Cinnamon Applesauce Cake

Mardi Gras is a pretty big deal around here. Not quite as big as New Orleans, but Galveston does a fine job with the celebration. To celebrate Fat Tuesday yesterday we had a lunch party at work. Seafood Gumbo was served. Traditionally a King cake is served which has a baby inside and whoever gets the baby has to bring the cake next year but also gets good luck the rest of the year. King cakes are usually a sweet roll type of cake in a wreath or braid, but I decided to just do a bundt cake and use the colors (and I tucked the little baby in the bottom after it was baked). Not the best decorated cake, but my coworkers said it was a good cake. Laissez le bon temps rouler (let the good times roll!)

APPLESAUCE CAKE

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cake: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and egg; beat until well combined. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture alternately with applesauce to butter mixture. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a greased bundt or 13 x 9 inch pan, spreading evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes for 9 x 13 or 40-45 minutes for bundt, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat together the cream cheese, milk and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat until creamy. Spread on cooled cake.

White Queso Dip

I'm almost embarassed to post this picture, but I think the recipe is worth posting. I took this to a birthday party last week and the picture taking was done in a hurry as an afterthought.

Queso dip around here is usually just a block of Velveeta and a can of Rotel tomatoes. I wanted to try something new and went on a quest to find a new recipe. I never knew that white queso was such a sought after recipe to try and replicate, but I found lots of information about it. So here is my version.

WHITE QUESO DIP

1 pound Land O'Lakes white American cheese (in Wal Mart deli case)
1 to 1-1/2 cups half and half
1/4 cup finely diced white onion
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cans chopped green chiles

In a small frypan saute the onion in the butter until translucent. In the microwave or on top of a double boiler, melt the cheese with the half and half. You can judge how much to use on how thick or thin you like it. Add the onion and chiles and stir until all incorporated. Serve with tortilla chips.