Spiced Applesauce Cake + Hard Sauce - A Twofer

I'm briefly going to interrupt the waning days of summer in order to bring you the first of the fall desserts. Early apples have started to appear in local markets, and, while I resisted the temptation to buy them so early in the season, I was reminded that I still had applesauce from last year that had to be dealt with. I make this chunky applesauce cake at least once a year for the Silver Fox. While it's not my favorite apple cake, it's close to the top of his list of favorite fall desserts. It's a bit sweeter than suits my tastes, but lots of people love it and it is certainly worth the time and effort it takes to make. The cake is very simple to prepare and it uses ingredients that can be found in all markets , if not all kitchens. It's moist and chewy and the aroma as it bakes will drive you wild. The cake keeps for several days if well wrapped. I love to serve it warm with the hard sauce that you'll also find in today's post. I hope you will give the cake and the hard sauce a try. They are a perfect treat for sweet things who love sweet things. Here are the recipes.

Spiced Applesauce Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients:

1 cup raisins

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1-1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup chunky applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Set aside.

2) Place raisins in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water. Let stand for 5 minutes; drain and set aside.

3) Cream butter, shortening and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in applesauce and vanilla. Batter will appear curdled at this point. Continue on to next step where it all comes together again.

4) Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, baking soda and ginger; add to creamed mixture just until blended. Stir in walnuts and raisins.

5) Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with Hard Sauce recipe below. Yield: 8 servings.

Hard Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash ground allspice

1 cup cold water

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Directions:

Combine sugar, flour, nutmeg, allspice and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and extracts. Serve with spice cake. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: about 1-1/3 cups.