Applesauce Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
An old fashioned, super soft, incredibly moist cake that's brimming with spices and has a tasty light apple flavour. It's similar to carrot cake and absolutely delicious. Filled with cozy fall spices and topped with a rich cream cheese frosting, this is perfect for an afternoon snack.
Cake:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached, scoop and level to measure (318 g)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground allspice or ground cloves
¾ cup Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Granular) (150 g)
1 cup Erythritol Gold (100 g)
2 large eggs
2 cups unsweetened applesauce (490 g)
¾ cup vegetable oil or Canola oil (175 mL)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Optional Add-Ins:
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, crushed
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, nearly at room temperature
½ cup (8 Tbsp.) salted butter, softened to room temperature (113 g)
3 cups Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Powdered) (360 g)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Make the Applesauce Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Grease a 9x13" glass baking dish with butter.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice for 30 seconds. Make a well in the center and set aside.
To a separate large mixing bowl add granulated sugar, brown sugar and eggs. Using an electric hand mixer beat on medium speed until fairly pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add applesauce, vegetable oil and 1 tsp. vanilla extract to sugar mixture and blend with hand mixer until combined.
Pour applesauce mixture into well in flour mixture then gently fold and stir mixture just until there's no longer streaks or pockets of flour. Mixture will be lumpy and that's okay. Fold in add-ins, if using.
Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Wiggle pan to level batter out evenly.
Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out free of batter (a moist crumb or two is fine), about 30-40 minutes.
Let cake cool on a wire rack (to speed up cooling you can cool in the fridge).
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:
Add cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla to a large mixing bowl.
Using an electric hand mixer (with clean beater blades), blend mixture on low speed until combined. Then increase speed to high and whip for several minutes until light and fluffy.
If needed you can freeze the frosting in 3 minute increments, stirring between intervals, until it's firmed up some.
Frost cake with cream cheese frosting then cut into slices.
Makes 15 servings.
Cook's Notes:
- Cover and store cake in the fridge.
- It can be served cold or bring to room temperature before serving.