GF Applesauce Almond Cake with Brown Sugar & Honey Frosting

Cake is great.

It’s easy to whip together and versatile enough to serve at church picnics, card parties, play dates, dinner with friends, or a simple but satisfying end to a family meal.

It was for the latter reason I decided to make a cake recently. I wanted something a little sweet after the supper meal. I was craving an applesauce cake I’d made a few years ago that I hadn’t tried to convert to gluten-free yet.

But this day I had time to play and tweak. I was ecstatic with the results. A delicious and very moist cake with enough applesauce to make me feel like I was eating on the healthy side and a beautiful frosting that crusted lightly on the top but was still soft and smooth underneath.

Gluten Free Applesauce Almond Cake (gluten-free, yeast-free)

2 1/4 cup GF Flour Mix
3/4 cup raw honey
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 t. almond flavoring
2/3 cup buttermilk (or coconut milk with a splash of lemon juice)
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup almonds, chopped (these are optional – soaked is best)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×13 or two 9″ cake pans.

2. Combine all of the dry ingredients together. In another bowl combine the wet ingredients. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. The batter will be very runny.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake for 45-50 min. or until the cake springs back when you touch it.

4. Cool and frost with Brown Sugar and Honey Frosting (recipe below).

*To soak the flour in this recipe:
1. Combine the GF Flour Mix, honey, butter, buttermilk, eggs, and applesauce.
2. Refrigerate the batter for 12-24 hours. (The longer the better.)
3. When you are ready to bake, let the batter come to room temp. and then follow directions as usual. However, be aware that you may have to increase your baking time a bit as soaked flours take longer to bake.

Brown Sugar and Honey Frosting (egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, yeast-free)

1/3 cup (5 1/3 T.) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar (you can also use cane sugar)
2 Tbs raw honey
2 Tbs milk (or coconut milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Melt butter. Add brown sugar and honey; bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

2. Boil about 1 min. Remove from the heat.

3. Using a wooden spoon, stir in milk and vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth; cool 1 min.

4. Spread evenly over cake and let sit to form a light crust.

Don’t know where to purchase some of these ingredients? Visit our Whole Food Sources page.

Shared at: Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms, The Girl Creative, The Prairie Homestead, Turning the Clock Back, The Gluten-Free Homemaker, Real Food Forager, Simply Sugar & Gluten Free, Time-Warp Wife, Whole New Mom, Confessions of a Frugal Mind, Vintage Wannabee, Women Living Well, Blue Cricket Designs, Turning the Clock Back, Frugally Sustainable, The Thrifty Home, Raising Homemakers, The Healthy Home Economist, Skip To My Lou, Food Corner, Milk & Cuddles, This Chick Cooks, Chef In Training, Celebrating Family, Far Above Rubies, Growing Home, Rook No. 17, Deep Roots at Home, It’s A Keeper, GNOWFGLINS, The Greenbacks Gal, Food Renegade, Real Food Whole Health, Comfy in the Kitchen, Little Natural Cottage, Real Food Freaks, Raising Mighty Arrows, Our Simple Country Life, The Nourishing Gourmet, Flour Me With Love, The Modest Mom Blog, Nourishing Treasures, Young Living Oil Lady, Our Simple Farm, Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Laura’s Gluten Free Pantry, Day2Day Joys,

Tagged as: desserts & frostings, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, yeast-free