
Fall Harvest Spice Cake
Celebrate harvest time with this tempting spice cake topped with sweet, creamy maple frosting and lots of nuts and fruits.
Yield
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
1 | package (18-1/4 ounces) spice or carrot cake mix |
1 | cup water |
3 | eggs |
1/3 | cup vegetable oil |
1/3 | cup apple butter |
Maple Buttercream Frosting | |
2 | cups coarsely chopped walnuts |
1/4 | cup semisweet chocolate chips |
1/4 | cup chopped almonds |
2 | tablespoons chopped dried apricots |
2 | tablespoons chopped dried cranberries* |
2 | tablespoons raisins |
*If dried cranberries are unavailable, use additional chopped dried apricots and raisins.
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
- Combine cake mix, water, eggs, oil and apple butter in medium bowl. Beat at low speed of electric mixer until blended; beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove to from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
- Prepare Maple Buttercream Frosting.
- Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; frost top with Maple Buttercream Frosting. Top with second cake layer; frost top and sides with frosting. Press walnuts onto side of cake.
- Pipe chocolate onto cake for tree trunk. Combine almonds, apricots, cranberries and raisins. Sprinkle above and below trunk to make leaves.
Piping Chocolate
Place chocolate chips in a resealable plastic sandwich bag. Close bag tightly. Microwave on HIGH about 45 seconds; knead chocolate until it is melted. Repeat if necessary, microwaving 30 seconds at a time. Twist the top of the bag tightly against the chocolate. Snip a tiny tip (about 1/8 inch) off one corner of the bag. Hold the top of the bag tightly and pipe the chocolate through the opening.
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