Easy Apple Snack Cake

This moist, apple-y cake is delicious as an afternoon snack or for breakfast, toasted and slathered with cream cheese. Dried cranberries can be substituted for the raisins. Posted in a newsletter from America's Test Kitchen.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Yields: 1 8

Ingredients

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon baking powder
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon allspice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon table salt
• 1  cup  packed light brown sugar
• 8  tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
• 2  large eggs, at room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup applesauce
• 1  teaspoon  grated lemon zest
• 2  granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced medium (2 cups)
• 1⁄2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch-square cake pan with vegetable oil spray.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Beat the brown sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
5. Beat in the applesauce and lemon zest.
6. Whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture until no streaks of flour remain.
7. Stir in the apples and raisins (if using).
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
9. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
10. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours, before serving.