Applesauce Spice Cake (small batch)

I had a quantity of applesauce leftover from the other day and decided that I would bake an applesauce cake with it. I really do enjoy applesauce cake, but it is not something that I bake very often for myself using homemade applesauce. 

More often than not I will use canned applesauce or jarred applesauce. Having leftover applesauce to use was a real treat!

I also wanted to try a new recipe that I had discovered in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I had to leave my original one over in the U.K.  I had hoped to be able to replace it when I moved back to Canada, but that exercise has been somewhat futile. 

I did manage to get a different copy of it, but it is not the same as the one I left behind.  It is new and improved. I  guess it is called progress.   Anyways, the cake recipe I am sharing with you today is a variation of the spice cake recipe in the book.  It was deemed to be "perfect" by the taste testers of the recipe so I  thought I would give it a go.

 

There were two variations on the original spice cake recipe. One was for a Nutmeg cake and the other was for Applesauce Spice Cake.  I chose the latter, because of the applesauce.

The original recipe made a 13 X 9 X 2 inch cake.  I did not need a cake that large and so I adapted the recipe to make a much smaller one. In this case an 8-inch square cake.

 

The original recipe also did not include any frosting.  I do like a bit of frosting on my applesauce cakes.  I decided that I would go with a frosting that I have made many times, a brown sugar fudge caramel-like frosting.

I thought it would go very well with the flavors of the spice cake. I was right! It was the perfect addition!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE APPLESAUCE SPICE CAKE

Very simple every day ordinary store cupboard ingredients.

For the cake:

• 1 cup (140g) all purpose plain flour
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 TBS buttermilk, or sour milk
• 2 TBS (30g) butter, at room temperature
• 2 TBS (30g) white vegetable shortening (such as Trex in the UK)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large free range egg + 1 large free range egg yolk (freeze the white for another purpose
• 1/2 cup (125g) applesauce

 

For the frosting:

• 1/4 cup (60g) butter
• 1/2 cup (100g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 TBS milk
• 1 cup (130g) sifted icing sugar

 

The original recipe used both butter and shortening. I used both butter and shortening. I cannot speak for what would happen if you used all butter. I know some people just hate to use shortening in anything. I am not one of those people.

You can use buttermilk or sour milk. It is only 2 TBS in this small batch recipe. You do need it to enable the baking soda to work and make the cake rise.  If you don't have either of those things, you can use 1 TBS of whole milk and 1 TBS of whole plain yogurt whisked together in it's place. It will work beautifully.

Everything else is pretty self explanatory.

HOW TO MAKE APPLESAUCE SPICE CAKE

What I really love about this cake is it's ease of preparation. It is a very slight variation on the one bowl cake method where everything is pretty much measured into a bowl and then beaten together.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish and line with baking parchment, leaving an overhang to life the finished cake out with.

Measure all of the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the buttermilk, butter, shortening, applesauce and vanilla. Beat at low speed to combine then increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes.

 

Add the egg and egg yolk and beat for a further 2 minutes. Spoon into the prepared baking tin and smooth the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until well risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top should also spring back when lightly touched.

Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

 

To make the frosting, melt the butter in the saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and milk. Cook, stirring until the mixture comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and cool for five minutes. Whisk in the icing sugar.

Spread on top of the cooled cake and leave to cool completely and set before cutting into squares to eat.

 

The full batch cake said to cut it into 12 squares. I cannot imagine cutting this half batch recipe into six squares. They would be very large. I cut it into nine squares.

I took half of it over to my sisters so that they could enjoy it.  My father always looks for something sweet at the end of his meal and I thought he would really enjoy a piece of this tasty cake. I was right!  He did!

 

This really is a lovely cake. Nice and moist it is perfectly spiced. You could add raisins and nuts to it if you wish, but it is really nice all on it's own.

DO make the brown sugar frosting. You won't regret it!  It is the perfect topper to the perfect cake!

Some other cake recipes that I have adapted to small batch bakes here in the English Kitchen that you might also enjoy are:

ANGEL FOOD CAKE FOR TWO -  This angel food cake is the size of a loaf and lacks none of the tastiness of its full batch counterpart!  It is light and delicious, and low in fat. Perfect to enjoy with fresh fruit or even on it's own.  Its lovely toasted and served with some ice cream and caramel or chocolate sauce.  I would say it's a fabulous cake all round!

SMALL BATCH GINGERBREAD CAKE with lemon cream - Do you love Gingerbread cake, but can't face having to use up a whole large cake. This cake is specifically designed for the smaller family.  This delicious spicy gingerbread cake is just enough so that you can enjoy it once as a dessert with something lush spooned over top, and once as a teatime treat, served warm, split and buttered. I hope that I am not the only person who enjoys my gingerbread buttered!!! 

Yield: makes 0ne 8-inch square cake

Author: Marie Rayner

Applesauce Spice Cake (small batch)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min

This is the perfect applesauce spice cake, small batched for the smaller family. Moist and spicy with a lovely brown sugar frosting.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 cup (140g) all purpose plain flour
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 TBS buttermilk, or sour milk
• 2 TBS (30g) butter, at room temperature
• 2 TBS (30g) white vegetable shortening (such as Trex in the UK)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large free range egg + 1 large free range egg yolk (freeze the white for another purpose
• 1/2 cup (125g) applesauce

For the frosting:

• 1/4 cup (60g) butter
• 1/2 cup (100g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 TBS milk
• 1 cup (130g) sifted icing sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish and line with baking parchment, leaving an overhang to life the finished cake out with.
2. Measure all of the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the buttermilk, butter, shortening, applesauce and vanilla. Beat at low speed to combine then increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes.
3. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat for a further 2 minutes. Spoon into the prepared baking tin and smooth the top.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until well risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top should also spring back when lightly touched.
5. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. To make the frosting, melt the butter in the saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and milk. Cook, stirring until the mixture comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and cool for five minutes. Whisk in the icing sugar.
7. Spread on top of the cooled cake and leave to cool completely and set before cutting into squares to eat.

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