Guinness Applesauce Cake With Lemon Icing Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 175ºC. Grease an 8-inch square pan and line it with wax paper.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a second large bowl, stir together the applesauce, brown sugar, oil, and stout. Mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Stir in the raisins, dates, and walnuts.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto a plate, remove the wax paper, and set the cake upright to cool completely.
• To make the icing:.
• In a large bowl, combine the butter and lemon zest. Sift the sugar into the butter and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in enough lemon juice to make the icing soft enough to spread easily.
• Spread the icing on top of the cake and smooth the surface with an offset spatula or knife dipped in warm water. Decorate the top with lemon slices, if desired.

Steps:

• Make the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt and baking soda. Add the eggs, sugar, buttermilk, applesauce and oil and whisk gently just until everything is combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared pan and then smooth the surface so it is even.
• Bake the cake until it is just barely firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Set the cake aside on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
• Use a dinner knife to loosen the edges of the cake from the pan sides and then invert it onto a work surface. Peel off and discard the parchment. Invert the cake one more time onto a serving platter.
• Make the frosting: In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, honey and salt and whisk together aggressively until the cream cheese is slightly aerated (you can also do this with a handheld electric mixer or in a stand mixer).
• Spread the frosting over the top of the cake and don't worry too much about making this perfect. A not-too-perfect cake is so much better than a perfect cake. Cut into wedges and serve. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.