Applesauce cake and muffins

Pretty simple (possibly healthy?) but mostly just tasty. This recipe made enough for one bountiful 8x8 cake, which my book club promptly devoured and six muffins, which will be my breakfast for the rest of the week.

(photo via loscheiner)

• 3/4 c. white sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 c. flour (I usually substitute in about 1/2 whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbs. cocoa
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 c. applesauce
• 1/2 c. chopped nuts (pecans are good; optional)
• 1/2 c. raisins or prunes, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9x2 or an 8x8 cake pan, or a muffin tin.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat. In another bowl, combine dry ingredients. Beating after every addition, add dry ingredients and applesauce to the sugar mixture. Add raisins and/or nuts. Pour batter into baking dish. If making a cake, bake 45 minutes. If making muffins, bake about 15-20 minutes. I sprinkled a few extra chopped nuts on top, for added cuteness. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  

Adapted from the Applesauce Cake recipe in the book Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish.