Applesauce Cake with Penuche Frosting
Applesauce cake is one of my favorite cakes-- especially during fall season. That's when I can use my supply of homemade apple sauce. This cake is ultra-moist with fall spices such as cinnamon, cloves and allspice. The penuche frosting goes perfectly with this cake, in my humble opinion. It's a cooked brown sugar frosting-- that has a caramel-like flavor-- that pours on, is easy to spread and then hardens to a fudge-like consistency.
Servings 12
Calories 648kcal
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts optional
- 1 cup raisins optional
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup (1-sticbutter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup hot milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For the cake:
- Sift flour, white sugar, soda, salt, baking powder, and spices into a large mixing bowl.
- Mix in 1/2 cup butter, buttermilk, and applesauce. Beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed.
- Beat in eggs.
- Fold in chopped nuts and/or raisins (if using).
- Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes.
For the frosting:
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
- Add the brown sugar and bring to a boil (about 2 minuteand continue cooking until it thickens (about 1 minute more)
- Let set for 15 minutes.
- Mix in hot milk and gradually whisk in the confectioner's sugar. If the frosting becomes too thick, add a little milk.
- Quickly spread the frosting on the cake. Once the frosting cools, it will become harder with an almost fudge-like texture.
Notes
This frosting is excellent on chocolate cake, too!