Olive Oil Applesauce Snack Cake
In just over a week we’ll be packing up and leaving Umbria which gives me conflicting feelings. Although I’ll miss our farmhouse, Italian chickens, and our lovely views, I am excited to see our family once again and start planning for the upcoming holidays.
Christmas is my favorite holiday and I do get a little carried away each year with decorating and baking, but it truly is something I enjoy! When this recipe gets posted I will be far away from Italy and immersed back into our normal schedule. We will be heading back to Umbria in just over three months, so I do have that to look forward too!
On our recent trip to Alto Adige, apple harvest was taking place so everywhere we went they were selling big bags of locally grown apples. Of course, I had to buy a bag to bring back to Umbria with us, especially when I saw that they were selling them for just a couple of euros each.
Once home, I then had to find a use for ten pounds of mixed variety apples, and so I got out my handy Instant Pot and made Apple Butter. With the leftover apples, I made my famous Cinnamon Apple Cake, and applesauce with what was leftover, that I popped into the freezer.
This week I am working hard to empty the freezer as we leave Umbria soon, so I pulled out the applesauce to bake something. My husband likes to give our handyman/gardener a snack and a coffee mid-morning, so I try and have something freshly baked on hand.
I also like to use olive oil in my baking when possible, because olive oil is a heart-friendly oil and since we produce our own olive oil on our property here in Umbria, I get it for free. I use last year’s olive oil for frying and baking and save the new olive oil on recipes that do not require cooking.
This snack cake is easy to put together and is very moist with the addition of both olive oil and applesauce. I added in some golden raisins, and chopped walnuts and of course I added cinnamon to flavor it. I can’t seem to bake anything that includes apples without using cinnamon!
This cake is baked in a square cake pan making it very easy to cut into squares and pack into lunch bags. This cake also freezes well if wrapped tightly. I used white spelt flour to make this cake to try and make it a little healthier. You could also use whole wheat pastry flour, or oat flour if you prefer.
Dolomite Apple Trees Grown In Rows
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Olive Oil Applesauce Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 Cups White Spelt Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 1/2 Cups Applesauce
- 1 Cup Golden Raisins (Coarsely Chopped If Large)
- 1 Cup Finely Chopped Walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch square cake pan.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In another bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together the sugar and olive oil on medium speed until blended.
- Add the egg and applesauce, and blend again.
- Pour the applesauce mixture into the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until mixed.
- Stir in the raisins and walnuts.
- Dump the batter into the prepared pan, then bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
- Cool completely, cut into 3-inch squares and enjoy!
