Praline Applesauce Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour, or all purpose
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 lb applesauce, or 1 3/4 cups
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups seedless raisins
Praline Topping
1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
2/3 cup flaked coconut
powdered sugar, for decoration optional

Preparation

Grease a baking pan, 13x9x2; dust lightly with flour, tapping out any excess.
Sift cake flour, sugar, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt into a large bowl.
Add shortening and applesauce; beat, scrapping down side of bowl often, 2 minutes at medium speed with an electric beater.
Add eggs; beat 2 minutes longer, or until blended; fold in raisins. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in moderate oven 350* for 35 minutes, or until center springs back when lightly pressed with fingertip. Remove from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Raise oven temperature to BROIL.
Make Prailine Topping; spread enenly over warm cake.
Broil, 6 inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, or until topping bubbles up and turns golden. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares.
Praline Topping:.
Cream butter with brown sugar until fluffy-light in a medium-size bowl; beat in cream until smooth, then stir in chopped pecans and coconut.
Note:.
To decorate cake, lay several inch-wider strips of wax paper diagonally across top of cooled cake; hold in place with wooden picks. Sieve powdered sugar generously over cake, then carefully lift off paper strips.