Almost Granny's Spiced Applesauce Cake

My Granny, Iris Winifred, was a strange and wonderful lady.  Funny, strong willed with a talent for survival, she was sometimes difficult but was always the most sociable person I knew.  She could talk the hind legs off a mule, as the old saying goes.  She was made of cast iron, nothing ever made much of a dent in her.  She loved gardening, gossip, feeding birds, good food and smoking!  It got her in the end, but not before she was nearly 90! Yes, my Granny was formidable and her Applesauce Cake was the stuff of dreams!

My Spiced Applesauce Cake isn't a patch on hers.  My cake is positively rustic compared to the multi-layered, Caramel frosted wonder that was Granny's cake.   To add to my shame, I have a confession to make.  I don't actually have Granny's recipe! But I do have a very good Spiced Applesauce Cake recipe that I will share with you.  

Here are the ingredients:

2 cups (250 grams) plain flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup  (113 grams) butter - room temperature
1 cup (195 grams) light brown sugar*
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs - room temperature
1 1/2 cups  (365 grams) applesauce
1/2 cup (50 grams) walnuts  - toasted and chopped - optional

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.  Grease and flour an 8 or 9 inch square pan.  

Sift together the spices, baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.  Set aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl,  beat together the butter and brown sugar until they are light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well between each addition.  Stir in the vanilla and applesauce.  

Add about a third of the flour/spice mixture.  Stir until the dry ingredients are just combined.  Add a third more, stir to combine and repeat with the remaining dry ingredients.   

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing it evenly to the edges of the pan.  Bake for about 30 - 40 minutes.  Let the cake cool completely before frosting with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. 

To make the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting you will need:

5 ounces (142 grams) cream cheese - room temperature
3 Tablespoons butter - room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 to 2 cups icing sugar

Beat together the butter and cream cheese until they are well combined.  Add the vanilla and cinnamon, beating until they are well distributed through the creamed mixture.  Add one cup of icing sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.   If the frosting is too soft to spread, add a bit more icing sugar and beat again.   I often put the frosting in the fridge to cool and firm up a bit before spreading it over the cake.  Slice, serve, enjoy! 

My little Spiced Applesauce Cake isn't tall and elegant like Granny's but it is  moist, rich and tastes good.  If your granny has a special recipe don't wait, ask her for a copy NOW.  Better still, get in the kitchen with her and let her teach you how to make it.  Then you can bake that sweet memory and share it with the people you love. 

*If you are using sweetened applesauce you may want to reduce the brown sugar to 3/4 cup.  The one cup measure is for cake made using unsweetened applesauce.  Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge.