Applesauce Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (WW)

[erin elizabeth]

I baked for choir last night and made the Applesauce Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting from WW Annual Recipes for Success 2003. It was pretty yummy and came together very quickly! Everyone at choir really enjoyed it. When I first took it out of the oven, I was disappointed because I thought the cake was so thin, but with the frosting and only cutting the 8x8 into 9 pieces, it really was a generous piece.

Applesauce Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

3 tbsp oil
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chunky applesauce (I think it would be fine with normal, too)
1 c flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
dash of cloves
1/4 tsp salt
cooking spray
Cream cheese frosting
1 tbsp finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Combine oil and sugars in a large bowl; beat at medium speed with a mixer until well blended. Add egg and egg white; beat well. Beat in vanilla and applesauce. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients and stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to applesauce mixture. Pour batter into an 8-inch square pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inerted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Spread with frosting and sprinkle with walnuts. Cut into 9 pieces.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/3 c (3oz) light cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c sifted powdered sugar

Combine cc and vanilla in mixing bowl; beat with a mixer at low until blended. Gradually add sugar; beat at medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.

5 points per serving

249 cal, 3.6g protein, 7.3g fat, 42.4g carb, .8g fiber, 28mg chol, 1.2mg iron, 184mg sodium, 50mg calcium

[ReneeV]

I have a question? Why does my light cream cheese frostings always come out soupy? It seems that it doesn't matter how much cream cheese or sugar I use, this happens. I normally use the neufchatel cheese in the block. Should I be using the spreadable light cheese instead? Maybe it has additional binders or something that would keep it from getting soupy? Anyone else have this problem?

Thanks,

Renée

P.S.
The recipe sounds delicious.

[erin elizabeth]

I can just refer to my experience with this recipe. I used Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese (I had it leftover from another recipe) and it really was easy to put together. I didn't even use a mixer, just a rubber scraper to mush it all together. I also did not nuke it--I know that sometimes when I try to speed cc softening up this way, it becomes soupy. Sorry I cannot be of more help!

[LonghornGal]

This looks delicious! I am going to have to try this cake and the Mocha snack cake posted as well!

--Kristin

[ElinorC]

ReneeV,
I have the same problem with frosting made from light cream cheese. You have to be very careful when adding any other liquid (such as vanilla, milk, etc.) to the frosting. Anything but sugar seems to make it soupy. I think the light cheese has more liquid in it than the regular cheese.
Elinor

[Linda in MO]

I needed to throw together a quick dessert the other night for company, so I made this cake. It was good, but I use Mott's Natural Strawberry applesauce and I'm not sure I liked the flavor that it gave the cake. My dad had 2 pieces though and thought it was wonderful. And it was gone in 24 hours so that tells you it was still good. Just next time I will definitely use plain applesauce, preferably the chunky kind like the recipe calls for. I was going to add some diced apple, but the batter seemed a little thin so I didn't. I thought the cake was going to be very short because there didn't seem to be a lot of batter, but after it was baked and iced it turns into a nice sized cake. Just like erin said. Oh, and I used 1 t. cinnamon, about 1/2 t. fresh nutmeg, and only 1/8 t. ginger. Thanks for sharing erin!

[Linda in MO]

Forgot to mention that I bet apple butter would work in place of the applesauce. It would probably make the cake a bit sweeter though.

[cher48603]

Low fat and ff cream cheese break down much faster than the full fat cc does. The less you mix it the better it holds up.

Cheryl