Applesauce Spice Cake

When it’s so cold outside that a hot oven is no longer effective in raising the temperature, bake something with spices in it. Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg give a sense of comfort and warmth in this recipe for spiced applesauce cake. Served with a hot mug of spiced whatever, preferably heavily spiked with alcohol, it makes winter a bit more tolerable.

I’ve given up on trying to get used to Chicago winters. Coming from a country where the mercury never dips below 60ºF*, cold weather is never agreeable to my tropical-minded self. When I first stepped off the plane (or the boat, if you’re trying to get fresh with me), the first thing I got wasn’t a hug from relatives I haven’t seen in years. The sudden switch from humid to freezing dry climates caused a gushing nosebleed instead. I thought I was going to drop dead.

I should’ve taken massive blood loss as a sign to move south, but in the meantime, I’ll keep baking stuff until the springtime cometh.

*unless you live on a mountaintop

recipe adapted from Wayne Gisslen’s Professional Baking

Applesauce Spice Cake
with Lemon Icing (optional)

makes one 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch cake

For the Applesauce Spice Cake:

Ingredients                  Volume          Ounces          Grams
cake flour                    1 1/4 cup           5.6          158
baking powder                   2/3 tsp
baking soda                     1/3 tsp
cinnamon, ground                1/2 tsp
cloves, ground                  1/4 tsp
nutmeg, ground                  1/8 tsp

whole milk                      1/3 cup           2.8           79
applesauce                      1/2 cup + 2 tbsp  5.0          142

unsalted butter                   9 tbsp          4.4          126
brown sugar                     2/3 cup packed    5.6          158
salt                            1/8 tsp

large eggs, lightly beaten        2

For the Lemon Icing (optional):

1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar (3.5 ounces / 100 grams)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tablespoon hot water

Notes:

• Have all of the applesauce spice cake ingredients at room temperature before continuing.
• A bleached low-protein or soft flour is a suitable substitute for cake flour.

Applesauce Spice Cake Instructions:

Preheat Oven    350ºF / 177ºC

Prepare an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan
                Use nonstick spray or softened butter to grease the
                bottom and sides of the loaf pan.

Mix Dry Ingredients
                Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon,
                cloves, and nutmeg in a container with a tight lid.
                Cover and shake until thoroughly mixed.

Mix Wet Ingredients
                In a separate container, mix together the milk and
                applesauce until well-blended.              

Mix (Creaming Method)
                Beat the butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar
                and salt. Cream until light and fluffy.

                Add the eggs a little at a time, mixing to
                incorporation after each addition.

                Alternate between one-third of the spiced flour
                (dry ingredients) and one-half of the
                applesauce-milk mixture (wet ingredients). Mix
                only to incorporation after each addition. Begin
                and end with the dry ingredients.

Pan             Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Place
                the cake pan on a cookie sheet or sheet pan.

Bake            350ºF / 177ºC for 60 to 65 minutes, until the sides
                pull away from the pan and a wooden skewer inserted
                in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool            Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes before
                removing from the loaf pan. Cool completely at
                room temperature.

Needs a little dressing up. But not too much.

Ice (optional)  Using a rubber spatula, mix the lemon icing
                ingredients gently until smooth. While the icing is
                still warm, drizzle over the top of the cake. Use a
                squeeze bottle for cleaner lines.

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