Preheat oven to 180 ?C (350?F) and grease two 8x3 inch cake tins.

Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in a bowl. Set aside.

Finely grate two apples and measure out to have two cups (300g). Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine light brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, milk, vanilla, and shredded apple. Mix until well combined and smooth.

Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and gently fold until just combined.

Distribute batter evenly into the two cake tins and bake for 30-33 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Allow cakes to cool in the tins for 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

For the apple filling, add all ingredients to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until butter and sugar melt, stirring continuously. Cook until filling is thick, then transfer to a bowl to cool.

For the frosting, cream unsalted butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in powdered sugar in 3 batches.

Add cold cream cheese, vanilla, lemon juice, and cinnamon to the mixture and mix until smooth. Avoid over-mixing.

Level the tops of the cooled cake layers using a serrated knife.

Place the first cake layer on a cake stand, add cream cheese buttercream on top, and smooth it out.

Pipe a dam of frosting around the edges and fill with the cooled apple filling.

Place the second cake layer on top and cover the top and sides with more buttercream, smoothing out with a cake scraper.

Pipe swirls on the top using a piping tip and use any remaining frosting for additional decoration.