Applesauce Spice Cake Recipe & Caramel Frosting

Applesauce Spice Cupcakes

Recipes for Applesauce Spice Cupcakes & Holiday Layer Cake with Penuche Icing. Apple season is here, there's a nip in the air, and the holidays are right around the corner. Make this applesauce spice cake - or better yet, cupcakes - and watch them disappear!

Applesauce Spice Cake Recipe

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce, freshly made or from a jar

How To Make an Applesauce Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or butter one 9 X 13 - inch rectangular baking pan, or prepare 12 cupcake tins with paper liners. Wilton silicone cupcake pans also work well.
• In a large bowl blend flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and set aside.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with a large bowl and whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, whisk eggs together eggs and sugar until light. Add vegetable oil, vanilla and unsweetened applesauce until well blended.
• With mixer on low to medium speed, add half the flour and spice mixture, scraping bowl as needed. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until batter is nice and smooth with no lumps. Scrape bowl one more time.
• Pour the batter into the prepared 9 X 13 inch pan, or divide evenly between the 9 inch round pans. Otherwise, fill 20-24 prepared cupcake tins 3/4 full.
• Bake 9 X 13 inch Applesauce Cake for 35-45 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean. Bake cupcakes for approximately 20-25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.
• Cool 9 X 13 inch cake and cupcakes completely on wire racks before frosting or freezing.
• Cake and cupcakes can be wrapped and frozen for later use at this point.
• Makes one 9 X 13 - inch cake, or 24 - 30 cupcakes depending on the size.

Caramel Frosting Recipe

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, or margarine for dairy-free frosting
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup milk, or warm water for dairy-free frosting
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 4 cups confectioners' or icing sugar

How To Make Penuche Frosting

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the brown sugar, and bring to a boil.
• Turn the heat to low and continue boiling for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add 1/4 cup of the milk very slowly. The hot butter and sugar may foam up and boil when adding the milk, so be careful not to splatter. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from burner and cool to lukewarm.
• Using a hand mixer at medium speed, slowly add confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Beat until frosting reaches desired spreading and/or piping consistency. Add more milk a little at a time if the frosting is too thick. Add more confectioners' sugar if the frosting is too thin.
• Decorate Applesauce Cake and cupcakes as desired.

Note: The terms Penuche & Caramel Frosting are the same for this recipe. Both names have been used depending on which part of the country you come from.