Spiced Applesauce Cake

adapted from Smitten Kitchen
For cake
3 cups (13.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 stick (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce

For frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup (6 ounces) confectioners sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9 x 13-inch cake pan. If you don’t have a nonstick cake pan or are a little nervous, line the bottom with parchment paper and butter that too.

Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in applesauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined. The batter will look a little curdled and uneven but it will bake up perfectly.

Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Re-invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioners sugar and cinnamon over cream cheese mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.

Do ahead: kept for three days . Keep frosted cake in the fridge. If you’d like to bake the cake further in advance, wrap it well and freeze it until the day you need it. Leave it out on the counter to defrost and frost it up to a day in advance.

Jelly Roll

1/3 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup flour
5 egg yolks (1/3 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
5 egg whites
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sugar

powdered sugar
1/2 cup jelly or more to taste
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 10 x 15 x 1/2 inch baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Grease and lightly flour the paper.

Sift the cornstarch and flour. Put the egg yolks in a small bowl, add the vanilla, and stir to blend.

Beat the egg whites and salt in a large mixing bowl until foamy. Add the sugar gradually while beating, and continue to beat until the whites are stiff but moist. Fold one quarter of the beaten whites into the yolk mixture until just blended, then pour the yolk mixture over the remaining whites. Sift the flour-cornstarch mixture over the top, then fold the batter just until there are no streaks of egg white or flour showing. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the top is light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, dust a clean kitchen towel generously with powdered sugar sifted through a strainer. When the cake is done, remove from the oven and immediately turn it out onto the sugared towel. Peel off the paper. Roll the cake up in the towel from the long side and let it rest for a minute, then unroll and let rest a few minutes more. Roll back up in the towel and let it cool completely.

Unroll the cooled cake, and spread the surface with jelly (and whipped cream if desired). Re-roll the cake and place it on a serving platter, seam side down. Dust with powdered sugar.

Chocolate cupcakes

These are from Martha Stewart and have become my standard birthday cake or cupcake.
Makes 24
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Sift cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to wire racks and let cool. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days. They freeze beautifully.

These are frosted with basic buttercream.