Recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.
Ingredients:
For cake
2 cups (8 3/4 ounces or 250 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
3/4 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 stick (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (6 7/8 ounces or 195 grams) packed light brown sugar (updated weight)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (about 13 ounces or 365 grams) unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces or 50 grams) walnuts (optional), toasted, cooled, and chopped
For frosting
5 ounces (142 grams) cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces or 42 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (4 ounces or 120 grams) confectioners sugar
1/2 (1 teaspoon) teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter an 8- or 9-inch
square cake pan. I had no trouble getting my cake out of a nonstick pan
by just buttering it, but if you don’t have a nonstick cake pan or are a
little nervous, line the bottom with parchment paper and butter that
too.
Directions:
Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda,
salt, and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric
mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one
at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in applesauce.
At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in
walnuts (if using). The batter will look a little curdly and uneven but
don’t worry, it will all bake up perfectly in the end.
Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden
pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool
in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then
invert onto a plate. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely. You
can speed this up, as I always do, in the fridge.
Make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an
electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioners sugar and
cinnamon over cream cheese mixture, then beat at medium speed until
incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.
Do ahead: We were impressed with how well this cake kept for
three days but were unable to “research” if it lasted longer. Keep
frosted cake in the fridge. If you’d like to bake the cake further in
advance, I’d wrap it well and freeze it until the day you need it. Leave
it out on the counter to defrost and frost it up to a day in advance.
