Hi-Protein Applesauce Cake

This is a dense, warmly spiced applesauce cake that uses a blend of white and whole wheat flour for a heartier crumb than a standard cake. Brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves give it that old-fashioned spice cake character, while a cup and a half of applesauce keeps everything moist without needing extra oil or liquid.

The creaming method is standard: beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy, add eggs, then fold in the sifted dry ingredients. The applesauce goes in with the raisins and nuts at the end. Don’t overmix once the flour is in or you’ll develop too much gluten and the cake turns tough instead of tender.

The whole wheat flour adds a nutty, slightly earthy flavor that works with the warm spices rather than against them. Splitting the flour half and half between white and whole wheat gives you structure and lift from the white flour with the flavor and fiber from the whole wheat.

Baking in a tube pan at a lower temperature for 50 minutes allows the center to cook through without the edges drying out. The tube pan’s center hole distributes heat evenly through the thick batter.

Kitchen Tips

• Sift the dry ingredients together thoroughly. Baking soda needs to be evenly distributed or you’ll get bitter pockets in the cake.
• Use unsweetened applesauce. Sweetened varieties will make the cake overly sugary since there’s already a cup and a half of brown sugar in the batter.
• Toss the raisins and chopped nuts in a tablespoon of flour before adding to the batter. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom during baking.
• Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting. The tube pan releases easily once the cake has pulled away from the sides slightly.

Variations

• Add a cream cheese glaze (cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a splash of milk) drizzled over the cooled cake.
• Swap raisins for dried cranberries for a tarter, more colorful cake.
• Use chunky applesauce instead of smooth for visible apple pieces throughout.