As so many of you know, it is breast cancer awareness month.
My best friend since 7th grade died of breast cancer on Christmas morning 2005. I remember when she was first diagnosed we talked and talked and decided that it would be okay because lots of people survive breast cancer these days. She would have surgery and do chemo and radiation and everything would be fine.
How little we knew. I will be posting about this very special friend next Saturday. I’ve wanted to post about her for a long time but the time was just not right. I’m still working up to it. She was such a very special person, and we were best friends for so many years (she was 43 when she died) that is really hard to know where to start!
Whenever things were stressful or I was working too hard, she would always say, “Christi, you’re just not having enough fun!”
So, for today, I’m going to take her favorite piece of advice and go have fun. I hope you do too and I hope you think of her just for a moment when you do!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Today’s Lagniappe: Applesauce Pecan Cake
Something yummy from Gourmet
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, left at room temperature for 30 minutes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
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Garnish:
confectioners’ sugar -
Special Equipment:
a 9-inch square baking pan
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Put a rack in the middle of oven and preheat over to 350°F. Butter baking pan.
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Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
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Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer (fitted with paddle attachment if using a stand mixer) at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and applesauce, then scrape down sides of bowl (mixture will look curdled). At low speed, add flour mixture and mix, scraping down sides of bowl, just until flour is incorporated. Stir in pecans.
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Spread batter evenly in baking pan. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 30 minutes.
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Run a thin knife around sides of pan. Turn cake out of pan, if desired, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
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