Apple Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13? baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
• In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat until the butter starts to bubble. 
• Add the peeled and chopped apples, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and cook, tossing occasionally, until the apples start to soften and the sugar mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl add the remaining 1 cup of butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, and granulated sugar, and beat until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes), scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go. 
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
• In another mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
• Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture to the creamed butter/sugar mixture and stir until incorporated.  
• Add half of the buttermilk and stir. Repeat with another addition of flour, the rest of the buttermilk, and ending with the final addition of flour. 
• Add the cooked apple mixture to the batter and fold-in gently. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 35-43 minutes or until the cake is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

For the Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting:

• While the cake is cooling, make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese until smooth. 
• Add butter and cream together until smooth. Add the brown sugar and beat for about 5 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. 
• Mix in vanilla. Spread frosting evenly over cooled cake. Refrigerate leftovers.