APPLE SAUCE CAKE

This is not an original recipe, I didn’t make this one up; it’s been in my family for years.  I don’t know where it came from; what I do know is this cake is moist and delicious.

1/2 cup butter, room temperature, 2 1/4 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted 2 times, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda,  1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 cup white raisins, soaked until plummed,  3/4 cup pecans, chopped.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Get out a glass baking dish (13x9x2-inch) grease and lightly flour the pan, set aside.  Get out a cup, add the raisins, cover the raisins with apple juice, set aside. Get out a bowl, add the butter, cream with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar, continue to beat until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each egg.  Sift and remeasure the flour.  Add the flour,  baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg, mix well, set aside. Fold in the nuts. Get out another bowl, combine the applesauce, vanilla, and drained raising, mix well.  Alternately add wet and dry ingredients, starting with and ending with dry.  Mix well after each addition.  Drain the raisins, fold the raisins and nuts into the batter. Pour the batter into the baking dish.  Bake for around 45 minutes, insert a butter knife into the thickest part of the cake, if it comes out clean it’s done.  Remove from the oven, turn the cake out of the baking dish.  When the cake cool frost it.

Icing:  1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons evaporated milk, 1/2 cup pecans, chopped.  Get out a bowl, add the butter in the bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy gradually add the sugar, continue to mix gradually add milk until smooth.  Set aside, frost when cooled.