1-Let’s dive into baking this spiced apple cake, starting with simple steps that anyone can follow. First, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) for a conventional oven, or 160°C (320°F) if you’re using a convection one. Grease two 8×3 inch cake tins to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.

2-Next, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg in a bowl and set it aside. Finely grate two apples, excluding the cores, to measure 2 cups (300 g) and keep them ready. In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, milk, vanilla, and shredded apple until smooth.

3-Now, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined, being careful not to overmix. For more tips on mixing, check out our guide on fluffy souffle pancakes, which shares similar techniques for light cakes. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake tins and bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

4-Baking and Assembling Steps: After baking, cool the cakes in the tins for 20 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. For the apple filling, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stir until the butter and sugar melt, then cook until thickened and set aside to cool.

5-To make the cream cheese buttercream, beat the butter until fluffy, add the powdered sugar in batches, then mix in the cream cheese, vanilla, lemon juice, and cinnamon until smooth. Finally, assemble the cake by leveling the layers, adding frosting and filling, and decorating as you like. The whole process takes about 1 hour and 48 minutes from start to finish.