In this week before Rosh Hashanah, traditionally a time for serious contemplation and introspection, I am happy to report that I have struggled, truly tussled with the issue…of whether I should post a recipe for honey cake or not. Honey cake, either completely beloved or disdained, has been a mainstay at Jewish celebrations before anybody thought of eating rice and raw fish wrapped in seaweed, in a synagogue. My own experience with honey cake has demonstrated that it ages well and seems to grow moister with every day that passes. And that’s an important feature because although nobody ever eats my honey cake, it’s not because it tastes dry or stale. So try to temper your disappointment. I won’t be giving you my recipe for honey cake (this year) but I will be sharing the recipe for this sweet and moist applesauce spice cake, filled with the warming flavors of fall and topped with a thick, fudgy, brown sugar icing. The recipe for this cake comes from Elizabeth Baird and the talented bakers in the Canadian Living test kitchen, published in The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book.
Applesauce Spice Cake with Fudge Icing
And now it’s time for the most beloved part of this blog, the Weird Ingredient Chat. One of the spices included in this cake is nutmeg. If you already know everything there is to know about nutmeg, please feel free to use the “jump to recipe” button. And if you don’t know anything about nutmeg, but are eyeing the button anyhow, don’t blame me the next time you can’t give the correct response in Final Jeopardy.
Nutmeg is a classic member of the sweet spice quartet which also includes: allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. Nutty and slightly sweet, nutmeg is an intense spice that has a strong and distinct aroma. Nutmeg can be purchased as the whole seed (nut) or already ground in a container. However, I recommend only using this spice when it’s freshly ground from a nutmeg nut. It can overwhelm other flavors easily, so add it by the pinch. To use whole nutmeg, shave off a small portion of the seed with a microplane grater, just make sure it’s not the same microplane that you used to grate garlic.
Moist and sweet with a delicate crumb, this cake is scented with cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg. This classic cake is topped with a cooked icing that sets quickly to a fudge-like consistency. Don’t skip the icing. It’s a deal breaker.
And now I hope that you were paying attention because today’s Final Jeopardy answer is: This type of tree broke Savta Simcha’s fall. Best of luck!
Assemble your ingredients. If using fresh nutmeg, grate 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg using a microplane grater. Reserve the nutmeg.
To make a non-dairy buttermilk equivalent, squeeze one teaspoon of lemon juice into a measuring cup and add almond milk or another non-dairy equivalent to the 1/3 cup mark. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened applesauce. I used prepared applesauce in a jar.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 12 cup Bundt pan using cooking spray with flour OR alternatively, grease a 9 X 13-inch pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Set the pan aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg. Using a mixer, with the flat beater, beat the butter or margarine with brown sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a flexible spatula to make sure that all of the ingredients have been combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Don’t be alarmed if the mixture looks slightly curdled. It will disappear when the flour is added. Beat in the vanilla. Combine the applesauce and buttermilk or soured almond milk. Stir the liquids into the butter or margarine mixture alternately with the flour mixture, making three additions of dry ingredients and two additions of liquid ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan of your choice and smooth the top. Bake on the center rack of the oven for the designated time (see instructions below). Allow the cake to cool on a rack.
When the cake is completely cool, prepare the icing. In a saucepan, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat. Add brown sugar and corn syrup and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil just until blended (about one minute). Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the milk or almond milk and vanilla. Beat in the icing sugar until the icing is smooth and spreadable. Allow the icing to cool in the pot for two to three minutes, stirring from time to time. You should observe the icing becoming thicker and more viscous as it cools. (Look at the tines of the whisk in the picture above. You can observe the thickened icing clinging to the tines of the whisk. You can also see the icing clinging to the sides of the pan.) Without delay pour the icing over the top of the cake, letting the icing overflow slightly. If the icing becomes too thick to pour (it becomes stiff as it cools), add a little bit of water.
Applesauce Spice Cake with Fudge Icing
Sweet and moist applesauce spice cake, filled with the warming flavors of fall and topped with a thick, fudgy, brown sugar icing
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon each ground allspice and nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup buttermilk or any non-dairy milk + 1 teaspoon lemon juice combination
- Icing
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons milk or non-dairy milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
Instructions
Grease a 9X13-inch pan or a 12 cup Bundt pan with cooking spray. If using the 9X13-inch pan, line it with parchment paper. If using a Bundt pan, spray it with cooking spray that has flour added to it.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, using a mixer with the flat beater on medium speed, beat the butter or margarine with brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg.
In a small bowl combine the applesauce and buttermilk or non-dairy milk and lemon juice combination.
Lower the mixer speed to low. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the applesauce and milk mixture. Make three additions of dry ingredients and two additions of wet.
Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake the cake in the 9X13-inch pan for 45 minutes. If using a Bundt pan, bake the cake for 55 minutes. A tester inserted into the cake should emerge with a couple of moist crumbs clinging to it.
Allow the cake to cool on a rack.
You can ice the cake when it's cool or freeze it well wrapped, and ice it before serving.
To make the icing: In a saucepan, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow the mixture to boil for one minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
Stir in the milk or non-dairy milk and vanilla. Using a mixing spoon, beat in the icing sugar. If the mixture appears lumpy, use a whisk to smooth it out. Allow the icing to cool in the pot for two to three minutes, stirring it from time to time. You should observe the icing just starting to thicken and becoming more viscous. Without delay, pour the icing over the cake allowing it to drip over the sides a little. The icing becomes fudge-like very quickly as it cools. If the icing becomes too thick to pour, add water one teaspoon at a time to loosen it up.
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