Glazed Applesauce Spice Cake Recipe
Shelly Westerhausen Worcel/A Couple Cooks
Pumpkin is tasty and all, but it gets a lot of attention in the fall. Next time you’re baking, why not give the gourd a rest in favor of this glazed applesauce spice cake recipe from Sonja and Alex Overhiser’s new cookbook, A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together?
“This sweetly spiced cake gets five-star reviews from all our friends and family, including a raving ‘1,560 thumbs up’ from our son,” the authors write. “It’s tender, moist and fluffy, thanks to applesauce and Greek yogurt, and seasoned with warming spices.”
The leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to one week—if there are any, that is. The three-ingredient icing makes for a pretty finishing touch, but you can grate a cinnamon stick (or use ground cinnamon in a pinch) over the top to go the extra mile.
Excerpted from A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together by Sonja Overhiser and Alex Overhiser, © 2024. Published by Chronicle Books. Photographs © Shelly Westerhausen Worcel.
Apple Cider Doughnut Cake with Brown Butter Icing
188 calories
8g fat
27g carbs
2g protein
17g sugars
Applesauce Cake
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup neutral oil
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
Cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon, for serving (optional)
Sour Cream Icing
¾ cup un-sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Make the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-9-inch metal baking dish. Line the pan with a piece of parchment paper, cut so that it extends over two sides to easily remove the cake from the pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg, then the vanilla, oil, Greek yogurt and applesauce until smooth. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir them gently with a spoon or spatula until a thick batter forms and no dry streaks remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake until the cake is fairly firm when you press lightly on the center, 28 to 32 minutes. Remove it from the oven and cool completely on a baking rack for at least 1 hour. Use the parchment to remove the cake from the pan, then remove the paper and transfer the cake to a cutting board.
5. Make the Icing: In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, sour cream and vanilla extract. It will seem dry and thick at first but keep stirring until it comes together as a smooth icing (if it still seems very dry, add ½ teaspoon of your milk of choice; if it’s too thin, add a bit more confectioners’ sugar). Pour the icing over the cake and smooth it over the top with a spatula. If desired, top it with a few grates of a cinnamon stick or a pinch or two of ground cinnamon. Before the icing sets, cut the cake into 16 pieces. Serve immediately or allow the icing to set for about 30 minutes.
