Chef notes
This cake is delicious and reminds us of the good old days; it was my father's favorite. There is no tricky preparation, no crusts, no elaborate ingredients. You probably have everything in your house now!
Technique tip: Lucy suggests cooking down about 3 to 4 apples with a bit of sugar and making your own applesauce. Make sure you cool the apple sauce before adding to the recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ cups applesauce
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 cup raisins
- 1½ cups chopped walnuts
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Preparation
For the cake:
1.Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2.Grease a 9- by 13-inch pan well with shortening.
3.Sift together the flour, spices and baking soda. Set aside.
4.In a separate bowl, beat together the sugars, shortening and butter. Add the eggs continue mixing until well-combined.
5.Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, a little at a time, alternating with adding the applesauce. Then, fold in raisins and nuts.
6.Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
7.Let cool completely before frosting.
For the caramel frosting:
1.In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, mix and heat the brown sugar, milk and water.
2.When the ingredients are completely dissolved, remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and powdered sugar.
3.Beat with a spoon until the mixture is the right consistency to spread.
4.Add a bit more milk or sugar, depending on the texture you want, if needed.
