Easy Apple Cinnamon Cake

Friends, today is all about being real.  If you are like me, and you probably kinda are if you follow this blog, here's some things we know about ourselves - we really like to cook, we LOVE food, enjoy reading cookbooks, think it's fun to try new recipes and it melts our heart when we serve family and friends a meal that they rave about.  Yes, that's us but on most days it's hard to do any one of those things, much less all of them, yet, we've got to keep life going!

Well, here's a secret, I have my own personal "prepared sous chef." Sometimes her name is Ms. Betty or it could be Mr. Birdseye.  Y'all understand?  There are times in life when we just can't make everything ourselves! Please know there's no shame in such since these days we have so many wonderful prepared brands of food to choose from.  Of course, I'm quite picky about who comes into my kitchen and most often cook from "scratch" but at the end of the day, my main goal is to make great, flavorful food that brings my family & friends to the table.  So, here's a big thank you to all the helpful sous chefs located in a grocery aisle near you.

Easy Apple Spice Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

4 large eggs

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup apple butter (can substitute vegetable oil)

2 cups diced apple (Granny Smith is recommended)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons milk

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly mist a bundt pan or 10 inch tube pan with cooking spray and dust with flour.
• For spice filling, mix 2 tablespoons of cake mix along with brown sugar and cinnamon - set aside.
• Using a hand or stand mixer, combine remaining cake mix, eggs, water, sugar, sour cream and apple butter.  Blend for 2 minutes.  Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl and continue to blend until batter in smooth.
• Using a spatula, gently fold in chopped apples.
• Pour 1/2 of batter into prepared pan.  Sprinkle spice filling evenly over batter.  Pour remaining cake batter over spices smoothing to edges of pan.
• Bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes until cake is golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let rest in pan for 15 minutes.  Invert cake onto a plate or stand and continue to let cool.
• Combine confectioners sugar and whisk until smooth.  Drizzle glaze over cake.  
• Serve with additional dusting of powered sugar and fruit.