Applesauce Cake

     I’ve loved applesauce cake since my childhood. It's apple cider in cake form J When frosted, it moistens overnight and is even more delicious the day AFTER you made it! When I was growing up, my mother stashed it on top of the fridge where we kids couldn’t nibble the frosting between mealtimes.

     If you want a “healthier” snack, use the recipe to make unfrosted whole-wheat Applesauce Muffins. Substitute half the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour. The muffins are soft, scrumptious, and quick!



Ingredients:

½ c. margarine or butter

1 ½ c. sugar

2 eggs

½ tsp. vanilla

1 c. applesauce

¼ c. milk

2 c. flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. ground ginger



1 recipe penuche frosting (optional)

Applesauce Muffins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. In large mixing bowl or bowl of electric mixer, cream room-temperature margarine with sugar.

3. Add egg and vanilla. Mix.

4. Get out two more medium-size bowls. In one, combine milk and applesauce. In the other, mix together the other dry ingredients (flour, spices, baking powder, and baking soda).

5. Add half the dry mixture to the butter/sugar mixture in the big bowl and stir.

6. Add half the applesauce mixture to the big bowl and stir.

7. Repeat, using the rest of the dry ingredients and applesauce mixture.

8. Get your pan ready:

    Cake: Grease and lightly flour a 9x13” pan.  Bake 30-35 minutes.

    Muffins: Fill papers 2/3 full (about 24 total). Bake 15-18 minutes.

    Mini muffins: Fill each paper with ~2 tsp. dough (about 65 total).  Bake 12-14 minutes.

Recipe based on “Applesauce Spice Cake” in Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 11^th edition. (They’ve changed it a little in newer editions, such as the 14^th.)

*Nutrition facts (Cake, unfrosted):

Ingredient	Calories	Sodium (% RDA)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)	Calcium (% RDA)
½ c. margarine	560	40	0	0	0
1 ½ c. sugar	1080	0	0	0	0
2 large eggs	40	6	0	12	4
2 c. flour	880	0	4	24	0
1 ½ tsp. baking powder	0	36	0	0	24
½ tsp. baking soda	0	24	0	0	0
1 c. applesauce	180	0	4	0	0
¼ c. skim milk	23	1	0	2	7.5
Total : 24 pieces or 24 cupcakes or 65  mini cupcakes	2763 kcal	107 %	8 g	38 g	35.5 %
1 piece or cupcake:	115 kcal	4.5 %	0.25 g	1.5 g	1.5 %
1 mini cupcake:	43 kcal	1.5 %	0 g	0.5 g	0.5 %

Whole-wheat version: If you substitute 1 cup all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, subtract 40 calories from the total and add 12 grams fiber to the total. For each piece of cake or standard-size cupcake, subtract 1 calorie and add 0.5 g fiber. For each mini cupcake, the nutrition change is negligible.

*Nutrition facts (Cake with penuche frosting):

Ingredient	Calories	Sodium (% RDA)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)	Calcium (% RDA)
Total:	5746 kcal	148 %	8 g	40 g	43 %
1 piece or 1 cupcake	239 kcal	6 %	0.25 g	1.5 g	2 %
1 mini cupcake	88 kcal	2 %	0 g	0.5 g	0.5 %

*Calculated from food packaging:

 I used “Blue Bonnet” brand margarine, “Domino” brand sugar, “ACME” brand eggs, “Bakers and Chefs” brand (Sams Club) all-purpose flour, “Hodgson Mill” brand whole wheat flour, “Great Value” brand baking powder, “Arm & Hammer” brand baking soda, “Musselman’s” brand applesauce, and “Food Lion” brand milk.

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