Applesauce Cake

A quick and easy cake for fall, don’t expect many leftovers! See the list here for which kind of apples are great for baking.

Applesauce Cake

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups cinnamon applesauce
½ cup walnuts chopped walnuts
Frosting:
5 oz cream cheese softened
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a baking dish.

Cake:

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in applesauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts.

Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioners sugar and cinnamon over cream cheese mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated.

Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.

Apple

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Fall isn’t quite here yet but when you see fresh apples in the farmers markets you know it’s coming quickly! Apples starting coming into the market in August actually.

Home made applesauce is so easy and oh so tasty, not like that runny stuff you get from a jar. It’s pretty much hands off cooking so try making your own today!

Here’s a quick little guide to choosing apples

Choose organic apples as apples have topped the Environmental Working Groups ‘Dirty Dozen’ list, which identifies the most pest laden fruit and vegetables. You’ll want to eat the skin of the apple as disease-fighting pectin (fiber) lies directly under the skin

Select firm fruit with no bruises or scars and treat them gently.

Don’t wash your apples until you’re ready to use them.

Keep them in a cool place, your fruit drawer of the refrigerator is fine but don’t store with other fruit. Apples give off a gas, which will ripen you’re other fruit faster. Some apples will keep weeks in the refrigerator. They will keep a few days on the counter.

Apples are the ultimate fruit, low in calories with no fat, sodium or cholesterol. The pectin in apples actually helps to dissolve the cholesterol in ones blood stream. High in fiber, anti-oxidants, potassium, niacin and a variety of vitamins, apples are a near perfect fruit.

Apple Variety Guide

Cooking

Ambrosia, Braeburn, Cameo, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Jazz, Jonagold, Jonalicious, Jonathon, McIntosh, Pink Lady, Red Delicious

Fresh Eating

Ambrosia, Envy, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Jazz, Kiku, Opal, Pink Lady, Sweetie

Apple Recipes

Applesauce

Apple Crisp

Apple Cake

Melissa’s Apple Fritters

Apple Cake

10 / 5 / 16

Apple Cake in a Jar

Serves 12

3 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
11/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
2/3 cups vegetable shortening or olive oil
2 1/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups applesauce
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 12 (2 1/2-inch) wide-mouth canning jars with a paper towel dipped in oil.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and baking soda into a large bowl.

Using the electric mixer and a medium mixing bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar on low speed, then increase to medium mixing speed to mix well. While the mixer is running, add the eggs, one at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the applesauce. With a large spoon, stir in the sifted flour mixture and the walnuts.

Pour the batter into a measuring cup with a spout; pour the batter neatly into greased jars. Fill the jars halfway full. Place the filled jars on the sheet tray and bake on the center rack of the oven for 45 minutes. When done, the top of the cake will spring back when pressed with a finger, and the sides will have come away from the jar.

Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Poke holes in the cake with a toothpick and pour salted caramel over the top. Serve with whipped cream.

Adapted from Riki Senn at Greenbriar