Small BATCH Applesauce Bundt Cake. . . moist & flavorful

One year Kay Emel-Powell organized a Chi Omega cookie/dessert exchange among those of us who had lived in the house during the late 1960s. She shared her fabulous and fun Hoot Owl Cookies (owls are a big deal among XOs). I ran across that handout as I was sorting and organizing a lifetime of memories that included this recipe provided by Nancy Evans Baumgarten. All this cleaning, organizing and purging has made me realize that I don’t need another thing . . . certainly not another kitchen item. But, then I saw this cute bundt pan at Aldi’s and my resolution was quickly forgotten! It was the perfect size for a small dinner party allowing for a sweet ending without leftovers, or even a cake for two with a reasonable amount of leftovers. Consequently I adapted Nancy's recipe that was originally for cupcakes and made a moist and flavorful small bundt cake.

Small batch Applesauce Bundt Cake      Serves 6 to 8 

1 small bundt pan + a few extra cup cakes (the small bundt pan filled about ¾ to 7/8 full holds a little over 2 ½ cups of batter) or use batter to make 48 mini cupcakes

1 ½ cup applesauce (I used homemade Chai Applesauce that was lightly sweetened with honey and spiced but plain boughten applesauce works, too)

½ cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup nuts (such as pecans or walnuts)

½ cup raisins, optional

1. Heat applesauce in a medium size pan over medium heat. Add butter and sugar. Set aside to cool.
   
   
   
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
   
   
   
3. Grease or spray  a small bundt pan and fill about 3/4 to 7/8 full. I had enough batter left to make 3 cupcakes. Or, for  48 mini cupcakes — spray small muffin tins and distribute batter among them — fill 1/2 full.
   
   
   
4. In a preheated 350°F oven, bake small bundt cake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean of a internal temperature probe registers about 210°F'; bake  cupcakes about 15 minutes.. 
   
   
   
5. Frost cooled cake with cream cheese frosting or icing of your choice. (I used ½ batch of a cream cheese-buttercream frosting and dusted the frosting with nutmeg.)

Recipe without photos . . .

Small batch Applesauce Bundt Cake 

1 small bundt pan + a few extra cup cakes (the small bundt pan filled about ¾ to 7/8 full holds a little over 2 ½ cups of batter) or use batter to make 48 mini cupcakes

 

1 ½ cup applesauce (I used homemade Chai Applesauce that was lightly sweetened with honey and spiced but plain boughten applesauce works, too)

½ cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup nuts (such as pecans or walnuts)

½ cup raisins, optional

1. Heat applesauce in a medium size pan over medium heat. Add butter and sugar. Set aside to cool.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Grease or spray  a small bundt pan and fill about 3/4 to 7/8 full. I had enough batter left to make 3 cupcakes. Or, for  48 mini cupcakes — spray small muffin tins and distribute batter among them — fill 1/2 full.
4. In a preheated 350°F oven, bake small bundt cake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean of a internal temperature probe registers about 210°F'; bake  cupcakes about 15 minutes.
5. Frost cooled cake with cream cheese frosting or icing of your choice. (I used ½ batch of a cream cheese-buttercream frosting and dusted the frosting with nutmeg.)