Honeycrisp Apple 5 Spice Cake

For some crazy reason I decided to buy 30 lbs of honeycrisp apples last Friday.  I got a deal on them, and couldn't resist, since I eat at least 2 a day, and I figured I could find lots of  yummy ways in which to use them!  I am sure they will be gone quickly, as I have been making apple everything...including apple sauce!  I love to make ginger apple sauce, especially with the honeycrisps which are so sweet on their own, that they don't need any added sugar, which I was pleased about!  I got the idea to add ginger to my apple sauce from one of my friends Gabrielle who happens to be a fabulous cook.  The ginger gives the apple sauce a warming affect, along with a bit of cinnamon.  It is heavenly, especially with some granola...almost like a no bake crisp!  I had made a batch of this apple sauce, and decided to make apple sauce cake out of some of it!

  What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than to make a wonderful cake, and have fun decorating it!  So I came up with my vegan version of apple sauce cake.  This time I decided to use Chinese 5 spice in the cake instead of the usual spice suspects thinking it would give it a more delicate flavor.  And it did!  The cake was wonderfully moist and lightly spiced!  It was going to be perfect layered with cream cheese frosting and some spiced pecans on top!  I enjoyed myself while assembling this cake...to me creating a layer cake is pure joy!  It is a way for me to be artistic without picking up a paintbrush or pencil...plus I get to enjoy the extra frosting!  This cake turned out beautifully!  But not so beautifully that I hesitated to dive into it and devour some!  If you don't want to go through the trouble if making your own applesauce, you could certainly use store bought...I don't want that to stop you from making this.  Either way you should definately try it! 

Vegan Honeycrisp Apple Sauce 5 Spice Cake

Makes 1 6 inch 4 layer cake

Cake:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup maple sugar

2 Tbsp Chinese 5 spice

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup Honeycrisp Ginger Apple Sauce*
1/4 cup coconut oil

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp maple extract

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp apple cider

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Spiced Pecans:

1 cup pecans

1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 Tbsp maple sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp chinese 5 spice

Frosting:
3 8 oz pkgs vegan cream cheese (such as Tofutti)

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp pure maple extract
1/4 cup maple sugar
1 Tbsp chinese 5 spice
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position rack in center of oven. Line two six-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper and pan sides with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, 5 spice, salt, and sugar in a large bowl to blend well. Whisk apple sauce, oil, maple extract, vanilla extract, and cider together in small bowl to blend well, then whisk into the flour mixture until well blended. Whisk in cider vinegar and stir quickly (pale swirls will be in the batter, which is the baking soda reacting with the vinegar, which allows the cake to rise since there are no eggs). Transfer cake batter to prepared pan and bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cake out onto platter; peel off parchment paper. Let cool completely, then place in the fridge to chill until very cold to make slicing easier (since cakes with no eggs crumble easier). When chilled, slice cakes horizontally in half so that you have 4 layers.

To make spiced pecans, heat oven to 375, line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray. Toss seeds with agave nectar, sugar, 5 spice, and sea salt and mix until well combined. Spread out on prepared sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes until seeds are fragrant and toasted. Remove pan from oven and let cool completley. Set aside until finished frosting the cake. You will only need some of these for the cake decorations, so you can snack on the rest!

To make frosting, beat cream cheese in a large bowl until very fluffy and smooth, Then beat in remaining ingredients until well blended. To assemble cake, place a layer of cake on a plate, and spoon a heaping 1/2 cup frosting over, almost to the sides, then top with another layer and repeat. Top with another cake layer, another frosting layer, then the top cake layer. Spread the frosting over the top and the sides of the cake, and pipe some of it decoratively on top of the cake and at the base, using a pastry bag.  Press spiced pecans decoratively around the top of the cake.  Chill the cake at least a few hours to set filling before serving.

*if you would like a 4 layer 9 inch cake, double this entire recipe and bake in two 9 inch cake pans.

*Honeycrisp Ginger Apple Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

4 large honeycrisp apples, diced
2 Tbsp apple cider 
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1Tbsp vietnamese cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cover, and cook until apples are very soft, then puree with an immersion blender (or a regular one).