Anne Byrn's 1917 Applesauce Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2/3 cup raisins

Directions

1. Set the butter out until it softens to room temperature. Heat the oven to 350ºF, then butter the inside of an 8x8-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, beat 2 Tbsp of butter with the sugar, using either a hand mixer or a wooden spoon and a little elbow grease. Stir in the applesauce until the mixture comes together.
2. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and nutmeg, stirring until the dry ingredients are evenly mixed.
3. Add the dry mixture to the applesauce mixture, and stir only until you no longer see streaks of flour.
4. In a small separate bowl, toss the raisins with about 1 Tbsp flour so they get a light coating. Fold those floured raisins into the batter, then spread the batter evenly in the buttered baking dish.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the middle of the cake bounces back when gently pressed. Cool the cake for 15 minutes, then cut it into 9 pieces.