There is something about this time of year that makes me want to indulge in all things apple and pumpkin . . . and spice. Its only natural I guess since this is the time that those things are coming into their own and are available in abundance. One thing I like to make is applesauce, and once I have made my applesauce, then I like to make an Applesauce Nut Bread or an Applesauce Cake.
I basically make two kinds of applesauce. One with sugar and one without sugar. The one I make with sugar is to eat as is, and the one without is to use in baked goods, where there will be sugar added to the batter. Both freeze very well. I freeze it in one cup amounts which is perfect for either use.
Today I decided to try out a new Applesauce bread/cake recipe. I have a cookery book entitled, Recipes Worth Sharing, recipes and stories from America's most-loved Community Cookbooks.
This particular recipe is attributed to The Bells are Ringing: A Call To Table by the Mission San Juan Capistrano Women's Guild. It looked good. I did make a few changes from the original, which I will detail, and of course have also converted it to British measurements for the British kitchen.
The original recipe called only for the use of cinnamon and nutmeg. I added some cloves. Cloves go very well with the flavor of apple and my husband loves cloves. He is always banging on about his mom's apple pie and how she used cloves, so the cloves were a love note to him.
There was also a rather abundant amount of cinnamon sugar nut sprinkle in the original recipe which was to be sprinkled on top. I thought it was a bit much for just on top so I divided it in three and sprinkled it between two layers and only added the final third for on top, which . . .
As you can see was more than ample!
I also toasted my pecans. I toast all of my nuts prior to baking with them. It just makes them taste nuttier and I love the smell of them toasting. About 6 to 8 minutes in a moderate oven on a baking sheet does the trick.
The end result was a very delicious loaf. There is no need for a drizzle or frosting on top as the brown sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness for that purpose.
The loaf itself is not overly sweet, which I liked. As a Diabetic, I am not supposed to eat a lot of sugar, so this isn't exactly on my list of things I can eat, but if I was tempted it is not the worst thing I could eat either.
Its not quite as moist as some applesauce breads I have made in the past, but I think that a slice of this warmed and spread with butter would be excellent with a nice hot cup of tea, herbal or otherwise.
When I was working at the Manor the Mr used to like me to toast the quick breads and butter them when I was serving them to him. It actually really is quite nice to do that with a quick bread, and I strongly suspect that this bread will be lovely toasted as well.
I am also thinking it might make a great bread and butter pudding when it gets to being a bit stale. If you have never tried that with a quick bread, then you don't know what you have been missing out on!
Bread and Butter Pudding made with sliced quick bread is magnificently delicious . . . I have done it with my cinnamon loaf, banana bread and gingerbread in the past and all versions were drool-worthy!
You don't want to do it with really crumbly quick breads, but sturdier ones like this one are perfect for that purpose!
Yield: 8 - 10Author: Marie Rayner
Applesauce Nut Bread
prep time: 15 minscook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 hours and 15 minsTasty tasty. Moist and delicious. Tis the season.ingredients:
For the Pecan Topping:100g soft light brown sugar1/2 tsp ground cinnamon30g chopped toasted pecansFor the loaf:245g smooth unsweetened applesauce (1 cup)190g sugar (1 cup)120ml vegetable oil (1/2 cup)2 large free range eggs280g plain flour (2 cups)1 tsp baking soda1/2 baking powder1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1/3 tsp grated nutmeg1/8 tsp ground cloves1/4 tsp salt30g toasted pecans (1/4 cup)
instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a large loaftin, or two smaller ones and then line with baking paper. Set aside.
Mix the topping ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
Whisk
together the applesauce, sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs. Sift together
the flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
Stir in the pecans. Add all at once to the wet ingredients. Mix well
together. Spread 1/3 of it into the prepared loaf tin (s) sprinkle with
1/3 of the topping. Spread another 1/3 of the batter on top. Top with
another 1/3 of the topping. Spread on the final 1/3 of batter. Using a
round bladed knife swirl the topping through and then sprinkle the
remaining topping on top of the loaf.
Bake for
30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil to help prevent over-browning. Bake
for 15 to 30 minutes longer (depending on pan(s) used). When the bread
is done a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. Cool
in the pan for several minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool
completely.
Created using The Recipes Generator
The added bonus of this lovely bread is the wonderful smell it leaves in your house while it is baking . . . cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves . . . smells like Home Sweet Home to me! Bon Appetit!
