In the search for low-fat cake options I came across a number of recipes that used applesauce instead of butter or oil, and since there was a 2013 jar of home-made Apfelmus still sitting on the top shelf of the pantry, I decided to give it a try. Ginger as a strong flavour covers a multitude of sins, so that seemed a good choice, plus there was some stem ginger left over from the strawberry and stem ginger jam I made in July. More ginger is always better, though, I thought, so I added both grated fresh(ish, from a tube) and ground as well.
No-Fat Applesauce-Based Three-Ginger Cake-Bread
2 large eggs
250-300g applesauce
120g treacle, slightly warmed
grated ginger
350g flour
optionally 50g brown sugar, depending on how sweet you would like it
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cloves, ground
1 tsp ginger, ground
The recipe is as easy as can be - whisk eggs slightly and mix together with all wet ingredients. Mix dry ingredients. Combine gently.
The result is really rather tasty, if somewhat more chewy than real cake, so a bit more gingerbread-like, but not completely...
Turns out, however, that the texture improves with resting, maybe bake it a day in advance. As usual, a bit of butter on your slice makes things even yummier - or if you want to stress the cake-ness of the loaf, maybe sprinkle some brown sugar over before baking, and dust with powdered sugar after.
