christmas spice cake

* based on a gourmet 2004 recipe

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup unfiltered apple cider
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon coffee liqueur
1 cup packed light brown sugar
5 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup frozen cranberries
icing sugar for dusting

directions:
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a regular-sized loaf pan, tube pan or bundt pan.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves and allspice in a medium bowl.

3. Combine cider, lemon juice and coffee liqueur in a different bowl.

4. Beat apple sauce and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until well combined. Add egg whites 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition (mixture may look curdled).

5. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and cider mixture alternately in 3 batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined. Stir in cranberries.

6. Pour batter into pan and bang pan on counter once to release any large air bubbles.

7. Bake cake until it begins to pull away from sides and a skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

8. Cool cake in pan on rack 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge and invert onto rack and cool completely, at least 1 hour.

9. Dust top with icing sugar and serve with warm apple cider, cinnamon coffee or spiced hot chocolate.

notes: