Allspice Applesauce Cake is Aromatic Bliss
Allspice Applesauce Cake is aromatic bliss dressed in a sleek Cream Cheese Frosting. English walnuts, orange zest and plump golden raisins add textural appeal and fragrance to the cake. Allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg round out the aromas and flavor.
Spice cake is part of a traditional winter menu. However, it can be served any time of the year. The fragrance of mulling spices fills many homes during the holidays. The spices add punch and depth to a recipe. They are expensive but very little goes a long way to adding interest to the final product.
Allspice
Allspice is not a blend of spices. It is the dried fruit of an evergreen, Myrtle (Myrtaceae), that grows in the Caribbean. Other names of the spice are Jamaican Pepper, Pimenta, and Newspice. The harvesting of the fruit is labor-intensive. The berries grow in clusters on the tree and are picked before they ripen. After drying in the sun, the berries resemble black peppercorns. They have a hot and sharp taste similar to cloves. Allspice is a common ingredient in Caribbean curries and marinades. Bay Rum is a classic aftershave that gets its perfume from the leaves of the tree.
Cloves
Cloves are from the same plant family (Myrtaceae) as Allspice. They are the unopened buds of flowers of the clove tree. They are on the more pungent end of the taste spectrum and intense enough to “burn” the palate unless used in sparing amounts. Clove oil is a numbing agent and painkiller. The harvest is labor-intensive, as the clove buds must be picked by hand. The buds are pink and tubular in shape with four prongs at the tip that hold the immature flower petals. The buds dry in the sun and turned by hand until dark brown.
Cinnamon
Culinary Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of a tree from the plant family Lauraceae grown exclusively in Sri Lanka. Its common names are soft stick, Ceylon, or baker’s cinnamon and its taste is distinctly different than other cinnamons. The bark harvest is during the monsoon season. The branches are no more than two inches in diameter and moist from the rains.
The thick and tender new growth helps in the peeling process. Rods rubbed against freshly cut branches loosen the outer layer of bark. Special knives cut and remove the outer bark. Thin sheets of peeled inner bark dry in special huts. The dried sheets are thin and brittle and rolled into quills or ground into powder. The skill needed to peel the bark has created a unique population of workers. In the strict caste system of India, the laborers have their own rank. Entire families learn the trade and pass the techniques and tools of the trade it on to each generation that follows.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg is a seed from a tree in the plant family Myristicaceae. The tree produces a fruit that looks like a peach. The flesh is bitter and toxic and not used in cooking. A pit sits inside the flesh. Bright red filaments (blades) that resemble lace tightly cover the brown shell. Mace is a spice with distinct heat and flavor made from dried and ground blades. The seed (nut) dries and hardens in the shell. Once removed, the nut’s oils deteriorate quickly and the nut loses its flavor after a year. It is best to avoid the ground powder and grate or shave the nut as needed. A skin will form over the shaved area and seal in the flavor. Shaving the nut removes the oxidized skin. A special grater designed specifically for nutmeg will save you from shaving the skin off your knuckles!
Allspice Applesauce Cake is an aromatic blissful addition to your dessert recipe file. I love to pair it with a cream cheese frosting, but you can top it with a buttercream frosting or drizzle it with decorative icing. Check out my 6 Easy Caking Icing Recipes for some ideas!
Allspice Applesauce Cake
Equipment
- 9 X 13 rectangular cake pan
- Electric Mixer
- medium size bowl
- measuring cup(s)
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 cup golden or black raisins
- 1 cup chopped English walnuts Substitution: black walnuts
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups unsweetened applesauce
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup cream cheese
- ¼ cup powdered sugar substitution: brown sugar
- 2 tsp milk or cream
- ¼ tsp orange zest
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Allspice Applesauce Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Soak the raisins in hot water until plump, approximately 15 minutes. Drain and discard water.
- Sift flour, baking soda, and spices together and set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar until creamed and sugar has dissolved.
- Beat in the egg, orange zest and vanilla.
- Stir in the applesauce, raisins and nuts.
- In batches, stir in the flour mixture until well combined.
- Pour into a greased cake pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat all the frosting ingredients together until smooth. Spread over the cooled cake and decorate with walnut halves.
Notes
