Recipe by Barbara Zellmer, as reported by Helen Dollaghan in the Jan. 23, 1972, edition of The Denver Post. Makes 1 cake.
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup solid shortening
1 cup minus 3 tablespoons sugar
1 extra large egg, beaten
1 cup applesauce
1 3/4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Orange Butter Frosting (below)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan (about 9×5 inches). Cream together butter or margarine and shortening. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Add egg, beating thoroughly. Beat in applesauce (mixture will look curdled). Sift together flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove, salt and baking soda. Gradually add dry ingredients to applesauce mixture, stirring only enough to blend after each addition. Add nuts. Bake in loaf pan about one hour or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Loosen edges with spatula. Let cake cool slightly in pan, then remove to wire rack and cool completely. Ice with orange butter frosting.
Orange Butter Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 stick ( 1/4cup) butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 (about) tablespoons hot milk
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Red and yellow food coloring
Directions
Mix together butter, powdered sugar and salt with back of spoon until butter is fairly well distributed throughout mixture. Add enough hot milk to make mixture spreading consistency. Add orange extract and vanilla. Add red and yellow food coloring to tint orange shade. Spread on cooled cake. Recipe may be doubled if you like more frosting.
