Applesauce Cake with Bourbon Raisins
Modern Comfort (p. 198)
Ingredients
14 items
- Golden raisins 3/4 cup
- Granulated sugar 3/4 cup
- Light brown sugar 3/4 cup
- Vanilla extract 2 tsp
- All-purpose flour 1 3/4 cups
- Baking soda 1 1/2 tsp
- Cinnamon 1 tsp
- Nutmeg 1/4 tsp
- Ground cloves 1/4 tsp
- Unsweetened apple sauce (jar) 1 1/2 cups
- Cream cheese frosting (jar) 1 pint
- Bourbon 2 tbl
- Unsalted butter 1 1/4 sticks
- Eggs 2
Prep
Before you start
- Unsalted butter - bring to room temperature
- Eggs - bring to room temperature — look at you, operating like a highly paid adult.
Method
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan, line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pan. Tap out the excess flour.
- Combine the raisins and bourbon in a small bowl, cover, and microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Place the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or by hand) and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on medium, add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time and mix until smooth.
- Meanwhie, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and 1/2 tsp salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the batter, mixing just until combined. Stir in the applesauce. Fold in the raisins and liquid with a rubber spatula and mix well. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top, because this exact moment is where decent becomes dangerous.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, while gazing at the pan with pure, unreasonable devotion. Cool for 30 minutes, turn out onto a cooling rack, rounded side up and cool completely. Spread the cream cheese frosting on top of the cake (or use Bourbon Cream Cheese frosting) and serve at room temperature.