(Green Tomato) Mincemeat Applesauce Cake

Now that killing frosts have finished off our northern gardens for another year, some of us have access to a lot of green tomatoes. Perhaps my southern friends think immediately of frying ups these end of the season beauties, but, for me, green tomatoes in the fall mean just one thing: green tomato mincemeat. 

I know that many people have never tried mincemeat pie or have and decided it wasn't for them. However for those of us who do like this fruity, spicy mixture (that is almost always in this day and age totally without meat), there are few better choices to end a festive holiday meal.  Buying mincemeat in the store, however, is rarely a frugal choice, but an old, old family recipe that uses green tomatoes can cut the cost dramatically. If you'd like to try making your own, I posted it several years ago here:

https://frugalfastfun.blogspot.com/2012/10/green-tomato-mincemeat.html

The great thing about that recipe is that you can make a big batch and freeze it for a full season of pies.

Or cake.

With the last of last year's mincemeat still in the freezer a few weeks ago, I started looking for a way to use it without having to mix up any piecrust. I also had a few jars left from last year's applesauce canning, so finding a cake that could be adapted to include both applesauce and mincemeat seemed like it was worth a try. 

The result of my experimentation was a super moist cake that was very, very easy. Stir most of the dry ingredients together in one bowl. Mix the rest in another bowl.

Then combine the two together, stir just enough to blend and pour into the prepared pan.

No mixer to clean up, no time-consuming beating. The hardest part is waiting for the cake to bake and cook enough to get it out of the pan.

If you don't have green tomato mincemeat, this one might even be worth the splurge of picking up a jar of mincemeat just to make the cake. The fragrance in your kitchen while the cake bakes is by itself well worth the cost.

One other thing: If you really, really want to have frosting on your cake, make a thin powdered sugar glaze using orange juice for the liquid. Spread it over the top of the cake, allowing the excess to dribble down the sides. 

However. 

You definitely should try the sauce. It's easy to make and the flavors are just right with this cake--or for just about any other spice cake. You could even put a little warmed mincemeat over ice cream and top with a drizzle of the sauce and some chopped walnuts for a different mincemeat dessert.

Mincemeat Applesauce Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup green tomato (or prepared) mincemeat
2/3 cup applesauce
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2/3 cup walnuts

Citrus Sauce

1/2 cup sugar
4-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 c orange juice
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (optional)
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions

 

1.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, mincemeat, applesauce, brown sugar, and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Don’t beat! Fold in the walnuts.

2.  Pour into a well-greased 9-in. tube pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool until just warm. Don’t try to take out of the pan too early, as it will be tender and may not come out whole.

3.  For sauce, combine sugar and cornstarch in a large microwave-safe bowl. Stir in the water until smooth. Cook in microwave about 2 to 3 minutes at medium power level until it bubbles and thickens.. Remove from the microwave and stir in butter until melted. Add juice, lemon zest and extract. Serve warm with the cake.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cake with Orange Glaze

 

This is an old-fashioned cake that is just right for a chilly autumn evening or weekend dessert. It goes together pretty quickly, all in one saucepan, and the fragrance it will bring to your house--amazing!

As I've noted before, I like to keep orange juice concentrate in the freezer for recipes like this. The contrast of the orange glaze and the apple-y, cranberry filled cake gives a great depth to this really pretty simple dessert.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cake with Orange Glaze 

1 1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
3/4 c old fashioned or quick oatmeal
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c butter
3/4 c brown sugar 

1 t vanilla

1 egg
1 1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg

Glaze

2 T melted butter

2 T orange juice concentrate, thawed slightly

enough powdered sugar to make a very thin glaze--about 1 1/2 c at most

walnuts--about 3/4 to 1 cup, coarsely chopped or broken

1.  Pour the applesauce into a pan large enough to hold 5 to 6 cups of batter- quart and a half saucepan will be a good size. Heat the applesauce to just below boiling on medium high heat, stirring to be sure it does not stick on.

 

2.  Stir in the oatmeal and dried cranberries and let the mixture cool, about 10 to 15 minutes.

3.  Stir the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg into the applesauce mixture. Sift the dry ingredients together and gently stir into the batter. Stir just until thoroughly mixed. 

4.  Pour into a 7 X 11  pan  that has been well-oiled or sprayed with cooking spray. Immediately put into oven and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

5.  While the cake is baking, mix the butter, orange juice concentrate, and powdered sugar. (Note that I just lightly rinsed the saucepan used for the cake batter; this is truly an easy clean up cake, with one pan for each step!)

 








As soon as the cake is done, remove it from the oven and spread the glaze evenly over the top, poking it in lightly with a cake. 

Sprinkle the walnuts evenly over the top. Serve warm or cold.

Microwave version:

Put the applesauce in a 2 quart mixing bowl in the microwave. Cover loosely (to avoid spatters) and heat until just below boiling, about 2 to 3 1/2 minutes. Proceed with the recipe as above.

A Larger Cake:

This recipe is easily doubled (just be sure to use a large enough pan!), using a 10 1/2 X 14 1/2 pan--or a 9 X 13 pan and about 6 to 8 cupcakes too.

Applesauce Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Topping

Don't laugh at this really long name for today's cake. I often end up with a few bananas at the end of the bunch that get too soft to eat, and applesauce and peanut butter are staples in my pantry, so the ingredients are all right here for a relatively healthy dessert.

Another advantage? If you are old enough to remember when most cakes were made "from scratch," there was always a whole section in cookbooks called "one bowl cakes." This one is a "one pan cake," quick to stir up without a lot of clean up.

It may not be the prettiest cake in the world but it has a nice home-baked flavor that will win over the toughest of critics...and it really is easy.

For those who think the topping is the best part of the cake, this is especially good, as the cake layer is only an inch and a half or so high and quite dense. That's okay--and part of the attraction.

The method is just a little out of the ordinary, but follow the directions closely and you'll be glad you tried this quick dessert.

Oatmeal Banana Applesauce Cake

1 1/4 c quick or old-fashioned oatmeal (NOT instant)

1 1/4 c water

1 c unsweetened applesauce

1 c mashed banana (about 2 medium)

2 T  butter

1 egg

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 t vanilla

2 c flour

1 1/4 t baking soda

1 1/2  t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

Topping:

3/4 c sugar

1/3 c water

3/4 c crunchy peanut butter

1.  Preheat the oven to 350. Start the oven heating before you start mixing the cake, as you will want to get the cake into the oven soon after the batter is mixed. Oil well a 9 X 13 pan.

2.  In a 2 quart (or larger) saucepan, bring the oatmeal and water to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, about a minute. 

3.  Remove the pan from heat and stir in the applesauce, bananas, sugars, vanilla, and butter. Stir well, until the butter is melted and blended evenly into the mix. Kind of looks like your standard breakfast oatmeal at this point, doesn't it? Not too worry, this reeally is going to be cake!

 

4.  Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the egg to the oatmeal mixture and then immediately stir in the dry ingredients. Stir only enough to blend evenly; don't overmix.

5.  Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until the top is golden. The cake should spring back when touched lightly, or a toothpick inserted in the center will come out without batter clinging to it. (Remember that the cake will be in the oven for about five minutes after the topping is added so don't overbake at this stage.)

6.  While the cake is baking, rinse the pan that the batter was mixed in and add to it the sugar and water for the topping.  Bring the mixture to a full boil and boil for about 2 minutes.

7.  Remove the pan from heat and stir in the peanut butter. (You will need to stir the mixture again right before spreading it on the cake, as it separates quickly.)

 

8.  When the cake has reached that golden and almost done stage, remove it from the oven and gently spread the Topping over the cake. If desired, you can use a fork to "poke" the mixture into the cake a bit more--just be gentle if you do this!

9.  Return the cake to the oven for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the topping is bubbly all over.

10.  Allow the cake to cool before cutting.