Krystal Leong/Daily Nexus

With the crisp and cool weather upon us and with Halloween just passing and Thanksgiving just around the corner, it is starting to really feel like fall. And what better to do during this time of year than prepare a sweet treat to go along with the season? As someone who loves to bake, I could not wait to try this seasonal dessert. Although this season is usually filled with pumpkin spice anything, I decided to try something a little different: an apple butter spice cake. This recipe was simple enough, had easy-to-find ingredients and perfectly captured the essence of fall. My roommate and I could not wait to make it.

This dessert was a simple twist on a typical apple dish. It included unique ingredients like apple butter, which is similar to applesauce or apple jam, and whole bran cereal. Though the ingredients were unique, the process was relatively easy. You simply mix together brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and chopped pecans to create the topping. Then, in a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients to create the cake. Once each is mixed well, you alternately layer the batter and topping in a greased pan.

While it was baking, the kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of nutmeg, which made me feel like I was at home during the holidays. I could smell each individual layer of the cake from the bottom apple layer to the brown-sugar-glazed top. The cake itself was delicious. It was moist with a little bit of crunch and crumble. I could taste the distinguishable flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg as well as the classic taste of the apple butter. Fall was alive in my kitchen. With its irresistible sweetness, this apple butter spice cake was a great recipe to try and perfect for sharing this fall season.

Apple Butter Spice Cake

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ cup chopped pecans

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup butter
1 cup white sugar
¾ cup apple butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup whole bran cereal or wheat germ
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. To prepare the topping, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and chopped pecans.

3. For the cake, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together butter, sugar, eggs, apple butter, vanilla and wheat germ or bran cereal.

4. Alternate adding sifted dry ingredients with sour cream and mix thoroughly.

5. Pour half of batter into greased pan and sprinkle half of the topping over it. Pour the remaining batter into the pan and top with the remaining topping.

6. Bake for about 40 minutes. Enjoy.