Applesauce Sour Cream Pound Cake

By mitzzy

Big, bold, moist, simple – hey, give me a slice! This cake calls for raisins and nuts but it also is nice with dried or fresh cranberries, chocolate chunks or really, absolutely wonderful with nothing added. The scent of this baking will bring crowds to your kitchen. I don't think I have ever made a cake that has a better perfume-while-baking than this cake! A drizzle of melted white chocolate, tinted with some cinnamon would be extra special on this cake, or a lemon glaze but the dusting of confectioners’ sugar is perfect. Use your own fresh applesauce or jarred/canned unsweetened applesauce. Btw - my big secret is I rarely use a Bundt pan but I do adore Nordicware's (famed for Bundt pans) colorful non-stick angel food cake pans. It's what I bake honey cake in, chocolate, marble, and any sort of tall, grand hospitality cake.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 ½ cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow raisins, plumped and coarsely chopped
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Details

Servings 14

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Generously spray a 10 inch tube or angel food cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place it on the baking sheet.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugar until light and pasty and well blended. Add in the eggs and vanilla and blend well. Blend in the applesauce and sour cream. Fold in the dry ingredients, and then, when batter is almost all blended (2-3 minutes on low speed), fold in the raisins and walnuts. Spoon cake the cake batter into the prepared pan and place on baking sheet.

Bake 65-80 minutes or until cake springs bake when lightly touched. Cool well, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Serves 12-14