DF Apple Spiced Muffins

Dairy-free, Egg-free} Spiced Applesauce Muffins {OR} First Birthday Applesauce Cake

Yield: 12 muffins OR two 6-inch round cake layers

Dairy-free, egg-free applesauce muffins, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, make a great snack or breakfast on-the-go. The same batter can also be made into an allergen-free first birthday cake!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (such as safflower or canola)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, heated until warm
• Small chopped apples

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners (or generously grease two 6-inch round pans with nonstick cooking spray).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, apples, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Alternately add flour mixture and applesauce and blend in, starting and ending with flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
3. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan and bake for 14 to 16 minutes (or divide batter between 6-inch cake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes), or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Whole wheat pastry flour may be substituted for some or all of the all-purpose flour.

Melted coconut oil may be substituted for the vegetable oil.

Unrefined cane sugar (Sucanat or Rapadura) may be substituted for the granulated sugar.

DAIRY-FREE FIRST BIRTHDAY CAKE FROSTING: If you bake a first birthday cake and would like to frost it with dairy-free frosting, whip 1/2 cup softened soy-free natural buttery spread (such as Earth Balance) until smooth. Mix in 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time until desired sweetness and consistency is reached (around 3 cups total). Add 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Beat at high speed until frosting is light and fluffy. If frosting is too thick, you may add a tablespoon or two of rice milk or coconut milk to reach desired consistency, but the additional liquid probably will not be necessary.

NOTE: After going to the trouble of making an allergen-free birthday cake, I would have felt guilty about tinting my daughter's birthday cake frosting pink with regular food coloring. So this was my first time using an all natural, dye-free, vegetable-based food coloring. I tried India Tree and was happy with the results for attaining shades of pink, but I haven't experimented with achieving different colors with natural food coloring.