Gluten Free Recipe: Fall Applesauce Cake

With Fall in full swing, there is an abundance of apples floating around.  Not only are the grocery stores full of apples, but some of the local farms are as well.  Lynd’s Fruit Farm is one of my favorite places to pick apples with the kids. Since making applesauce is a family tradition, I make sure to purchase enough apples to make a crockpot full.  Once the applesauce is made, it can be frozen or used in other recipes, such as this Applesauce Cake.

Ingredients:

2 1/2cups all-purpose gluten-free  flour
2 tsps xanthan gum (unless flour mix already contains it)
1 ½ cups applesauce
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup stick butter, softened
½ cup water
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice (if you don’t have this, use this site for subs)
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1 cup raisins
2/3 cup chopped nuts
Maple-Nut Buttercream Frosting

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease bottoms & sides of 13 x 9 x 2 pan or 2 round pans, with shortening; lightly flour.
2. Beat all ingredients except raisins, nuts and Frosting in a large bowl with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in raisins & nuts. Pour into pan(s).
3. Bake rectangle for 45 – 50 minutes, rounds 40 to 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool rectangle pan on wire rack. Cool rounds 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
4. Frost rectangle or fill and frost layers with Maple Nut Frosting.

Maple Nut Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup stick butter, softened
½ cup maple flavored syrup
¼ cup finely chopped nuts

1. Mix sugar and butter in medium bowl. Stir in syrup.
2. Beat until smooth & spreadable. Stir in nuts.
3. Frosts one rectangle cake or fills and frosts one 8 or 9 inch layer cake.

Lynd’s Fruit Farm is located at 9090 Morse Rd SW, Pataskala, OH  43062 on the corner of Morse Rd. and S.R. 310, just East of Columbus.  The prices are as follows:

2010 U-Pick prices:  Honeycrisp $25 per half bushel, $16 per ten lb. bag

All other varieties:  $16 per half bushel, $10 per ten lb. bag

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Author Information: Kimberly Bouldin, Columbus OH
My Gluten-Free Blog: http://glutenfreeislife.wordpress.com
Columbus Gluten-Free Food Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-15655-Columbus-GlutenFree-Food-Examiner
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kbouldin

[NOTE: Originally published November, 4, 2010]