In case, you didn’t know…
I love baking.
I love baking. I love eating. And I love photographing it. I issued myself a challenge when planning my blog posts for 2016: one new recipe a month to share with you, dear readers. I have also decided to bake my way through Good Morning Baking! but change everything to gluten free, because obviously I want to eat what I bake. (This was supposed to be January’s recipe but I kind of forgot about it in my drafts. Oops).
I may, at times, share a meal or drink recipe but most will be dessert-like items because who doesn’t love a good dessert?
This project will allow me to practice my gluten-free recipe conversions and food photography/styling. Plus, you will get yummy recipes once a month! Win-Win-Win.
I went through the cookbook and selected three recipes. I then sent the names to my boyfriend and asked him to choose. This is how I landed on the Caramel Applesauce Cake as my first science project… ummmm… experiment… ummmm… recipe. I hope you all enjoy!
The recipe below is my modified version. I swapped out items for gluten free and some spices but I did keep the raisins. I do not like raisins in baked good but I am trying to expand my palette.
(disclosure: Cookbook link is an Amazon Associate link. I would earn pennies if you ordered through the link).
Ingredients:
- 2 3/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 1 1/4 tsp Xanthan gum
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1 cup raisins
Caramel topping:
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup whole milk
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, mix flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar, then add the applesauce and oil and whisk until combined.
- Make a well in the flour mix and pour in the applesauce mixture. Stir until combined. Fold in the raisins. Spread batter in the prepared pan.
- Bake until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the center, 38 to 45 minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack, in the pan.
- While the cake is cooling, make the caramel topping. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil uncovered, stirring constantly until the topping is bubbling and thickened. About 5 minutes.
- Poke the surface of the warm cake all over with a fork. Pour the hot caramel topping evenly over the cake. If the caramel pools, swirl it over the cake to be absorbed.
- Let cool before serving.
I reheated the cake in the microwave for about 10 seconds before eating. It was delicious. I am still not 100% sold on raisins in baked goods but it wasn’t as bad as I remember. (It has been ages since I had a baked good with raisins). I never got around to it, but this cake would be amazing warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it!
