Applesauce Cake or Muffins

I look back over the past three and a half decades, most of which I spent working as a police officer, and realize some of the odd-ball things I’ve learned along the way. Now I’m not talking about things like, little kids will put things in their mouths, or dogs and cats will eat the left-overs off the plate your child left in front of the television. One of these tidbits is the amount of things around the house that are poisonous or dangerous to children and pets. We won’t mention the wife and her exploding root beer that she left in the freezer for two days and decided to open while at her desk. Sigh!

A guy named Paracelsus (1493-1541) wrote; “All things are poisonous, for there is nothing without poisonous qualities. It is only the dose which makes a things poison.” The history of poison stretches from before 4500 BC to the present day. Intentionally and by accident, humans have been poisoning each other, their children and pets with all manner of things. There’s a lot to be said about going green.

Of late, working from home in Oklahoma with the wife, I have been able to spend more time in the kitchen, cooking and baking, and no snide remarks, I like my cooking. So do the wife and kids. One of the things often found in the kitchen is nutmeg. A sprinkle of nutmeg in eggnog or a pinch in apple pie can add the perfect punch to a holiday dessert. But winter's favorite spice can also be dangerous. Nutmeg contains myristicin, a natural compound that has mind-altering effects if ingested in large doses. The buzz can last one to two days and can be hallucinogenic, much like LSD. Myristicin poisoning can induce convulsions, palpitations, nausea, eventual dehydration, and generalized body pain. Fatal myristicin poisonings in humans are very rare, but have occurred in both children and adults. Small amounts used in cooking are usually not harmful.

Journalist Jack Shafer wrote, "Can you reach an altered state of consciousness by eating, snorting, or smoking from a tin of nutmeg? You betcha.” Then in 1829, a Czech physiologist named Jan Purkinje washed down three ground nutmegs with a glass of wine and experienced headaches, nausea, euphoria, and hallucinations that lasted several days, which remain a good description of today's average nutmeg binge.

Now if you are reading this information because you plan to use it on your spouse or in-laws, forget it! You’ll get caught, and go to jail. Which leaves more cake and muffins for me.

Applesauce Cake or Muffins

Makes 12 muffins or 1 9-inch x 13-inch cake

• 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (large chunks)
• 1 stick salted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside. Dump the walnuts onto a cutting board and mince into very tiny pieces; you can also use a food processor or chopper. Set aside.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix on medium speed until fluffy. On low speed, mix in the egg and vanilla, until just combined. Add in the walnuts and mix at low speed until combined. Next, add the applesauce and the flour mixture a third of each at a time, beginning with the applesauce and alternating to end with the dry ingredients. Mix each addition at low speed until just combined. Do not over mix, or the batter will become tough.

If you are not using nonstick bake ware, grease your bake ware with butter and flour it. For cake, pour the batter into a 9-inch x 13-inch baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top springs when lightly touched and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. For muffins, pour the batter into a 12-cup muffin pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

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