Halloween/Samhain And A Triple Layer Apple Cake
Decorating my mantle for Halloween
I love Halloween/ Samhain, it’s huge in my neighborhood. Children walk en masse trick or treating, there are theatrical productions, music like the Dead Zombie Band playing on the street. Everyone dresses in costume here and has a wonderful time. We have a doggie costume contest called The Great Pupkin at Fort Greene Park (I miss dressing the pugs), people decorate their homes. I kid you not when I say Halloween is huge in Clinton Hill see this article in the Daily News.
My stoop
All month horror films (mostly not very good ones) are shown on TV, some of you who know me are aware that I am a fan of horror films, always have been and I look forward to seeing some of my favorites on Halloween. Two I love!
Mia Farrow-Rosemary’s Baby-Polanski is genius
Bela Lugosi Dracula
To celebrate the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter or the dark months, the literal and original meaning of Samhain, I made an apple cake. I know, there is a plethora of apple recipes out there right now along with pumpkin but thats ok, right, it’s apple and pumpkin season. This cake has been in my repertoire for years, it is the simplest and best apple layer cake recipe I have found. It is from Martha Stewart. The cake is shown with a brown sugar swiss meringue buttercream (yum) but I am making a cream cheese frosting. I have made this cake many times and vary the way I use the apples. Sometimes I follow directions grating 2 and dicing 2, sometimes I make applesauce from all 4 apples or at times I will grate all 4. For this cake I made applesauce which is my favorite way of prepping the apples for this cake. It is nicely spiced, moist and has a wonderful texture, I love it with either the Brown Sugar Buttercream or Cream Cheese Frosting any way you make it it is a wonderful way to celebrate apple season.
Apple cake
Three Layer Apple Cake
Martha Stewarts Everyday Food with John Baricelli
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
4 apples peeled and coursely grated (or you can grate 2 and dice 2) If you make applesauce the yeild is about 1 1/2 cups from 4 apples)
Directions:
Pre heat oven to 350 degree’s. Butter 3 8 inch round cake pans place parchment round in each butter again and dust with flour.
In medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger and salt. In large bowl whisk butter, sugar and eggs until well combined, fold in the grated apples. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined Divide batter among the prepared pans.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 20 minutes before inverting onto cooling rack. Cool complettely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
8 oz unsalted butter softened to room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbs half and half or whole milk
3-4 cup confectioners sugar
Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy and completely incorporated, add 2 cups of the confectioners sugar the vanilla and 2 tbs of the milk or half and half and beat. Add another cup of confectioners sugar and more milk continue to beat adding sugar and milk as needed until it reaches spreading consistency.
apuginthekitchen 
I love fruit cakes. And this one looks delicious..
Me too thanks so much and apples are so good!
My favorite…cream cheese frosting…yum
I’ll have my slice with a cup of coffee ☕
🍎🎃🍎🎃
It’s a wonderful cake and cream cheese frosting is my fave too, thank you!
Oooh this sounds so delicious, Suzanne! Halloween is my favorite for so many reasons. I miss doing things for it. None of the people I know here do anything. I miss dressing up, and throwing parties, and all of it. So I’ll just live it through you 😀 This is a delightful post. Now I’m off to explore your links! Mega hugs!
And I love your decorations!
Oh Teagan, it s wonderful here on Halloween, my neighborhood comes to life. Thank you so much and I wish you could be here to party with us!
You almost make me like Halloween-which you know I do not! While yes there is a plethora of apples, cinnamon, vanilla, luscious buttercream frostings this one is sure to please the most discriminating palate my friend. Your Florida Bud, Cheryl. Ps love the Mums and Pumpkins!
Ha, I know you dislike Halloween, making you almost like it is a huge compliment, thank you so much.
I get excited for you because I know how special it is in your neighborhood and your fondness of horror flicks, etc. The mantle looked very pretty too Suzanne. Enjoy!!!
Thank you!!
Suzanne – I would so love a slice of this with a cup of coffee – this cake sounds so chock full of apples!
Lately, in our neighborhood, all the children seem to be teenagers so we don’t have as many trick or treaters anymore – guess I’ll be eating all the candy 🙂
Thanks so much Shashi, I have watched the little children grow to be teenagers in my neighborhood but Brooklyn is such a growing area we are constantly getting new neighbors there is no lack of little trick or treaters here. Our Halloween walk literally has thousands of children going house to house. It’s really something to see. Wish we could have a piece of cake and coffee together, Thank you so much. Love eating the candy, my bad!!
What a lovely cake! Beautiful
Thank you so much Jenn!
I don’t think you can ever have too many apple recipes! This one looks so good. I love that you used cream cheese frosting on it. I bet that goes great with it. You have a beautiful fireplace, too! Thanks for another delicious recipe, Suzanne!
I agree, I love collecting lots of apple and pumpkin recipes. This cake I have been making since 2008 and it’s a keeper for me. The cream cheese icing is great with the spiced apple cake. Thank you so much Shari!!
Happy Halloween.. Cake looks moist and delicious love the layering
Thank you so much!
Whilst we don’t celebrate Halloween, this cake almost makes me want to! Almost that is. It looks stunning and delicious.
Thank you, the cake I make all the time so it’s not a Halloween tradition necessarily. Last year I made chocolate cupcakes and decorated them for Halloween. I love baking at this time of year.
I love Halloween too Suzanne! I love the decorations on your mantle 🙂 I must say that as I sit at my desk hitting my mid afternoon slump, your cake looks absolutely decadent and mouthwatering! Also like the addition of ginger in the cake, it’s one of my favorite spices!
Thanks Heather, I too love ginger and next time I may use fresh ginger to give it even more zing. Love decorating for Halloween!!
This looks scrumptious!
Thank you so much.
Beautiful cake, but I love your front porch!
Thanks Mimi, I love decorating for the holidays no matter what holiday it’s always fun. Love the colors of Fall.
What a lovely post. And I’m loving the photos. I only have one decoration, which I think is la Befana. But she’s perfect for Hallowe’en. Have to admit, I do love this time of year. And your apple cake definitely gets my vote.
La Befana, have to look that up. I go all out on Halloween love it and I guess it really is because I love this time of year, the weather, the colors the food. It’s all good. Thanks Johnny!
I’ve just read up on Samhain, as I’ve never heard that term used before. And it’s Gaelic. Who knew?
Yes origins in Ireland. It’s interesting right?
This cake looks deliciously moist! There are never too many cake recipes. Apple or otherwise. I love Halloween, and just love seeing my little neighbors. They love my dog and she is always in costume to greet them.
My pugs were the same, Izzy had faerie wings that had blinking lights they were so cute and Nando had a sailor outfit that he looked so cute in. It’s such a fun time of year.
Adorable! Maci is either a skunk or a skeleton.
I hope you post a photo, would love to see Maci in her costume.
Here in New Orleans some houses are decorated beautifully for Halloween, huge spiders hanging from the balcony. Your fire place decorations look darling and that apple cake with cream cheese frosting, yummy. I haven’t watched Rosemary ‘s Baby foe eons. I used to like it a lot. It’s time to watch it again.
Oh New Orleans would be so much fun on Halloween. I love it there, if only it weren’t so hot and humid. I watch Rosemary’s Baby every year at this time. It is one of my all time favorite movies and I don’t let a year go by that I don’t watch. Thank you Gerlinde.
My girls have been begging me for an apple cake. The cream cheese frosting sounds divine. I am saving this recipe Suzanne! Would love to try it!
PS – all the things that I promised to send your way, will be dispatched soon! Will keep you posted!❤️
Thank you so much. I love this cake recipe, it couldn’t be easier and the results are so good. Thank you also for the dispatch!!
😊❤️
This cake looks so moist and good–and looks beautiful!
Thanks so much Nancy!
What a lovely sounding cake! All three apple preparations sound delicious, though I think the apple sauce method must make for the most moist and tender cake. I’ve never lived anywhere with a lot of trick-or-treaters… we would keep count and be excited if we had more than 10 visitors!
Thank you so much, I like the applesauce method for several reasons number one I guess is that I dislike grating things but it really does make the cake very moist. I boil the apples in a small amount of apple cider to amp up the apple flavor. The first few years I lived here I hardly had any trick or treaters over the years it has grown and last year I had so many I ran out of candy early on. This year I am getting more!!
This is such a beautiful cake! So moist and delicious looking. I cannot stand horror movies at all, I have to cover my eyes whenever the scary part is coming…!
Thanks Jasline, I am somewhat desensitized to horror films I guess, They don’t bother me at all. My Dad was a fan of horror and he and I used to watch them together when I was very young, I remember being 5 yrs old and being a little scared.
Such a beautiful cake. I like that it doesn’t have too many ingredients. I’m not a fan of horror movies, but some of the new ones in the theaters are tempting.
Thanks so much Sharon. I haven’t seen one in the theatre’s recently I think the last was the conjuring which didn’t deliver for me with the scare factor. Thank you again!
What fun to make a big thing of Halloween. I used to love horror movies too, but they give me nightmares now so I don’t watch them anymore. Your apple cake is magnifique! I really love apple cake, but I’ve never thought to ice it – yours looks just soooooo good…
Thanks so much. I get nightmares watching the news. Thank you I love apple cake either frosted or not. This is truly a tender layer cake so it takes well to frosting. Thanks so much.
Yes the news is a little bit of horror every day…
Wow what a delicious cake -am drooling at my screen… wish u could grab a slice right now. .. yummm
Thank you so much Chitra!!
Love your fireplace and front porch decor Suzanne ! Apple cake looks so yum with that cream cheese frosting , beautiful photos 😊
Thanks so much Freda, the apple cake is really good and I have fun decorating for Halloween.
Wow it sounds like a fun and exciting time in your area! I love your mantel and your decorations. I do not like horror movies but like your picks! The cake looks beautiful amazing photo and the recipe sounds classic! Thanks Suzanne, lovely post!
Thanks so much Lyn, I have fun decorating, look forward to Christmas too.
I remember that little fact about you Suzanne…that you like horror movies! 🙂 Love Halloween too…although not as much fun now that my boy is 17. We used to love to create costumes together. The best was the year he was a pulcinella! After finding the mask we bought the white fabric and a pattern and made the costume. It was great! Especially with his black converse. 😉 Your cake is divine…
Yes I do like horror but good movies not the slasher type with lots of blood and gore. Sounds like you made a fantastic costume for your son. What fun! I love putting costumes together! Thank you so much.
I know…like Rosemary’s Baby, right? 🙂 Did you see The Babadook?
Yes Rosemary’s Baby and no never saw Babadook, will check that out. Thank you.
Just watched the trailer I have to watch that it looks great thank you!
Really enjoyed that one. It’s streaming on Netflix…
Oh I will have to get Netflix then. I checked the on demand portal and it’s not there. Thanks it looks so good!
Let me know if you watch it and what you think… 🙂
I will, looking today at netflix I don’t subscribe right now but will do it so I can see the film.
Your photos are stunning Suzanne! This cake is the perfect way to celebrate Halloween and the end of Harvest season – always in awe of a 3 tier cake!
Thanks so much Margot. I liked not having to cut the cake to make the tiers, baking the 3 layers was easy. It’s a really nice recipe. Thanks again.
Suzanne, I would a slice of cake for my morning coffee break, please!
Yes, it’s great with a cup of coffee, thanks so much.
Oh my gosh, Suzanne, I love this cake. Apple cake (or pumpkin cake) with cream cheese frosting is one of my all-time favorites. Adding this to my list of must make desserts. As a note, when I was in Slovakia week before last, one of the castles we visited was the one where they filmed the first dracula movie. We got a light dusting of snow while we were driving there, and the black and white images it created of the castle were spookily perfect. You would have really enjoyed it!
Thanks Susan and I am so jealous that you were actually in the castle where they filmed the original Dracula, I assume you mean the one in the 1930’s with the great Bela Lugosi. I would love to visit there and how wonderful that there was a light snow adding to the whole spooky effect. You are so right I would have loved it!!
Loving your decorations – and the cake! The spices sound delicious with the apples, what a great recipe Suzanne!
Thank you so much Ginger!!
I love seeing your front porch and room mantel decorated for the pleasure of the season. I love apple cakes, and I really appreciate the cream cheese frosting you chose. Yum!
Thanks Fae, it’s fun to decorate and celebrate. The cream cheese frosting on the cake is wonderful thank you again.
That is an amazing looking cake. I already adore apple cake but this one, with that wonderfully creamy coating, looks paticularly good – and ideal for Halloween. I’ll download the recipe and hopefully make one sometime soon.
Thank you so much. it’s such a great recipe, highly recommend if you decide you are in the mood for apple cake.
I’m always in the mood for apple cake!
:0)
Hi Suzanne, sounds like a wonderful community that you live in. Love that you added 4 apples to this cake, I bet it is very moist and delicious!
Thanks Cheri, it is a great place to live. The cake is so moist. It’s a wonderful recipe.
This looks FABULOUS, Suzanne! And I love your decorations!
Thanks so much Em!!
Adorable décor! I love your pug statue on the side. x
Thank you, yes I love my pug statues too!
I think you’d be happy to know that I received a pug pillow recently! Going to post some pictures of it soon 😀
Saw the pillow, it’s wonderful!!! Couldn’t comment on your site for some reason but tweeted it.
Saw it! Thank you so much! ♡
My comments are working now 🙂
Oh can’t wait to see photo’s. You cant really see it well but there are two small paintings on the shelf and in the paintings there is Freda Kahlo holding a black pug and another one holding a fawn pug. I love everything pug!! Will be looking for your pillow pics.
Three layers of my favorite Fall cake – yum! I love Halloween too and can’t wait to see the kids trick or treating. A sister and her puppy are coming to stay so that should be a lot of fun. She is trying to decide on “his costume”. I bet your pugs were adorable all dressed up. Happy Halloween 🙂
awww thanks Judi, yes my pugs were adorable dressed for Halloween, I miss that so much. Have fun it sounds like you certainly will with your Sister and her pup coming. Thank you so much.
Perfect cake for fall!
Thanks so much Michelle!
Woooooow it so tempting
Thank you Linda
For the past five years I have stocked up on candy for Halloween Trick or Treaters but there doesn’t seem to be many around. I am hoping there will be some this year!
It is apple season here and your cake, with the frosting looks delicious with a cup of coffee or as a dessert! 🙂
When I first moved in where I live years ago there were almost no trick or treaters. I would dutifully buy candy that I ended up eating myself or giving away. One year I decided to buy less candy and of course Murphy’s law that year I got slammed and didn’t have enough candy. The numbers have steadily grown and each year I get more and more. I know this year will be quite busy, it’s on a Saturday, the weather is going to be nice I am going to make sure I have enough. Here’s hoping this year you get some children trick or treating! Happy Halloween.
Well, I of course ate pretty much of ours as well! This year I will be ready again! There isn’t a lot of families on our street but I hope they will come anyway! 🙂 Happy Halloween, it is getting bigger and bigger here in the UK am happy to say! 🙂
This looks yummy! My mother used to make cakes just like this as a child!
Nothing like a nice layer cake. Thanks Sarah.
Love the mums and pumpkins at your door Suzanne! so bright! and the cake, of course, looks mouth watering— Hope you have a happy Halloween– it sounds like big fun in your neighborhood! My favorite part of Halloween is that eery year a few kids from my school wander into my neighborhood to trick or treat and they are so surprised when their teacher opens the door! so funny. Halloween hugs from here…
Thanks Rhonda, yes big fun in the neighborhood. We are all gearing up for Saturday here and the excitement is palpable. Ha, I can imagine how surprised the kids are to see their teacher. That’s priceless. Happy Halloween!
That must be delicious! It’s funny I was just thinking this morning that I’ve never made a layer cake and that perhaps I should give it a try…
Thanks Sofia, highly recommend this cake. it’s so easy to make no mixer. comes together quickly and the end result is delicious. If you try let me know how you like. Thanks again.
Indeed I will!
Woooooow gorgeous and so fluffy
Thank you so much Linda.
Looks like a really delicious cake..eill try it soon☺☺
Thank you Lina! Happy Halloween.
Same to u:)
Reblogged this on ravenhawks' magazine and commented:
Beautiful Cake
Thank you!