Applesauce Cake

Applesauce Cake
MAKES ONE 9-BY- 13-INCH CAKE

Applesauce cake has been credited to the Yankee kitchen of early
Colonial days. Apples were a mainstay in the diet of our early settlers,
and to this day they remain a favorite fruit for cooking and baking.
Applesauce cake has many different variations, having been baked in
layers and tube pans as well as in oblong or square pans.

l/2 cup butter or shortening
1l/2 cups sugar
1 egg
11/2 cups applesauce
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1A teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pitted dates
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
Lemon Icing (see following recipe)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-by-l3-inch baking pan.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter or shortening
with the sugar. Add the egg and beat until light. Mix the
applesauce with the baking soda. Combine the flour, cinnamon,
cloves, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately
with the applesauce. Stir in the dates, raisins, and walnuts. Pour
batter into the prepared pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until the cake
pulls away from the sides of the pan and the center tests done. Frost
with Lemon Icing.

Lemon Icing
MAKES ABOUT 21/2 CUPS
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 cups powdered sugar

Blend the melted butter with the lemon juice. Add the lemon
rind and powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread on the cooled
cake.