Cocoa - Spice Snackin' Cake

This unfussy chocolate snack cake hits a sweet spot between everyday and special. Applesauce replaces most of the fat, giving the cake a moist, tender crumb without the heaviness of a typical chocolate cake, while cocoa powder and warm spices of cinnamon and nutmeg layer in flavor that goes well beyond plain chocolate. The technique is basically one-bowl. Melt the butter and stir in cocoa, then mix in the applesauce. Whisk the dry ingredients in another bowl, fold everything together with the egg, stir in chopped nuts, and you are off to the oven. Twenty minutes of prep, half an hour to bake. The 9-inch square pan delivers nine generous squares with crispy edges and soft centers, the kind of cake meant for kids’ lunchboxes, after-school snacks, or coffee with a friend who dropped by unannounced.

Pro Tips

• Use unsweetened applesauce, not the sweetened kind. Sweetened versions throw off the cake’s sugar balance and turn it cloyingly sweet.
• Toast the nuts in a dry skillet for 3 minutes before folding in for deeper, nuttier flavor that stands up to the chocolate.
• Do not overmix once the wet hits the dry. Stir just until the flour disappears for a tender crumb.
• Cool the cake completely in the pan before slicing. Warm chocolate cake crumbles under a knife.

Variations

• Stir ½ cup of chocolate chips in with the nuts for a double-chocolate snack cake.
• Use Dutch-process cocoa instead of natural for a darker, smoother chocolate flavor.
• Frost with simple chocolate ganache or dust with powdered sugar for a slightly more polished presentation.