Apple Butter Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

🧂 Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

  optional
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

  see substitute below
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup apple butter
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• 4 Tablespoons cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tablespoons salted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons milk or cream

  as needed to thin

Instructions

• 1 Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease or spray cake pan and set aside.
• 2 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set
  aside.
• 3 In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) on medium-low speed, cream
  together the sugars with the shortening until combined.
• 4 Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Stir in vanilla.
• 5 On low speed, stir in half of the flour mixture just until combined.
• 6 In a separate cup, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk until foamy. Pour
  all of the buttermilk into the batter and mix on low until incorporated.
• 7 Stir in remaining flour mixture (just until no flour is visible).
• 8 Use a rubber spatula to fold in the apple butter until blended.
• 9 Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake until top springs back or a
  toothpick inserted comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes for a 9 inch square cake.
• 10 Remove cake from oven and let cool in pan about 15 minutes. Place on a cooling
  rack and cool completely before frosting (about 1 hour total cooling time).
• 11 In a large bowl, add all frosting ingredients and stir until combined. Add a
  little milk or cream to thin, if needed.
• 12 Use a spatula or spoon to spread frosting on the cake.

Nutrition Info