Slacking: It's One of the Things I do Best

So maybe slacking is not the right word.  I know I've been neglecting my blog lately but hey, we're at that point in the year where everything turns into a down hill slide and you have to hold on for dear life or get left behind.  I'm talking about those last three months of the year that are filled with holidays, and in my family, birthdays!  I can't seem to get a breath in edgewise!  

I suppose something similar could be said for all the months of the year with all the birthdays but, for me, October, November, and December is when I feel the hill start to get steep so this is why I haven't made a post in several weeks.  That being said, somewhere in that blur of days I made an amazing cake that I though I'd never like and ended up loving!

As always I am a firm believer in using what I have in the pantry.  This time I found individual-serving cups of applesauce staring at me.  Blueberry-applesauce to be exact.  I had purchased it for Lola thinking it would be a nutritious snack that she would like.  I was wrong.  As it turns out, just like her mother, Lola does not like applesauce.  Daddy was a trooper and ate half of the single-serving cups but his enjoyment had slowed down to a stop and here were the last three cups, staring at me.

Well I thought, I can make applesauce cake.  I probably won't eat it but someone will.  And with that thought I was half right, and half wrong.  Oh, I made the cake.  But I think I ate more of it than anyone else.  I found a recipe I liked.  Translation: easy.  Changed the recipe a bit more to my liking.  Translation: lazy.  busy.  And the rest is history!

The result?  A moist, hearty, healthy, delicious applesauce Bundt cake!

As I mentioned before, I changed the recipe a bit.  I used whole wheat flour because I was too lazy to get the other flour out I wanted it to be heartier and healthier.  Also, the original recipe called for two cups applesauce but all I had was one and a half cups blueberry applesauce so I used those and chopped up a Granny Smith apple and threw that in too.  And I substituted one cup of brown sugar instead of using two cups of granulated sugar.  I'm pretty sure the original didn't mention a Bundt pan anywhere but I had just found one at a thrift store and I was excited to try it out.

If you're anywhere near Seattle you know that the weather has been, well, a little schizophrenic and we were in the middle of a cool spell when I made this.  It went perfectly with the weather.  It wasn't dry, not even a little bit.  It was filling and satisfying.  And fiber?  Fugettuboutit!  All in all, good stuff.  You will find the original recipe here.  But here is my yummy version:

Cooking spray with four
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2cups applesauce

1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat your Bundt pan with cooking spray with flour; set aside.

In a large bowl cream together the softened butter and sugar. Beat in the salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Heat the applesauce, either in the microwave or on the stove top, until very hot, but not boiling.

Stir in the baking soda. (It will fizz and bubble up, and that's fine.) Beat into the butter mixture...batter will be very thin at this point. Beat in the flour just until smooth.  Fold in Granny Smith apple pieces until just mixed.  Be sure not to over mix.

Pour into prepared Bundt pan and bake for  about 50 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  As with all Bundts, do not place on a cookie sheet...hot air needs to flow through the hole in the center. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn cake out onto wire rack to cool completely. Serve with a glaze if you like but it's delicious all by itself. Store in the refrigerator.