Golden Applesauce Pound Cake

Shavua tov! And happy 300th post to me! It's hard for me to believe that this blog as made it so far! I wish I had something far more glamorous to offer for this milestone, but things didnt quite work out that way- I dont usually plan what I bake around this blog. What I do offer in this post is a simple but truly delicious pound cake. I've had my eye on this Golden Applesauce Pound Cake (from A Passion for Baking) for a while now, even since before I had a can of applesauce (leftover from the French Apple Tarts) hanging around the pantry. I kept putting it off because it called for five eggs, but I stocked up on Thursday, so by Thursday night, I was good to go. This pound cake really is more like a spice cake because it is flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice. The applesauce really takes a back seat here but definitely adds to the wonderfully moist texture. The girls swore that this smelled like honey cake while baking but I insisted because traditional honey cake recipes and this cake have mutual spices in common. In any case, this cake was a HUGE hit- slice after slice disappeared well before the orange cake that was sitting next to it (stay tuned!). My technical notes on the recipe are as follows- I used sweetened applesauce and omitted the raisins, lemon zest and mace, because the latter three are not something found in my pantry. I also took the opportunity to use my tube pan for the first time and I love how this cake turned out, with its nice and tall sides and smooth top, perfect for a dusting of powdered sugar. My tube pan is one piece but thankfully I had the foresight to cut a parchment round to fit the bottom of the pan. It released like a dream with no sticking whatsoever. This is a perfect cake to serve as a casual dessert with tea and coffee or for breakfast if you feel like it. Here's to the next three hundred posts!

Golden Applesauce Pound Cake
adapted from A Passion for Baking

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cups applesauce

Preheat your oven to 350. Liberally grease a two piece tube pan or make a parchment circle to line a one piece tube pan. Set aside.

Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

Place the margarine or butter in a large bowl and cream.

Add the sugar,

and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one a time, beating well after each addition.

Here is what my batter looked like. Add the vanilla and blend.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl alternately with the applesauce, beginning and ending with the flour.

This is my final batter, light and fluffy.

Spoon the batter into the pan and smooth.

Bake for about an hour until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in its pan before removing.

Run a knife around the sides of the pan and turn out onto a wire rack. Peel off the parchment bottom.

When cool, transfer carefully to a cake carrier or a serving plate and dust with powdered sugar.