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I tried this recipe out just in time for the holidays. I used the applesauce I made a while ago and used all the holiday flavors I could think of.

I didn’t want to make some thing very close to the apple cranberry bread I made- I wanted it to be more of a proper cake – something good enough to serve for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

This cake is made out of the usual healthy ingredients like whole wheat flour, turbinado sugar and extra light olive oil. I thought of using the applesauce for two reasons- one to add great flavor and the other to add great texture. You can’t go wrong with chocolate- right? So, I added some melted chocolate.

To complete the dessert I thought of icing- the problem is that I don’t like it. The only kind of icing I like is real whipped cream and somehow it didn’t seem the right one for this cake.  After doing some research, I decided to use sugar icing. As I was mixing the sugar with the milk- I thought of cocoa- why not add some cocoa to this? I added cinnamon and cocoa- delicious!

I poured the icing on the cake and served it to a friend and her kids who were over for dinner. It was really delicious. The chocolate flavor and the apple flavor came through loud and clear. The spices were there as well- very subtle yet very flavorful.

Big success- definitely a candidate for the holidays.

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon powdered nutmeg
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• ½ cup extra light olive oil
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup homemade or store bought applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour a 9” round pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl of a mixer, add the melted chocolate and the oil. Add sugar and beat until mixture is creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add the applesauce and vanilla and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients and pour into the round pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until tester is clean. Let cool and then top with the spiced icing.

Spiced Icing

• ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
• ¼ unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon powdered nutmeg
• 5 tablespoons milk

In a small mixing blow, combine the sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg and milk. Whisk well until all ingredients are incorporated and smooth. Add more milk if needed to reach the desired consistency.

Pour on top of the the cake and spread to the sides evenly.