In the Kitchen: Applesauce Cake

Pioneer Press features a recipe from Brenda Langton's THE SPOONRIVER COOKBOOK.

Langton_Spoonriver coverQuestion: I lost a favorite applesauce cake recipe that could be served plain or with whipped cream. It was baked in a square cake pan. Do you have such a recipe?

Answer: Here's a recipe from "The Spoonriver Cookbook" by Brenda Langton and Margaret Stuart (University of Minnesota Press, 2012). Serve it plain, with whipped cream or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

APPLESAUCE CAKE

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

1-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or mixture of all-purpose flour and whole-wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup chopped cranberries or raisins

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

To prepare oven, cake pan: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil 8- or 9-inch cake pan, either square or round.

To make batter: Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg. Add half of dry ingredients. Stir until well combined. Add half of applesauce. Mix well. Add remaining dry ingredients. Mix well. Add remaining applesauce. Mix well. Fold in cranberries and nuts.

To bake cake: Spoon batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown and cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Place on wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes. Invert pan to remove cake. Cool completely before slicing.

 

Published in: Pioneer Press
By: Lynda Kochevar


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