First Prize Applesauce Cake With Caramel Frosting Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Grandma baked this cake often. Early one morning she had just finished making the frosting, and the cake was cooling, when grandpa came into the kitchen and said Bessie, grandma's milk cow, came in without her calf and he had to go look for the calf. He handed grandma the milk pail and asked her to milk the cow. She gave me the egg basket and we walked to the barn. Grandma sent me up the ladder into the hay loft to gather the eggs of the chickens that had 'flown the coop.' They would lay their eggs between the bales of hay, and as she settled on her one legged stool and began to milk Bessie, I reached in between the bales and wrapped my hand around what I thought was an egg and when I pulled my hand out it was wrapped around a black snake. I screamed and threw the snake as I fell backwards into the haystack below. The snake landed on Bessie. She bellowed and kicked and grandma fell off her stool with the milk pale in hand and the milk poured all over her. I scrambled out of that pile of hay, and screaming and crying, I ran to my grandmother and got under her dress. The snake slithered away, Bessie ran out the barn door, and Grandma gathered herself together and carried me inside the house and sat me on the table. She grabbed a hand towel, wiped her face and mine and after handing me a spoon of frosting, she began frosting the cake and the whole while singing, "Bringing in the Sheaves." Still crying I began singing along with grandma as I licked the spoon and sobbed. Soon the tears diminished and with grandma's hugs life was good once again.
• 2. Sift the first 7 ingredients together In a medium bowl. Combine the oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and with an electric mixer, beat until well blended. Add the hot applesauce and blend thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients and blend well. Stir in the walnuts and raisins. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans, pour in the batter and bake in hot oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking for about 15 minutes longer. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on a cake rack for 5 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pan and complete cooling on the racks. After the cake is completely cool fill and frost with Caramel Frosting.
• 3. CARAMEL FROSTING Melt the butter in a sauce pan over low heat and stir in the brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat; while stirring constantly boil hard for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk. Return the pan to the heat and return to a full boil. Remove from the heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in the confectioner sugar and beat until smooth. If frosting is too thin, add a little more confectioner sugar. If the frosting is too thick add a little more milk. Frost the top of the bottom layer. Add the top layer and frost the top and sides.

Steps:

• Sift together flour, soda, salt, spices and cocoa.
• Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine oil and sugar.
• Beat until well blended.
• Stir in hot applesauce and blend thoroughly.
• Add dry ingredients, blending well.
• Stir in nuts.
• Turn batter into well greased and floured 9" x 13" pan.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes; then reduce temperature to 375 degrees and bake about 15 minutes longer.
• Cool completely.
• Caramel Frosting:
• Melt 1/2 c butter in sauce pan over low heat.
• Stir in 1 c brown sugar, firmly packed, and 1/4 tsp salt.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil hard for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in 1/4 c milk.
• Return pan to heat and bring to a full boil.
• Remove from heat; cool to lukewarm.
• Stir in 2 c confectioner's sugar, and beat until smooth.
• If frosting is too thick, beat in a little milk.

Steps:

• Cake:.
• Set oven to 350 to preheat.
• Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
• Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda and baking powder.
• Add fruit and nuts and toss to coat.
• In large bowl cream shortening and sugar for 2 minutes, then add eggs, one at a time while beating 2 minutes.
• Add flour mixture alternately with applesauce while beating.
• Scrape bowl as necessary, beat only until blended.
• Turn into pan and bake for 50 minutes or until done.
• Cool and frost with Caramel Frosting.
• Frosting:.
• Melt butter in saucepan, stir in brown sugar.
• Cook and stir over low heat for 2 minutes.
• Add milk, continue stirring until boiling.
• Remove from heat.
• Cool to lukewarm and pour into small bowl.
• Add sugar and vanilla while beating.
• Beat about 2 minutes until spreading consistency.
• Adjust consistency with a few drops of hot water or more sugar as needed.
• Spread at once on cake.

Steps:

• Cake:.
• Cream the butter (1 cup) for the cake; gradually add 2 cups sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Combine flour and next 6 cake ingredients in a bowl. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the applesauce, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix after each addition,
• Stir in raisins and pecans.
• Pour batter into a greased and floured 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.
• Frosting:.
• Combine the brown sugar, butter, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
• Add milk; cook over low heat 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and let cool.
• Add powdered sugar, and beat with a wooden spoon to spreading consistency.