• Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease with butter and flour any 8-inch cake pan (round, square or spring-form. If using a spring-form, grease the entire pan then place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom and grease again. Then flour entire pan.)

Make the Cake:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together, 1 ½ cups flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon cloves, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ginger, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
• In a second bowl, beat ¾ cup sugar and ⅓ cup coconut oil until well incorporated. Add 2 Tablespoons molasses and mix again. Beat in 2 eggs, mixing well after each egg.
• In a blender or food-processor, add ½ cup cottage cheese and ¼ cup milk. Pulse just a few times to cream the cheese. (If you don't have a blender/processor, or if you just don't want to get it dirty, place the cottage cheese and milk in a bowl and using a fork, break up the cheese and stir together with the milk. It doesn't need to be totally smooth.) Add the cheese and milk mixture to your wet ingredients, along with 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice. Mix well.
• Add dry ingredients a little at a time and mix about 30 seconds.
• Fold in the apple cubes. Using a rubber spatula, pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Make the Crumb Topping:

• In a small bowl, combine ½ cup flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ cup nuts. Stir to combine. Pour 3 Tablespoons melted butter over mixture and stir until pea-size balls form.
• Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter. Bake in 350F degree oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
• Set cake on cooling rack for about 15 minutes. Then place your hand on the cake and flip it over and remove the pan (the cake is substantial enough to hold together in your hand, but you can use a plate if you want). If using parchment paper, remove the parchment and gently turn your cake over onto a serving platter.

Make the Cinnamon Whipped Cream:

• Pour One half pint whipping cream into a chilled bowl. Add 3 Tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Beat until peaks form and then taste to see if you want to add more sugar.
• Serve cake warm or room temperature with whipped cream on top. Add an additional dash of cinnamon to each portion if desired.
• The Cottage Apple Spice Cake is best served the day of baking, but keeps well covered in plastic wrap for up to two days.