baking sheet.
- Repeat with remaining sections.****
- For the Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake onto a cake stand or serving plate. Spread a thin layer of frosting on top and place a disc of pie crust on top. Using a large round tip, pipe a dam of frosting along the top of the pie crust to hold the filling.
- Top with approximately 1/2 cup of apple pie filling and spread evenly.
- Repeat with next layer and place final cake layer on top. Crumb coat the cake and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Frost the cake and smooth the sides and top. Apply lattice or pie crust cutouts to decorate as desired.