Saturday, November 1, 2014

Miss Birdie's Spice Cake


2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. each,  ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg
1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup water
1 stick melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)



Set oven at 350 F.
 Grease two 8 or 9 inch cake pans, line with waxed or parchment paper, grease paper.   

Beat all ingredients together in large bowl on low speed till blended, Then beat on high speed about 3 minutes. Pour into pans.

Bake about 50 minutes till wooden pick come out clean. Cool ten minutes then remove from pan. Cool completely before frosting.
.

Browned Butter Frosting
 as you can see in the picture, this doesn't make quite enough to cover the sides. I used orange marmalade between the layers. If you wanted frosting there too, I'd suggest doubling the recipe.

Heat 1/3 cup butter over medium heat till delicate brown. Off heat, mix in 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and about 2 tablespoons of milk till smooth and spreadable.


5 comments:

Ms. A said...

I sure miss sweets and my beloved coffee! I can just imagine how good this would taste with a cuppa joe! Dang it!

Kath said...

Miss Birdie's recipe sounds as wonderful as her sweet story. Thank you for both!

Friko said...

Vicki, I loved Miss Birdie. Always have.
And Miss Birdie’s recipe is sure to be a winner too. Really old-fashioned, reminds me of the spiced cakes of home.

Vicki, if you have the time and inclination I would be very happy if you could have a read of my last three posts. They’re very long all told but I would like to know what you think of them.

Barbara Rogers said...

Yum, and of course now I smell those spices in my head. Snow is still falling here. Winter has arrived! Happy Nov 1!

Merisi said...

Drinking my second cup of coffee while looking at THAT cake .... oh, well ... calories saved.

Love the last shot. The crows perform the same feat around here, managing to sit on those thin upper branches as if they were weightless.