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1
Preheat the oven to 350F.
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2
Grease the bottom of three 8-inch cake pans.
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3
Line the pans with wax or parchment paper and grease the paper.
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4
Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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5
Set aside.
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6
In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
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7
Beat in the eggs one at a time, and beat until fluffy.
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8
Stir in the apples and vanilla.
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9
Add the flour mixture in 3 parts alternately with the milk in 2 parts, starting and ending with the flour, and stirring just until blended after each addition.
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10
Fold in the walnuts.
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Pour into the prepared pans.
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Bake until the center springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip, about 35 minutes.
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13
Let the cake layers cool in the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes.
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14
Run a thin knife around the outside and turn out onto racks.
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15
Peel off the paper.
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Flip them over to completely cool right-side up on the racks.
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17
If not assembling right away, cover the layers in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 1 day.
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18
Meanwhile, prepare the orange buttercream frosting: In the work bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter until soft.
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19
Add the sugar in 3 parts alternately with the orange juice in 2 parts, beating constantly until creamy and smooth.
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20
Stir in 3 teaspoons of the orange rind, along with the vanilla and salt.
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Set aside.
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22
To prepare the filling, in a small bowl, mix the cream cheese with a fork until softened.
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23
Add 1/2 cup of the orange mixture and the remaining 1 teaspoon of orange zest and stir until well blended.
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24
8.
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25
When ready to fill and frost the cake, hold a serrated knife horizontally and use a gentle sawing motion to shave the domed top off each layer.
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26
Arrange one layer on a cake serving plate.
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27
Place half of the filling on top and use an offset spatula to spread the filling to the edges of the layer.
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28
Place a second layer on top.
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29
Place the remaining filling on top and spread it as for the first layer.
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30
Top with the final cake layer.
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31
Frost the sides and top of the cake with the frosting, using a crumb coat (page 202).
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32
If desired, garnish the cake with nuts and apples: Decorate the sides of the cake with the nuts.
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33
In a small bowl, gently toss the apple slices in lemon juice and arrange them on top of the cake just before serving.
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34
Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
