Moist Applesauce Cake

Servings: 30 servings

Ingredients
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons milk, divided 2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup + 2 tablespoons butter (softened), divided 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce 3 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, divided 4 ounces (½ cup) cream cheese, softened
2 ½ cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon apple pie spice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
2. In a small bowl, pour ¼ of a cup milk and the vinegar together, allowing to sit for 5 minutes before stirring (you can
   work ahead to the next steps while you wait).
3. In a medium bowl sift/whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger until
   combined, and set aside.
4. In a stand mixer, or large bowl if using a hand mixer, cream ½ cup butter and granulated sugar together. Add in
   applesauce and beat to combine.
5. To the wet mixture add in the eggs, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and the milk/vinegar mixture. Mix on medium speed
   to fully combine.
6. Add half of the dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Repeat with the other half of dry mixture.
7. Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. While the cake is baking, cream together cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add in about half of the
   powdered sugar and mix on low speed to combine. Add in the remainder of powdered sugar as well as the apple pie spice and mix thoroughly.
9. Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix on low, adding the 2 tablespoons of milk if needed to thin the icing.
10. Once the cake has cooled completely, ice using an offset spatula. Refrigerate the cake once iced

ORIGINAL RECIPE