This is another way of cooking my Applesauce Spice Loaf (vegan, low-fat). I like this better. I made some minor tweaks to the recipe but the biggest change is that sweetened cinnamon topping. It’s amazing what a small change can do.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons warm water

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar

1 3/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup of diced raw apple pieces, skin on

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom and sides of an 8×8 inch square pan. Place the parchment-lined pan into the oven to preheat.

Mix flax seed and water. Set aside.

Mix cinnamon and sugar topping. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.

In another large bowl combine applesauce, almond milk, maple syrup, vinegar, and flax mixture. Whisk until blended.

Remove pan from oven and place on hob or trivet.

Add wet to dry. Stir just until you see no dry flour. Don’t over-blend. Fold in apple pieces. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle topping.

Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes then remove (by holding parchment corners) and place on cooling rack for at least an hour before slicing. Makes 16 squares. Freezes well. A 15-second-microwave-blast right before eating does wonders 🙂

Into the freezer…

This recipe also makes good muffins. The only thing that changes is the oven temperature and cooking time. I set it high, 400 or I might try 420 next time, and bake for 8 minutes then turn the temperature down to 375 for an additional 16 minutes (24 minutes total cooking time). The oven probably won’t drop to 375 in those 8 minutes but that’s OK. It’s just keeping the oven from cycling on and overbrowning the outsides.