Gluten-Free Applesauce Snack Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on May 23, 2019
Time
1 hour, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Serves 8
Ingredients
Before You Begin
The xanthan gum can be omitted, but the cake will be more crumbly and will not rise quite as well.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 8-inch square cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper, and grease parchment. Whisk flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and xanthan gum together in bowl to combine.
- In large bowl, whisk eggs, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together until well combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Whisk in melted butter until combined. Whisk in applesauce and vanilla to combine. Whisk in flour blend mixture until batter is thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
- Mix remaining 1 tablespoon sugar with remaining pinch cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over warm cake. Let cake cool completely in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours. Run thin knife around edge of cake to loosen. Remove cake from pan, discarding parchment, and transfer to platter. Serve. (Cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)
Time
1 hour, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Serves 8Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Three-quarters of a cup of applesauce guaranteed robust apple flavor in our applesauce snack cake as well as the moistness needed, and small amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves offered subtle spice flavor. Tasters preferred a modest of amount of sugar, and a mix of granulated and brown sugar lent more complexity to this simple cake. The biggest problem we faced was greasiness. We tried using oil rather than butter, but we really missed the buttery flavor in this unfrosted cake. Trimming the amount of butter from a whole stick to just half a stick solved the problem and preserved enough of the butter flavor to satisfy our tasters. Adding two extra eggs replaced some of the lost richness (without contributing any greasiness) and introduced more protein to the mix, which meant a sturdier crumb and a better rise. Supplementing the baking soda in the classic recipe with baking powder ensured there was enough leavener (especially in the oven) to create a stable cake with a tender, open crumb. Sprinkling a little cinnamon-sugar over the baked cake while it was still warm produced a crunchy, sweet crust.
Before You Begin
The xanthan gum can be omitted, but the cake will be more crumbly and will not rise quite as well.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 8-inch square cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper, and grease parchment. Whisk flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and xanthan gum together in bowl to combine.
- In large bowl, whisk eggs, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together until well combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Whisk in melted butter until combined. Whisk in applesauce and vanilla to combine. Whisk in flour blend mixture until batter is thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
- Mix remaining 1 tablespoon sugar with remaining pinch cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over warm cake. Let cake cool completely in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours. Run thin knife around edge of cake to loosen. Remove cake from pan, discarding parchment, and transfer to platter. Serve. (Cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Keep Exploring
0 Comments