Applesauce Cake (Irish)

A rich and dense cake laced with Guinness and topped with a zesty lemon icing.

Cake:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
¾ cup Erythritol Gold
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup Guinness stout
½ cup golden raisins, chopped
½ cup dates, chopped
½ cup walnuts, chopped

Lemon Icing:
½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 lemon, freshly juiced and zested
1 cup Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Powdered)

Garnish:
lemon slices

For the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Grease an 8" square pan and line it with wax paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a second large bowl, stir together the applesauce, brown sugar, oil, and stout. Mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the raisins, dates, and walnuts.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto a plate, remove the wax paper, and set the cake upright to cool completely.

For the Icing:
In a large bowl, combine the butter and lemon zest. Sift the sugar into the butter and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in enough lemon juice to make the icing soft enough to spread easily. Spread the icing on top of the cake and smooth the surface with an offset spatula or knife dipped in warm water. Decorate the top with lemon slices, if desired.

Makes 8-10 servings.