Here is the Applesauce Cake recipe my grandmother always made. You are making me hungry!

1/2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 c. applesauce
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt.

Cream the sugar and shortening. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Can easily be stirred by hand.
Bake at 350ð for 20-30 minutes.

Mom always made this into cupcakes. YUM! This recipe never called for nuts that I know of. I wrote this in my notebook over 30 years ago from Mom's copy, which didn't have nuts included. Enjoy!

Tami

Mom always put cut up a box of dates (the kind you cut up yourself not that horrible dates that are already cut up) and pecans in her applesauce cake and baked it in a tube pan. The above recipe sounds close to hers, but I can't tell for sure because we never could find the recipe Mom used. We sure miss it; always had it for Christmas.

I am thinking about using this recipe this year and adding the dates and pecans.

I also think Mom put allspice in her recipe. Kid's memories can be good and bad.

This post was edited by walnutcreek on Sat, Nov 1, 14 at 17:05

This is the one I've used for years, it's from the Betty Crocker cookbook, 1969 version. I always leave out the nuts, as my oldest daughter cannot eat them. I use dried cranberries instead of raisins sometimes and I bake in a bundt cake pan. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, use 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice for the pumpkin pie spice. My kids like this with maple glaze in place of the powdered sugar too.

Applesauce Cake
Betty Crocker Cookbook

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup raisins
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions

1 Heat oven to 350úF. Grease bottom and side of 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening; lightly flour. Toss 1 tablespoon flour and the cranberries to coat; set aside. In large bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups flour, the pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.

2 In large bowl, beat granulated sugar and butter with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth and blended. Reduce mixer speed to medium. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with applesauce until smooth. Stir in cranberry-flour mixture and walnuts. Pour into pan.

3 Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Sprinkle powdered sugar over cake.

Annie

Walnutcreek, I hope this comes close to your mom's recipe!

I NEVER add nuts to cakes, etc.

I don't miss them, and no one else seems to miss them either.

Surprises can be costly - $700 and a root canal later on a tooth broken on an unexpected nut.

If I want or need to add nuts, I process them, practically to dust, so I get the flavor essences, but not the crunch.