Applesauce Date Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Set aside.
• In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and honey until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Beat in applesauce.
• Generously coat a nonstick 9-inch tube pan with cooking spray. Spoon batter into pan; smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (but slightly wet), 50 to 60 minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Turn out of pan onto a cutting board or baking sheet; invert cake onto rack, top side up. Cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving, if desired.

Steps:

• Add peeled, cored, and chopped apples to a large pot (I use a 7-1/4 quart Dutch oven) along with the cinnamon sticks and lemon peel. Add 1 1/2 cups water.
• Place on the stove over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the apples are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the pitted dates and 1/2 cup water in the pitcher of a high-speed blender. Puree until completely smooth, adding additional water if needed to keep things going.
• If, after the 20 minutes, the apples are tender enough to mash with a potato masher, go ahead and mash them as much as possible. Otherwise, cover them back up and give them a bit more time to cook.
• Once the apples are mashed and stirrable, add the pureed dates. Stir until combined. Taste and add more sweetener if desired (see notes). Continue simmering until applesauce is the thickness you'd like. I cook it for just a few more minutes and it's usually perfect.
• Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon sticks and discard.
• If you want completely smooth applesauce, let it cool and then puree in batches in the blender.
• Store in airtight jars in the refrigerator. With a batch this big, I usually like to freeze some in jars or freezer bags to enjoy later on.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 deg.
• Grease well and flour a 9-by-9-by-2 inch baking pan.
• Into a large bowl of electric mixer, sift flour with baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, salt.
• Then add eggs, sugar, butter, and 1 cup applesauce; at low speed, beat just until ingredients are combined.
• At medium speed, beat 2 minutes longer, occasionally scraping side of bowl and guiding mixture into beater with rubber scraper.
• Add remaining applesauce, dates and walnuts; beat 1 minute.
• Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake 50 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
• Let cool in pan 10 minutes.
• Remove from pan.
• Let cool on wire rack.
• Frost with a Cream-Cheese frosting.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease and flour a tube pan.
• Whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and soda. Set aside.
• Cream together 1/2 cup butter and 2 cups brown sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs. Add flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with applesauce, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in the raisins, dates, and walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool on wire rack.
• To make icing, melt 1/2 cup butter or margarine in a small saucepan over low heat; stir in 1 cup brown sugar. Boil for 2 minutes. Stir in milk, and continue to stir until the mixture returns to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool for 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and confectioners' sugar. Frost cooled cake.

Steps:

• Place raisins and hot water in a small bowl; set aside. , In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices; add to creamed mixture alternately with applesauce and water. Drain raisins; fold into batter with the walnuts. , Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 300° for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired. Serve warm or cold.