Appalachian Whiskey Applesauce Cake

Appalachian Whiskey Applesauce Cake

As written the recipe recommends pouring the bourbon over the cake in little bits over the course of an hour, but I found the cake to be thirsty enough that this wasn’t necessary; I poured the entire bit of  bourbon over the cake in two rounds, with just a few minutes inbetween both.  If you’d like to make the cake without the bourbon, I think it’d be just as delicious — it’s quite moist and flavorful on its own, too. While I used my favorite blend of wintery dried fruits and nuts, you can certainly mix it up instead: toasty pecans, crystallized ginger or dried cranberries would all be really nice.  So use what you have on hand and what makes you happy.

Adapted from: Wintersweet 

Ingredients

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup natural cane sugar (I used turbinado)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup spelt flour (or all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup currants
1/4 cup dried cherries
1 1/4 cups chopped hazelnuts or walnuts
1/3 cup bourbon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease a standard 9 x 5 – inch loaf pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer or standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, and add in the vanilla.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, clovers, allspice and salt.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, and mix on low until incorporated. Add half of the applesauce, and mix. Repeat with the rest of the dry ingredients and applesauce, mixing until just combined. With a wooden spoon or spatula, fold in the raisins, currants, cherries and nuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 55 -60 minutes or until the top of the cake is dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool slightly, then pour the bourbon over the cake a few spoonfuls at a time — pausing for a few minutes in between pours to allow the cake to soak in the liquid.