Apple Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

The second night of Hannukah was a pot-luck dinner.  Our contribution was an apple cake from Dorie Greenspan's From My Home to Yours.  Although apples are traditionally associated with Rosh Hashanah, for us here in Houston it is just now cool enough to crave apples and other autumn desserts.  We stayed true to the recipe for the most part, but added a cream cheese icing instead of the sugary glaze in the original.  This amazingly moist and flavorful cake is easy to prepare, and will keep well for several days at room temperature if well-wrapped.

Apple Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
based on Dorie Greenspan's Double Apple Bundt Cake

Ingredients

Cake
2             cups        unbleached A.P. flour
2             tsp           baking powder
1/2          tsp           baking soda
1/2          tsp           cinnamon
1/4          tsp           nutmeg
1/4          tsp           ginger
1/4          tsp           salt
10           Tbs          unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/2       cup          sugar
2                             eggs, at room temp
1             cup          apple butter
2                             red apples, peeled and grated
1/2          cup          pecans, chopped
1/2          cup          walnuts
1/2          cup          dark raisins

Icing
8             oz            cream cheese, at room temp
1/4          cup          butter, at room temp
1             cup          powdered sugar, sifted
1/4          tsp           vanilla

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 300 convection (350 regular), with shelf in the middle. 
2. Butter and flour bundt pan.
3. Combine first 7 ingredients, mix with a fork or whisk, and set aside.
4. Cream butter and sugar on medium high until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating about 1 minute after each.
5. Reduce speed to low and add apple butter.  Scrape sides and mix under well incorporated.  Batter will look ugly and curdled.
6. Add grated apples and mix well.
7. Add dry ingredients and mix on low until fully incorporated.  Don't overmix.
8. Fold in nuts and raisins.
9. Fill bundt pan, then bang on the counter several times to level.
10. Bake straight on oven rack (no sheet pan) until cake is springy and knife comes out clean, about 1 hour in our convection oven at 300 (may be less in a conventional oven at 350).
11. While cake is cooling, make icing:  mix butter and cream cheese until well combined and fluffy.  Add vanilla.  Then add powdered sugar.
12. Because icing must be refrigerated, but cake is best stored at room temperature, do not ice the cake.  Instead, serve slices of cake with the icing on the side.