Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Ingredients
1 cup finely chopped pecans
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 1 1/2 lb.)
Cream Cheese Filling
Praline Frosting

Cream Cheese Filling
Beat 1 (8-oz.) package softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup softened butter, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add 1 large egg, 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract; beat just until blended.

Praline Frosting
Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tbsp. milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Gradually whisk in 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.


Cake Batter Preparation
Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans.

Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.

Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cook cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (2 hours). Pour freshly-made Praline Frosting over the cooled cake.