This recipe, much simplified and modified by my Mum, is for a type of cake known (in Britain, at least) as a bread. It also belongs to a family of brown breads, the most famous of which (in Israel) is the honey cake. Finally, and perhaps uniquely for this type of cake, it can be made entirely without sugar (see notes).

If you go the sugarless route, be advised that it spoils very rapidly! Cut into several pieces and freeze, then keep the "current" piece refrigerated!! I reckon it at ~370 grammes of carbohydrates for the whole lot. A sugarless cake shouldn't be sweet! Instead, I add lots of spices...

The sugared version keeps for a very long time, and the taste actually improves after a few days.

Like any bread, you probably want to pour it out into a long tin.

Applesauce Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups self-raising flour (or use 2 cups ordinary flour and add 1/4tsp baking powder and an extra 3/4tsp baking soda).
• 2 cups sugar (or 3tsp saccharine; I use much less, about 4-5 tablets)
• 3/4tsp baking soda
• 3/4tsp cinnamon
• 1/2tsp allspice
• + any other similar spices you can find (nutmeg, cloves, even powdered ginger)
• 1 pack softened margarine
• 1/2cup water
• 1 tin sugarless applesauce (if you can only get applesauce with sugar, add very little extra sugar).
• 2 eggs
• 1/2cup walnut fragments
• raisins (if making with sugar)

PREPARATION

Mix (in a food processor) all the dry ingredients except the walnuts (and raisins, if using). Add while mixing: margarine, apple sauce, water; then add eggs. Add while *slowly* mixing (so as not to grind them!) nuts (and raisins, if using).

Bake at medium heat for about 40 minutes. As usual, it's ready when a toothpick comes out dry.