Recipe. You Won't Want to Miss This!

Chocolate Applesauce Loaf Cake

So, for more than 40 years, I’ve been hearing about my husband’s favorite cake growing up—a chocolate applesauce cake. Interesting that his mother never shared the recipe with me…. but that’s a story for another time. Recently, I felt determined to recreate this childhood memory for him, so I began my search through cookbooks and online. While I was picturing more of a German chocolate cake kind of thing, to my surprise, there actually IS a cake called chocolate applesauce cake! I started with an Epicurious recipe, and I’ve played around with it, enduring several tries and critiques—it’s too “light,” “you need raisins and nuts,” and so it went. Here is where we landed, earning rave reviews from the resident cake-lover. Update: much to my delight it is now my grandchildren’s favorite cake too… asked for each time we have dinner together! It’s a good thing it’s so easy to bake!!

3/4 cup sugar, see note below

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup cocoa

1 cup applesauce

½ cup canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan. I use my favorite Chicago heavy metal loaf pan, but the original recipe calls for a “pyrex” pan.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

Add the wet ingredients and mix to incorporate, but do not overdo it. I mix it with a wooden spoon by hand. It just takes just a few minutes.

Add the raisins and walnuts, mix to distribute and pour/spoon the batter into the pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I have had to put it back into the oven for 5 minutes when the toothpick was wet at the bottom, with no ill effects. I bake it on the convection-bake setting.

Cool until you are able to remove from the pan by separating with a knife all around and turning it over on a plate.

This cake would likely be over the top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, but it is delicious stand-alone… and I might add, vegan.

Note regarding sugar—the cocoa and applesauce you choose will affect the sweetness of the cake. This recipe worked well for me using a gourmet brand of cocoa, and “regular” applesauce, which does contain sugar. In the future I will try it with unsweetened applesauce to see if we enjoy it as well with the reduced total sugar.

Baker’s Note: I think it’s best without raisins and walnuts! So, I usually “forget” to put them in… unintentionally of course. Also, I subsequently served the cake with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, and for an “elegant dinner,” with mascarpone whipped cream and fresh organic blackberries. Super great!