I received a letter last month stating that I might be a potential finalist in a cooking contest. The grand prize was a trip to NYC and the Food Network’s Food and Wine Festival (which was this last weekend). Needless to say, we spent last weekend working on the new garden, baking, and cooking. We were not in New York City.
I didn’t win the trip, but I did win a great prize package from Tree Top, full of all things appley.
So, today I made an applesauce cake. I took a German Apple Cake recipe that was recently featured in our local paper as a base and then modified it (of course). I tried to make it easier and healthier—at least a bit.
Applesauce Cake
2 large farm-fresh eggs
1/2 c. olive oil
2 c. sugar
1 t. pure vanilla
1 t. soda
2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. fresh ground nutmeg
2 c. flour
2 c. applesauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs until frothy (about 1 minute). Add oil, sugar and vanilla and beat until incorporated. In another bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and beat until just incorporated. Add applesauce and mix to combine.
Pour batter into a prepared 9 x 11 inch rectangular cake pan. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until cake springs back after touching.
Remove and cool before frosting.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
1 pkg. 1/3 fat cream cheese (Neufchatel )
1 T. softened butter
1/2 t. pure vanilla
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 c. powdered sugar (more if needed)
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together cream cheese and butter. Add vanilla and cinnamon and continue to beat. Gradually, add sugar, one quarter cup at a time. Frost cooled cake.
This is a dense, very moist cake. If you like a LOT of frosting, double the frosting recipe.
