Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake..."Southern Living Magazine"

Several weeks ago I signed up to be in a cooking club through Meetup.com.   The Food, Friendship, and Fabulous Fun Cooking Club.  For the month of October we were to study one specific Southern Living Magazine, Sept 2011, and select a recipe to try and bring it to a dinner held at a members home.   I love magazines and I love to try new recipes so this club was for me.  I selected 2 recipes to try.
The first one was "Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake.  I couldn't wait....

I gathered my ingredients.....and studied the directions....

Ingredients

• CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• APPLE CAKE BATTER:
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 1 1/2 lb.)
• PRALINE FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

• 1. Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.
• 2. Prepare Batter: 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.
• 3. 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.
• 4. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes (took mine 1.5 hours) or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).
• 5. Prepare 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 vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake. (Then decorate with pecans)

Many ingredients....

Baked/toasted my pecans.
I had never done this before, very easy.
Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes, until fragrant.

I love my little apple peeler and it cores too.
Makes dealing with apples quick and easy!

Many different steps to make a beautiful cake...

Finished product...

So how would I rate this cake? I guess a 9/10 on my cooking scale.
It was a lot of work.  Many steps.  Not difficult but time consuming.
Would I make it again?  I may make it for the holidays.
Try a new recipe...
Happy Cooking Everyone!
(Coming up soon, the pasta recipe I made for the party & I will be attempting the
amazing applesauce one of the cooks brought....Yum!:-)