Applesauce Spice Cake

The idea for this applesauce cake recipe came from an ancient Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  I used applesauce from apples my friend had last fall, and truthfully, I don't eat or use applesauce enough, but this cake is reason enough to break out the jar.  I think part of my put off is in the 80s and 90s people thought of applesauce as a fat replacement. 

FYI: I have not tried that recipe, but I once used applesauce to replace of fat in a muffin recipe for a fat free muffin. Yes, it was in the 90s.  They were good warm, but the next day the muffins had the texture of hockey pucks. 

They could bounce off walls the next day. After much experimenting with baked goods, I know successful baked goods aren't the same when you tamper with the recipe. I've used egg replacements but never have never tried applesauce as an egg replacement as Carol claimed on a recent episode of Walking Dead.   

Seriously, if you want changes in the recipe you like, and aren't sure what to expect, experiment, use less expensive ingredients first. And it always helps to have a trusty Cooking Assistant, just in case.  

The "trusty" Cooking Assistant but for how many seconds?

Oil and sugar combine in recipes to make a certain texture and oil and flour, don't get me started. Oil is best cold and mix it in with all flour particles without over mixing which can cause a cake, muffins or brownies to be tough.

Pick your favorite apples and make your own applesauce if you want. 

Applesauce Spice Cake 

(Makes on 8-inch cake/Serves 6 to 8)

1/2 cup Earth Balance butter sticks or shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Florida crystals

Egg re placer for 2 eggs, use flax seed egg replacer or 1/2 cup mashed bananas

1 cup thick unsweetened applesauce

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup each: currants and walnuts (or use pecans)

Preheat oven to 350F. Thoroughly cream shortening and sugar: add egg replacer and beat well. (A mixer works well for this step).  Add applesauce and then sifted dry ingredients.  Fold in currants and nuts.  Bake in a parchment lined pan. This cake is moist several days in a covered container.  (If it lasts that long.)