Applesauce Almond Cake
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 and was craving an applesauce cake I’d made a few years ago that I hadn’t yet tried converting to gluten-free. . .until now.
Deliciously moist cake
I was ecstatic with the results. A delicious and 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.
This Applesauce Almond Cake with Brown Sugar & Honey Frosting is moist and sweet, yet satisfyingly healthy.
- 2 1/4 cups GF Flour Mix
- 3/4 cups raw honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 2/3 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2/3 cups milk
- 1 splash lemon juice
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup almonds, chopped (optional)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup cane sugar
- 2 Tablespoons raw honey
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
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Combine the GF Flour Mix, honey, salt, butter, almond extract, milk, lemon juice, eggs, and applesauce.
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Refrigerate the batter for 12-24 hours. (The longer the better.)
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When you are ready to bake, let the batter come to room temp.
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 or two 9" cake pans.
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Add the baking powder, baking soda, and chopped almonds to the batter.
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Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake for 45-50 min. or until the cake springs back when you touch it. (You may have to increase your baking time a bit as soaked flours take longer to bake.)
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Cool and frost with Brown Sugar and Honey Frosting (recipe below).
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Melt butter. Add cane sugar and honey; bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
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Boil for about 1 min. Remove from the heat.
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Using a wooden spoon, stir in milk and vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth; cool 1 min.
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Spread evenly over cake and let set to form a light crust.
Paula Miller, CHS, Metabolic Nutrition Consultant
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This recipe is calling me out-I can't wait to make it! Love the combination of apples, almonds and honey.
This looks fantastic! Besides gluten-free, I also have to cook dairy, egg, soy, and corn-free. I think your recipe would be very easy to adapt. Thanks for sharing it! I pinned it on pinterest.
THis looks really delicious 🙂 thanks for sharing
This cake sounds and looks delicious!
I've never heard of soaking flours before, but that sounds interesting. I do have a question – do you add your leavening agents before or after you soak it? For if you add them before hand, wouldn't they react right away and then there would be nothing left for when the cake actually bakes?
without adornment – you are correct, when you soak your flour you only combine flour with any liquid ingredients in the recipe. After it's soaked for about 24 hours you can add the leavening agents and any other ingredients.
Soaking is hugely beneficial to your 'gut' health. It breaks down components in the flour and makes it much easier for your body to digest it properly. For more info, just take a peek at Soaking & Sprouting.
This looks just wonderful. I usually skip making frosting because I am too lazy but for this I would make an exception. 🙂
I pinned this recipe! Can't wait to try it.
http://chaospatrol.blogspot.com
Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. This was very interesting! Hope to see you next week!
Be sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-january-17-2012/
Share your great fermented food recipes at my Probiotic Food Linky – open through Februray 6, 2012.
http://realfoodforager.com/probiotic-food-challenge-linky/
Thanks so much for sharing this! I'm gf and dairy free and mostly egg free too, but I almost never bake myself anything. But this week, my husband is trying a no-wheat elimination. I halved the recipe and made this for him this evening (without the frosting). Ordinarily, he's very picky about texture and loves gluten texture, not gf goods. Maybe it was the dairy and egg that helped, but he absolutely loved this! I'm so glad to have been able to fix him something he enjoyed.
cheers,
Ela
My daughter is gluten free – AND egg fee. I'd have to alter this a bit but I"m sure it would be a hit!
Ela – so glad he liked it. Half the battle in eliminating a food is finding things you CAN have and like at the same time. 🙂
yum, I don't need to do gluten free, but this sounds great.
May be a silly questions, but do you just leave the soaking batter on the counter, room temp.?
Thanks!
Sonja,
No question is a silly question. 🙂 I should have made a note of this in the post (it's been corrected now).
Usually when I soak something I leave it at room temp. But since this recipe soaks with the eggs and buttermilk in it, I refrigerate it.
I don't think soaking it in milk would harm you any (think Amish Friendship Bread), but the eggs could potentially be a problem. To be on the safe side, you can set the bowl in the refrigerator and then bring it out to warm up to room temp when you're ready to add the other ingredients.
Do you think I could use a regular or whole wheat flour for this recipe. I really like it but I do not care much for the gluten free twist… 🙂
Hi Mom Photographer,
I don't think that would be a problem at all. If I were to use regular or whole wheat flour for this recipe I would use the same amount (2 1/4 c.) and see what happens. 🙂 I think it will turn out great!
thank your! appreciate your answer!
Thank you so much for sharing your talent and creativity on “A Little Birdie Told Me…” Tuesday this past week! It means a lot to have you be one of our birds of a feather! I hope the party has brought some good things your way.
Jenn/Rook No. 17
P.S. I'm featuring your post on my Facebook page today!
Hi Jenn,
Thanks so much for sharing! Glad to be part of your link up – it's great.
This looks scrumptious! Thanks so much for sharing at Mix it up Monday 🙂
I LOVE this recipe! Pinning this to my GF/DF board. Would love for you to link up with us at Kids in the Kitchen and share it with us: http://younglivingoillady.com/home/kids-in-the-kitchen-link-up-week-9/ Thanks so much! Moms would love to see this recipe 🙂
this may be my favorite of all! thanks for Linking with KIK! we're thrilled to have you-
Thanks Kelli – this one is most definitely a favorite around here. Speaking of which, I'm sure no one would complain if I hopped over to the kitchen. . .
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures' Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back later tonight when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts! 🙂
Would Love to try this! I Do have a few questions though. I am on a gluten /grain and sugar free diet. and there is quite a bit of sugar/ powered sugar in the frosting any suggestions on substitutes??? What can I use instead of powdered sugar?? also what flour blend would you recommend that rises properly?
Paula, I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful and moist cake (and delicious frosting) your recipe makes. I served it for dessert this evening and we all loved it!
Thanks so much for coming back and letting us know how it turned out! So glad you liked it!