My 16yo daughter wants to be a pastry chef. This is one of her first perfected, original recipes, inspired by a trip to Smicksburg, PA, last summer. It is dairy- and egg free, and never lasts more than an hour when she makes it. (Obviously, I share this with her permission. She's making her second cake today as I'm typing, to take for a sleepover.)
Ingredients
1 Cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 Cups unbleached flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 Cup Crisco/vegetable shortening
1/3 Cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 Cup soy milk, divided
3 Cups apples (or apples and pears), peeled and chopped
1/2 Cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp unbleached flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
Directions
Preheat over to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan.
For cake batter: In large mixing bowl, sift together sugar, soda, baking powder, 1.5 C flour, and salt.
With a pastry blender, cut Crisco and 1/4 C soy milk into the dry ingredients.
Add applesauce and remaining soy milk, and stir until just comined.
Fold in apples.
For topping: In a small mixing bowl, cut together the brown sugar, 2T flour, cinnamon, and margarine.
Pour cake batter into prepared pan, then sprinkle topping evenly on top...
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.