Apple Cake

3 cups flour
1 ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cups sugar
¾ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons bourbon, apple brandy, or rum
(optional)
1 ½ cups unsweetened applesauce
2 medium apples peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/3
inch cubes
1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans, (about 6 ounces)
Frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 cups powdered sugar
Coarsely chopped toasted pecans (for garnish)
Whisk first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, the bourbon, if desired (mixture may look curdled). Add flour mixture to egg mixture in 3 additions alternately with applesauce in 2 additions, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in apples and pecans. Divide batter between cake pans; smooth tops.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
For Frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until frosting is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Cover cake with frosting.
Then eat it!