i know i've slacked with the whole recipes on fridays thing... i have no excuse. anywho, here is a delicious recipe for any time of the year. the combo of applesauce and spices make for an amazing cake! here's the recipe:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1/2 cup raisins, optional
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
1 recipe penuche frosting
cake
oven: 350-baking pan; 325 baking dish
preheat oven. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder & soda, and spices. set aside.
in a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed about 30 seconds or until softened. add sugar; beat until combined. add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. alternately add flour mixture and applesauce to beaten mixture, beating on low to medium speed after each addition until just combined. spread batter evenly in prepared pan or dish.
bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. cool in pan or dish on a wire rack. quickly spread penuche frosting over cake.
in a 2 qt saucepan, melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter over medium heat; stir in 1 cup packed brown sugar. cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. remove from heat; add 1/4 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla. stir with a wooden spoon until combined and smooth. stir in 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar--when i made this, i only had about a cup or so of powdered sugar. but the frosting is already so sweet, it turned out fine.. i simply added 4 Tbsp of all-purpose flour to help thicken it up. continue beating with the wooden spoon about 3 minutes or until smooth and thickened. immediately spread over cake--i let it cool before frosting the cake.
i, of course, forgot to take a picture... go figure. one of these days i'll remember.
i love cooking! to me, it's kind of a way to push everything out of my mind and just go to this place where all that matters is the recipe in hand. it's relaxing and exciting at the same time. i thoroughly enjoy cooking. yesterday, i watched julie & julia. i very much enjoyed the majority of the movie! however, the ending somewhat disappointed me wasn't what i expected in a way.... i guess i can't say anymore.. don't want to spoil the movie.
speaking of julie & julia, i would like a copy of mastering the art of french cooking mtaofc). why? i'm not sure. it's certainly not so i can cook through it. i have the feeling that many of the recipes in mtaofc would not be appetizing to me, as i am the world's pickiest eater--i wish i weren't. despite how many recipes i will or will not make, i still would like a copy. and i think i want the 1st edition, even though the newer ones might have more tips, etc to make the processes easier... who knows. i'm rambling. which is exactly what happens when i'm tired. i guess i'm off to bed.... lots to do tomorrow. need to clean, clean, clean the house; finish wrapping christmas presents; and go to the grocery store. not to mention, just taking care of our 3 animals is a full day's work! :)
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