Bready or Not: Maple Sugar Cake: A Clockwork Dagger recipe
This maple sugar loaf cake is featured in my Clockwork Dagger novella "Wings of Sorrow and Bone." It's great for breakfast or snack. Freeze the unglazed mini loaves and they keep for months. Recipe makes FOUR small loaves.
1 1/2Tablespoonsmilkor almond milk or other substitute, more as needed
1/2teaspoonmaple flavor or vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Prepare mini loaf pans (tin, stoneware, paper) by applying nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and gradually add the maple sugar. Beat until creamy; with a mixer, this takes about a minute. Add the beaten eggs and combine.
In a separate bowl, sift together the salt, baking soda, spices, and flour. Alternately add applesauce and dry ingredients to butter mixture. Once they are blended, fold the nuts into the batter. Distribute the batter among the pans; they should be about half full.
Bake for 25 to 30 minute, until a tester comes out clean. Let cakes cool completely. If they are in a tin or stoneware pan, remove them from the dish.
At this point, you can freeze the loaves wrapped in wax paper and plastic wrap or in a gallon bag.
If you want to eat them now, store at room temperature or in fridge. Serve with glaze (see recipe above) or topped with powdered sugar or even a small amount of maple syrup... or plain! Eat cold or warmed in microwave.
A loaf keeps for days if wrapped in the fridge. In the freezer, keeps for upward of six months.