Applesauce Cake
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We like unfrosted cake and quick breads. Well, *I* like them - my kids will have to learn to make their own frosting-laden baked goods if they have a problem with that.
Ingredients
3/4 cup raisins or sweetened dried cranberries 
1 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup smooth applesauce, room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Confectioner's sugar for dusting
Directions
1. Butter a 9-inch cake pan (we used a springform pan) and set it aside.
Place the raisins or dried cranberries in a small bowl and add enough
hot tap water to cover them. Set them aside to soften. Heat the oven to
350° F.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices into a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until it's
soft and fluffy. Beat in the sugars one at a time, then beat in the
egg and yolk, and lastly, the vanilla extract.
3. Using a wooden spoon, stir a third of the dry ingredients into the
creamed mixture until it's smooth. Add half of the applesauce, another
third of the dry ingredients, the remaining applesauce, and the final
third of the dry ingredients, stirring well after each addition.
4. Thoroughly strain the water from the raisins or cranberries. Then stir
them and the pecans into the batter until they are evenly distributed.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a
spoon. Bake the cake on the center rack until a toothpick inserted into
the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.
6. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. Then run a knife
around the edge of the pan and remove the cake (or the sides of the
pan, if using a springform pan). Let the cake cool for another hour or
so. Finally, to enhance the flavor of the cake and to allow it to
become moist and dense throughout, cover it snugly with plastic wrap
and let it sit for another 2 hours.
7. Before serving the cake, generously dust the top with confectioners' sugar.
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