Apples for Tasha's cake..

Just before Tasha Tudor's birthday in August, Miss Polly took the girls apple-picking in anticipation of the big day. She told them about the delicious receipt from Tasha's family cookbook which she planned to use for the special day:

"Tasha collected apples in a green-ash-splint basket before they fell and stored them on the counter beside the bread box, where over the next few days she made them into applesauce or pies. She baked cookies or a cake each day to have ready for afternoon tea and visitors. If guests arrived early they helped prepare tea, carried in an armload of firewood, put new candles in the candleholders, or moved weed piles to the compost, depending on the season. Sometimes Tasha frosted the applesauce cake, other times she didn’t....

Applesauce Cake:

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

8 tablespoons butter, soft

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup applesauce, unsweetened

Frosting:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup cream

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. First make the cake. In large mixing bowl, beat together sugar, egg, and butter. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and applesauce. Mix until just combined.

Bake in greased 8×8-inch pan 25-30 minutes or until a fork or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the frosting. Bring brown sugar and cream to a simmer and cook to 235° F. Turn burner off and cool until about 100° F. Add butter and vanilla. Beat until frosting thickens and frost cake right away."

~ from The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook by Winslow Tudor