Applesauce Cake (Dried Apples)

This applesauce cake takes the homemade route in two ways. First, you skip the jar entirely and make your applesauce from dried apples blended with warm water. Second, honey replaces refined sugar, so the only sweetness comes from the dried fruit and the honey itself.

Dried apples concentrate flavor compared to fresh ones. Even after rehydrating, they bring a deeper, more honeyed apple taste than store-bought applesauce, plus a slightly chewy texture that scattered fresh apples wouldn’t offer.

Whole wheat pastry flour is the right choice for the structure. Standard whole wheat is too coarse and would make this cake heavy, but pastry flour has lower protein and a finer mill, which keeps the crumb tender even with the bran’s extra weight.

Cornstarch (half a cup of it) is the secret to a lighter texture. It dilutes the gluten in the wheat flour and gives the cake the same softness a refined-flour version would have. Without it, the whole wheat would make the cake dense.

Optional raisins, walnuts, and flax seeds turn this into a more substantial breakfast loaf. Skip them for a simpler dessert cake.

Pro Tips

• Soak the dried apples in the warm water for 10 minutes before pureeing if they’re particularly dry. They’ll blend smoother.
• Line the pans with brown paper (or parchment) as the directions specify. Honey-sweetened cakes brown faster on the bottom and the lining prevents scorching.
• Don’t overfill the small loaf pans. The batter should reach two-thirds height; more and it overflows, less and the loaves come out stunted.
• Sprinkle flax seeds across the top right before baking for nutty texture and a more rustic look.

Variations

• Use blackstrap molasses for half the honey for a darker, more complex sweetness reminiscent of gingerbread.
• Swap dried apples for dried pears or peaches for a different fruit profile.
• Skip the optional add-ins and serve toasted slices with a drizzle of honey for a quick breakfast.