Gingerbread, in its simplest terms, is a cake flavored with ginger and often molasses. In the Middle Ages the cake was ornately decorated and even designed with gold leaf. That helps to explain why gingerbread also means elaborate and gaudy decoration. Today we think of gingerbread as either a thick dense cake flavored with ground ginger and molasses or a cookie shaped like a gingerbread man with royal icing.

It’s always a challenge to try and find a modern version of wonderful classic recipes like gingerbread cake. I have made many gingerbread recipes and always felt they were just too heavy. I came up with this simple home-style ginger cake that includes applesauce that lightens the cake as well as give it a deliciously moist texture. Brown sugar takes the place of the dark, distinctive molasses allowing the peppery-sweet crystallized and ground ginger flavor to come through.

You’ll find this cake doubles as a treat for your kid’s afternoon snack as well as a satisfying adult dessert. You can omit the walnuts, if you prefer. If you want to gild the lily, serve it with some sweetened whipped cream flavored with a touch of cinnamon. Otherwise, a big dollop of applesauce served alongside is the next best thing.

Ginger Applesauce Cake

Serves 8

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Powdered sugar, for garnishing

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Oil a 8 1/2- inch spring form.
3. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and blend well. In a medium bowl the dry ingredients together and add to the butter mixture, alternating with the applesauce to create a thick batter. Add the raisins and walnuts and mix just to combine.
4. Transfer into the spring form and bake about 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool. Unmold onto a round platter and dust with powdered sugar. Serve in wedges with a dollop of applesauce on the side or cinnamon-sweetened whipped cream.