applesauce cakeOkay, I'm officially over this whole winter thing. Cold. Dreary. Damp. Makes me want to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and a nice big hunk of applesauce cake. Is there anything more comforting? Maybe it's because applesauce is one of the first foods we eat as babies, maybe it's because it's sweet but not too sweet, so it's perfectly appropriate to eat at any time of the day: For breakfast, for dessert, or my personal favorite, for a mid-afternoon snack.

The other thing that's comforting about this applesauce cake recipe? It's soooo easy. Make it once and you'll make it a thousand times, believe me.

Serving suggestion: Eat while wearing tattered old fuzzy slippers and watching an Absolutely Fabulous marathon.

Applesauce Cake

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups packed light-brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups store-bought chunky applesauce
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • Confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Set aside.
  2. In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and honey until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Beat in applesauce.
  3. Generously coat a nonstick 9-inch tube pan with cooking spray. Spoon batter into pan; smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (but slightly wet), 50 to 60 minutes.
  4. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Turn out of pan onto a cutting board or baking sheet; invert cake onto rack, top side up. Cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving, if desired.



Image via Jessica Merz/Flickr