This lightly spiced, tender gluten free apple gingerbread snack cake is perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea after a good meal, or with your morning coffee (preferably after the children have already left for school, if you're me).
It's even moist enough that you can seal it up and store it in the refrigerator, something I don't normally recommend for cakes (my freezer is full of baked goods, but my refrigerator is mostly for fruits, vegetables and meats).
The cake calls for two types of applesauce, one smooth and one as chunky as you can manage. For the smooth applesauce, I used jarred applesauce. Yeah, that's right. From a jar! I actually really like smooth applesauce from a jar, both for baking in cakes like this and by the spoonful (although my incredibly food-spoiled children tend to turn up their noses at it). I'm not even too picky about it, so nearly any brand of no-sugar-added jarred applesauce will do. For the super chunky stuff, I make my own. All I do is peel, core and slice thinly whatever apples I have on hand (any kind works, but of course the firmer ones will make the chunkiest sauce), add cinnamon to taste (usually 1/4 teaspoon per apple) and about 1 tablespoon water per apple, then cook in a covered, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-high heat until the apples are fork tender.
A light dusting of confectioners' sugar might seem like gilding the lily, but even a heaping tablespoon should be enough to cover the whole cake—and it helps let everyone know that this quiet cake might not make a dramatic presentation, but it's got it goin' on all the same.