Gluten Free Applesauce Cake


Let me start this post by saying this is not a gluten free blog by any means.....but I feel like so many of you write to me asking if you can make the recipe gluten free by substituting this flour for that flour, etc.

I usually don't have the right answer.

This gluten free thing has gotten out of control.

Every restaurant now has to cater to the dieter who says she "can not eat gluten", but she usually doesn't even know what gluten is (I say "SHE", but I know there are some HE's out there too....).

If you know people that suffer w/ celiac disease (and believe me, they suffer), then you would never give me that crap that you can't eat bread but you can drink beer and eat pizza (you can't pick and choose your gluten, can you?).

Basically, I know that the wheat in this country is no longer milled in the same process as it used to be, and that most breads don't even taste good anymore.

You are eating garbage....industrial milled white flour that is definitely not good for your waistline and probably not good for your digestive system either, but don't tell me you have celiac, because it is a real condition that is diagnosed by a medical professional (such as an MD).

It causes rashes, joint pain, fatigue, bloating and pain. I have 2 people very close to me that have this disease and they are extremely careful what they eat.

So perhaps you don't want to eat bread because you feel bloated or you have put on weight. That's fine. Cut out the carbs and white flour.
You can live a healthy lifestyle if you change what you eat.

So what's a girl to do?
Do I stop eating bread and cakes? It doesn't bother my stomach, but it does bother my mind.

So, I seek out better breads, made by artisan bakers or bakeries that use ingredients that I can trust. And I don't buy cake mixes, I make my own cakes....(btw Bob's Red Mill products make some mighty fine flour and alternative flours milled in the old fashioned way........).

Hey, but that's me.
I'm not here to preach.
Eat what you want.
Drink soda all day long.

Ok, I will stop now....I wanted to be a team player and try this gluten free cake.

I did everything I was supposed to do.
I made my own oat flour (grinding organic oats). Used coconut oil instead of butter (turned out very moist!), and used unsweetened organic applesauce.


The review:

First of all, let's not call this a CAKE.
A cake is "an item of soft, sweet food made from a mixture of flour, shortening, eggs, sugar, and other ingredients, baked and often decorated".

Let's be honest and call these applesauce oat squares.

When the so called "cake" came out of the oven, I was annoyed. It didn't rise and there was hardly enough batter to fill a brownie pan.
I felt I had wasted the ingredients.

But then I tasted these thin pathetic little squares.
OMG, they tasted SO GOOD!

I treated them like a healthy snack, and continued to eat 4 of them. My husband ate the other 5, so this gluten free "cake" was gone 2 hours after baking.
I guess we really didn't like it.

I have no advice for you on how to change the recipe to make it bigger, fluffier or better.
If you go in thinking they are just fantastic oat squares made w/ applesauce, then you will be happy, but please don't call it a cake.


Gluten Free Applesauce Cake: (recipe found on the internet)

1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cup oat flour just blend up regular oats in food processor
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/3 cup raisins

In a large bowl, stir together the applesauce, coconut oil (measured when melted), large egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until completely combined.

Add in the baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, allspice, and nutmeg. Stir until completely combined.

Stir in the brown sugar and oat flour (blend regular old fashioned oats or quick oats in a blender or food processor until they resemble flour.

If desired add in the chopped pecans or walnuts and raisins.

Pour in a well greased (preferably lined w/ parchment paper) 8 x 8 square pan.

Bake 35 minutes. Let cool and invert onto a cooling rack. I cut them into squares before inverting.

The original recipe wants you to make a cream cheese icing, but there is no need. These are moist and sweet enough.
Just a sprinkling of powdered sugar for aesthetics is all you need.


Delicious (and healthy!).

:)

Comments

Stephanie said…
Please Stacey, tell us how you really feel...[and can I get some pita chips please!?]

Once I got to your actual review of the "cake" I was pretty surprised. Thanks for this hilarious posting.

non-gluten-free blog reader
Stacey Snacks said…
Stephanie,
I'm glad I could amuse you this am.........last week I went to a recipe opening.....the hostess sat next to me the whole night chatting me up about my hummus. I thought she was talking about a recipe on my blog, when I later figured out she though I was the "pita chip lady".

Oh well. ;)

Stacey
Lisa Faley said…
I am totally making these!! I am on a GF cleanse at the moment, so great timing! (I am not Celiac). Interesting what you said about the milling, I believe it! For me personally, I LOVE breads, cakes, pizza, pasta, etc... but it does create discomfort and bloating (major piss off!), so I find I need to stay away from time to time and cleanse my system of it. I thought you'd find this interesting though..... when in Europe, eating their breads does not bother me! Someone recently suggested it was because of the genetic modification of our wheat here in North America - our bodies don't recognize it as food, and in Europe, they don't allow such modification to their wheat! Luckly, I get to try that theory out again this summer :) I'll keep you posted!
Mary said…
I have to bake all week for my book fair volunteers (I bribe them with treats) and this looks like something I wouldn't get in trouble for if the principal saw it:) Thanks!
Bebe said…
When I recall the glorious, simple but simply delicious cakes my late Mother sent to my school bake sales, I could weep when I hear all the (largely medi-generated) stuff about gluten. (I only heard of celiac disease a few years ago. In the media.) Her homebaked items were always the first to go - whole cakes - and they were made with Gold Medal Flour, butter, eggs and so forth. No one I went to school with - ever - had a food allergy. I never heard anything negative about peanuts or peanut butter. And I went to big, very diverse schools. My friends all say the same thing. The only kids who had to watch what they ate were a tiny handful of diabetics.

Makes one wonder.
Mary said…
Bebe,

When a new neighbor moved from the Midwest to our southern California neighborhood in a few years ago, she quickly became the most beloved on the block because she baked cupcakes every week for the kids. She'd bring out a cookbook and the kids got to choose the next week's recipe. One day we were all sitting out front and she asked, "Now, which of the kids have to be gluten-free?" When we said none of 12 of them did, she responded, "Good God, I've been making everything gluten-free. I figured in California, you all were allergic to gluten!" :)
I've been making your date bread with blanched almond flour, delish!
Bebe said…
Mary Clark,
Your comment gave me a nice healthy giggle! We’re not all nuts out here (nor are we all allergic to gluten). One of the reasons I can’t stand Whole Foods (and there are a number of reasons) is watching the earnest, anxious-looking young mothers with wan-looking kids held captive in their baskets while Mom prowls the aisles reading package labels.

I used to tease my late Mother about always talking about “the good old days”. Now I realize where she was coming from.

XO, B
Kimt said…
I know what you are saying about GF fanatics...and I am sure there are many. 5 years ago I started breaking out in large red spots. Started on face and eventually worked its way down...mainly on joints. I was 60. Never had I had any food allergies. Took 2 years to figure out but it is definitely gluten. Never had any gut issues. Always ate the "good bread, Not celiac...but I avoid it the best I can...otherwise I itch...instantly. I love to bake and cook so this was a shock. Working my way through...just glad I do not have celiac but I can very definitely say I am gluten sensitive...and will try this cake. So you cannot say that if you don't have celiac....quit the GF crap.
Stacey Snacks said…
Kimberly,

I met a woman last night at an event that is gluten intolerant....but she says when she goes to France she can eat bread without any bloating or discomfort.
I believe it.

Their breads are not made w/ GMO flours and their cheeses are made with NATURAL milk, no hormones.
It makes a difference.
I know people develop allergies later in life to many things.....my grandfather developed asthma in his 40's, very bad....

I believe it's all environmental.....

Didn't mean to offend anyone with this post....but I know so many people that pretend they have celiac.
It gets annoying.

Stacey
Patsy said…
Couldn't agree more. I'm on Team Stacey.
JoanT said…
Am I missing it....or what is the baking temp. The cake is now in the over and I finally just stuck it in at 350 degrees