While a somewhat unconventional use for a typical lunch-box snack, applesauce cake is easy to make, low in sugar, and absolutely delicious. Rising to fame in the early 20th century, this unique cake emerged due to a scarcity of sugar during World War I. We know — yikes. Of course, there’s no shortage of sugar in today’s world, but applesauce cake isn’t going anywhere thanks to a classic sweetness that both parents and kids can enjoy. Your sweet tooth is calling out, and now is the perfect time to answer. [photo via foodnetwork]
June 6 has been named National Applesauce Cake Day, meaning it’s the perfect time to eat your bellies full of applesauce cake in the name of celebration and perhaps in memory of those poor 20th-century souls who were desperately searching for ways to make sugar-filled food taste good without the sugar. Just imagine how hard it would be to bribe your kids without lollipops or ice cream cones and thank your lucky stars it’s 2013. So, perhaps you’ve heard of applesauce cake before; maybe you even have an old family recipe. If you don’t — or even if you’re just looking to branch out — foodnetwork.com is there to help, and you won’t be disappointed. This should take you 1 hour and five minutes from prep to finish, and it can feed up to 10 hungry people. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 cups applesauce
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- Powdered sugar, optional
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream the butter.
- Add the brown sugar to the creamed butter and continue mixing.
- Add the eggs, 1 at a time to the creamed mixture, and vanilla, mix well until blended completely into a fluffy texture.
- In a separate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients.
- Add dry mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the applesauce.
- Fold in the raisins and walnuts; continue folding ingredients until well incorporated.
- Pour batter into a greased and floured loaf or tube pan
- Bake at until firm to the touch, about 40 to 45 minutes.
- Let cake cool in the pan, and then turn it out.
- Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Thanks to its low sugar and butter content, applesauce cake has been dubbed one of the healthier traditional cakes, but your kids won’t notice at all — promise. Better yet, applesauce cake can be enjoyed at any time of the day: Serve it for breakfast, for lunch, or as a yummy post-dinner treat.
