Apr

19

Applesauce-Oatmeal Raisin Cake

April 19, 2007 |

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Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. - Jim Davis

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This recipe is adapted from Elizabeth Alston’s Tea Breads and Coffecakes. It is a wonderful collection of lowfat sweet breads and cakes that do not skimp on flavour.

Ours is a whole wheat lower fat version of an already heart-friendly recipe. It has about 230 calories per serving.

It’s moist, chockful of nutrients, and great served warm for breakfast.
Most oatmeal is not 100% whole-grain. Look for brands that explicitly state “100% whole grain” like this one.

Steel-cut oats (coarse-cut oats, pinhead oats, Scotch oats, or Irish oats) are always 100% whole-grain and take longer to cook.

Applesauce simply is cooked down apple puree. Peeled and blended raw apples, pears or bananas can be used in lieu of unsweetened applesauce. We get the little 4-oz. containers, ‘cos a half-finished bottle of applesauce tends to sit in the refrigerator and develop green fur after a while. If you do get a whole bottle, freeze half the contents for later. (Nutritional analysis of unsweetened applesauce)

In any recipe, you can subsitute half the fat with applesauce.

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Pistachio the Squirrel enjoys apples as much as we do. He escaped from Colorado after his guardian threatened to evict him for eating her plants.

The original recipe calls for 1 cup dark brown sugar. We prefer it less sweet and used 1/2 cup maple syrup. Jaggery is a good substitute. For a vegan version, replace the eggs with 1/4 cup mashed banana or silken tofu per egg.

**Edited to add: The baking soda in the original recipe is meant to neutralise the acid from the molasses in the dark brown sugar. If using maple syrup, you don’t need it at all. Even otherwise, whipping the egg whites into stiff peaks makes the baking soda unnecessary. Thanks Pel, for suggesting this.

Applesauce-Oatmeal Raisin Cake
adapted from Elizabeth Alston’s recipe here.
(Serves 12)

Ingredients
1.5 cups water
1 cup wholegrain old-fashioned oats
1 cup dark raisins (or dried cranberries)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup maple syrup/jaggery/dark brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 tbsps. vegetable oil
1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 egg whites (or two whole eggs)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp cognac or rum (optional)

13 by 9-inch baking pan

Method
1. Line the pan with foil on all sides.

2. Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan over moderately high heat.

3. Stir in the oats. When the liquid returns to a boil, stir in the raisins and salt. Reduce the heat and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the oats are soft and the water is absorbed.

4. Remove from heat, stir in the maple syrup, applesauce, liqueur, and oil. Cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Put the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl. Stir to mix well. Stir the eggs and vanilla extract into the oat mixture. Add the flour mixture, and stir just until moistened.

6. Spread in the prepared pan and bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cake starts to shrink from the sides of the pan and a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Lift the foil on all sides and place the cake on a wire rack to cool.

The cake is good served warm, esp. with ice cream. Or cool completely, cover tightly, and store overnight at room temperature before serving or freezing.

The dried fruits can be substituted with chopped fresh fruit. Add them towards the end of mixing.

Our entry for A Fruit A Month at Beyond the Usual, where this month’s fruit is Apple.

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14 Comments so far

  1. nandita on April 19, 2007 10:17 pm

    Bee,
    This is such a perfect recipe, just that I get stumped when I see apple sauce, can I use banana puree instead? Dont get readymade applesauce here, even if some custom notified shops carry it, they would cost a bomb…
    You will find such wonderful recipes in the PCRM website pcrm dot org , incase you haven’t seen it already. I had once tried their fat free gingerbread and it was wonderful.

    nandita, that site and recipe have been bookmarked since the day you posted it. :-)
    pureed prunes are a great substitute for applesauce, esp in chocolate cake recipes, where you want a deeper flavour. you also need less sugar that way.

  2. nandita on April 19, 2007 10:19 pm

    Oops, got the answer, had missed out that paragraph where you mentioned the substitutes - thanks! When keep you posted coz Im trying this soon!

  3. Meeta on April 19, 2007 10:24 pm

    This is a great recipe. I make tons of apple sauce because it goes so well with many dishes - now I have found another way to use apple sauce. Thanks Bee!

  4. sreelu on April 19, 2007 10:43 pm

    Bee,

    Mr Pistachio looks so cute, looks like he was ready in a pose waiting for you to click

    Sreelu

  5. Manisha on April 19, 2007 11:10 pm

    I opened the window out of habit and let out a yell…then I looked around. He was nowhere to be seen. I now know why.

    Just so you know, he likes fresh thyme and wild mint. Grow it so he won’t miss home.

    :-D

    manisha, last year’s thyme has grown back, and mint is sprouting in last year’s container without planting anything. so we’re good. - b.

  6. padmaja on April 20, 2007 2:04 am

    hey superb cake Bee, nicely put together!!
    absolutely delicious!!

  7. richa on April 20, 2007 5:18 am

    wow! now that is something I will definitely try! can I replace the eggs with some more applesauce? Also want to try that jaggery in a cake.
    thanks

    richa, you can substitute 1/4 cup mashed banana per egg. adjust the sweetness accordingly. - b.

  8. asha on April 20, 2007 5:30 am

    YUM! YUM!! Looks so good Bee.Excellent combination and healthful for the heart.Good job.

    Have a great weekend both of you and I will see you on Monday.Hugs:))

  9. musical on April 20, 2007 8:00 am

    Hey Bee n’ Jai:

    THanks for sharing this. i guess i can toally try this, because there is not much sugar as many other recipes…..

  10. mandira on April 20, 2007 12:34 pm

    sounds delicious, Bee and Jai. I am going to try this soon.

  11. pelicano on April 20, 2007 1:23 pm

    Hey Bee and Jai…looks like you’ve got a new pet! Manisha was so kind to let him go…he must have very good breath for a squirrel!
    This cake looks great, and a lot less sinful than other versions….you could actually leave out the baking soda, if you want, if you whip the egg whites into a merengue/stiff peaks and then fold it into the other ingredients. (cakes were made this way before B.S. was invented).

    tx. pel. actually, the baking soda is mean to neutralise the acid if you use brown sugar. if you use maple syrup, you don’t need it at all. i’ll amend the post to reflect that.

  12. Ellie on April 20, 2007 7:30 pm

    Oh man, not only does this sound healthy, but it looks delightful as well! Looks like a great snack-cake that’d go down well with a mug of freshly brewed chai tea :D

  13. sandeepa on April 21, 2007 8:45 pm

    That squirel is cho cho sweet. Did he like your cake?
    Would love to share a bite

  14. A Heart-Healthy Cookie » jugalbandi on October 2, 2007 7:04 pm

    […] Also see our heart-healthy Applesauce-Oatmeal Raisin Cake […]

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