I’m a big fan of the recipe books that give you 101 ideas of things to make with a cake mix. I like to bake from scratch, but when I’m baking with my kids, or want to make something fast, there’s no beating starting with a cake mix.
Since my copy of the cake mix cookbook was getting worn out and I’d tried all the recipes that seemed appealing to my family, I was looking for new ideas. So I was thrilled to learn that the moist, delicious, cinnamon-sprinkled cake that I was served at a meeting was made from a yellow cake mix and four other ingredients. It tasted homemade, and I knew it was something my family would love.
You don’t have to tell anyone you didn’t bake this from scratch, because they’ll never guess. My friend baked this cake for a meeting, and she is a gourmet cook, so I assumed she’d made it from scratch. It was so yummy I asked her for the recipe, even though mentally I was filing it away for a time in the distant future when I’d have a free afternoon to do nothing but bake a complicated confection.
When she told me this recipe (which I wrote down on my napkin) I could hardly believe it. “Why spend all afternoon in the kitchen when everyone likes this cake the best anyway?” she said. My friend is one smart cookie.
Applesauce Cinnamon Cake
1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1 15-ounce can applesauce
2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbls. sugar
Combine the yellow cake mix, the eggs and the applesauce. Beat about one minute. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on the bottom of an 13 x 9 inch pan. Pour in the cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. When done, the cake will spring back when touched, and a toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean.
Cut into squares and flip upside down on a plate so the cinnamon and sugar is on top. Vanilla ice cream goes well with this cake.