Bavarian Apple Torte

Crust:

½ cup butter

⅓ cup sugar

¼ tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour

Filling:

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

½ tsp. vanilla

4 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples

⅓ cup sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ cup sliced almonds (optional)

Crust:  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Blend in vanilla. Add flour; mix well.  Spread dough onto bottom and 1½ inches around sides of 9” springform pan.

Filling:  Combine cream cheese and sugar mixing until well blended. Blend in egg and vanilla; pour into pastry-lined pan.

Toss apples with sugar, which has been mixed with cinnamon. Spoon apple mixture over cream cheese layer; sprinkle with almonds.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.  Reduce oven to 400 degrees and continue baking 25 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan.  Cool; remove rim.  Chill.

Frosted Pumpkin Cake

1⅔  cups sugar

4 large eggs

15-ounce canned pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp cinnamon OR 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Frosting:

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 13x9-inch pan.

Prepare cake: In bowl, with mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and batter is smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool pumpkin cake in pan on a wire rack.

Prepare frosting: In bowl, with mixer at low speed, combine the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.