Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350F and prep (8″ round cake pans. Coat them with a thin layer of nonstick spray and line the bottoms with a round sheet of parchment paper. Wrap in damp cake strips if you have them. Set aside.

Step 2

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

Step 3

In a large mixing bowl, either mixing by hand with a whisk or an electric mixer, mix together the sugar, oil, and apple sauce until the sugar is evenly moistened.

Step 4

Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.

Step 5

Once smooth, mix in half of the dry ingredients until combined. Then mix in the sour cream, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients.

Step 6

The batter should be fairly thin. Pour it into the two cake pans, filling each about 2/3 full.

Step 7

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. While the cake bakes, make the brown butter.

Step 8

Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Melt it down and continue to stir until it bubbles, foams, and turns a rich amber color (for more details on how to brown butter, click here). Pour the brown butter into a shallow glass dish and chill while the cakes bake.

Step 9

Once the cakes have baked, allow them to cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Then, flip out on to a cooling rack. If you plan on decorating the cake that same day, transfer the cakes to the refrigerator uncovered to chill completely before frosting. If you are decorating the next day, allow the cakes to cool completely at room temperature. Then wrap each layer in plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Step 10

Once the cakes are chilled, make the frosting. But first, test the butter. It should now be opaque and firm, but not hard. It should be the consistency of softened butter to where you can easy dig into it with a butter knife. If it’s not there yet, continue to chill.

Step 11

When it’s ready, add the butter and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth, either using a hand or stand mixer with the whisk attachment.

Step 12

Mix in 1 cup of powered sugar at a time, followed by the vanilla. If it’s still too thin, add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time to thicken. Or, if your home is a bit warm, transfer the frosting to the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes to thicken.

Step 13

When the cakes have completely cooled, level off the tops and slice each layer in half to make 4 thin layers. You don’t have to do this, but I like how it evenly distributes the frosting throughout the cake.

Step 14

Add a thin layer of frosting between each layer. Once all layers have been stacked, cover the cake in a thin coating of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill for 20-30 minutes to allow the frosting to set.

Step 15

Once chilled, cover the cake with the remaining frosting. Add any decorations you like, such as cinnamon sticks, crumbled cake scraps, or homemade candied nuts.

Step 16

Place the cake back in the refrigerator to chill until serving. Enjoy!