Spiced Applesauce Cake (Paleo)

07 Jan Spiced Applesauce Cake (Paleo)

Gluten free baking is hard. Sometimes the end product is quite literally hard as a rock. If gluten wasn’t a thing, baked goods wouldn’t have become something so widely enjoyed. Eating hardened, flat, sandy baked goods would have resulted in people looking elsewhere. Since gluten free has become a widely accepted dietary preference, many quality products have been created trying to mimic their gluten counterparts, but the standard still remains.

Since discovering my wheat allergy and beginning my gluten free baked good journey, I have eaten many baked goods failures. Some had to be thrown away immediately, some sat on the counter to get picked at before they eventually were thrown away, and others I tried giving new life by adding something, or chopping and recooking (typically in vain). There were still others I stubbornly ate and finished because the frustration of failing again was too much.

Through the failures I have learned some rules of engagement with gluten free flour. I have also realized naturally gluten free recipes are a better place to start. Also, I’ve discovered cassava flour. 

Since going mostly grain free in June of last year, the flour options for my baked goods have down sized significantly. This turns out to have been a bit of a blessing because I started cooking with cassava flour. As it turns out, cassava flour is one of the best replacements for wheat flour out there. I don’t know the chemistry or reason for this, but my baked goods have gotten decidedly better. My breads and cakes resemble those of wheat flour – especially my pumpkin bread recipe and this applesauce cake recipe.

This applesauce cake is my new favorite cake to make, and my family has started to request it regularly. It is easy, and consistently delivers great taste and texture. I love a little coconut caramel sauce on it, but you could eat it alone or top it with whipped cream, ice cream, or frosting. This recipe is a workhorse cake recipe that will deliver the texture you are looking for. Try it, and enjoy! 

Spiced Applesauce Cake (paleo)

Delicious grain-free cake with the perfect flavor and texture

3 from 1 vote

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Course Dessert

Ingredients

  

For the Cake:

• 1 3/4 C Cassava Flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 C Butter at room temp (or coconut oil for Paleo)
• 1 C Coconut Sugar
• 2 Eggs medium sized
• 1 C Applesauce unsweetened

For the Icing:

• 1 can Coconut Milk
• 1/4-1/2 C Maple Syrup

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line the bottom of a 9-inch round spring-form pan with parchment paper. Grease the edges. (An 8-inch square pan can also be used). 
• Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine.
• In a bowl large enough to hold all of the final batter, beat room temp butter and coconut sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer until lightened in color and texture, about 3-5 minutes. Beat in the eggs.
• Add flour and applesauce to the butter mixture and beat on low until well combined.
• Pour batter into pan and bake for 40 minutes, until cake springs back when touched.
• Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting.

To make the icing:

• Combine coconut milk and maple syrup in a sauce pan, stir, and bring to a simmer. Simmer until reduced by about half.
• Pour icing over cake and serve immediately.