Applesauce Snack Cake

I had a jar of applesauce that was nearing its use or lose date and was in the mood for a simple applesauce spice cake. While looking through a cookbook I hadn't opened in years, I found just the right recipe. All the ingredients were on hand and in no time I was snacking on my snack cake. The cake is perfect with afternoon coffee or tea and actually tastes better on the second and third day. Thanks to Dolores Casella's A World of Baking first printed in 1968.

2 cups sifted pastry or cake flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. allspice

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup applesauce

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs, separated

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 8 inch round layer pans.

Sift together, into a mixing bowl, the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and spices. Stir in the applesauce and then the buttermilk. Add the egg yolks, melted butter and vanilla extract and blend thoroughly. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Turn batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pans for 5 minutes before turning out onto racks.

Notes: Batter may be baked in prepared muffin tins for 20 minutes or until done. It can also be baked in 1 8 inch square baking pan for about 40 minutes.

I did not sift the cake flour before sifting it with the other dry ingredients.

I have a tin of powdered buttermilk which I keep in my refrigerator once opened. It keeps for a very long time allowing you to always have buttermilk on hand.