Texas Sheet Cake with Applesauce and Chai

I love Texas sheet cake! Chocolate, white...it doesn't matter. But they all have so much butter. I tried to lighten up an excellent white Texas sheet cake recipe I found on this site by using applesauce in place of some (but not all!) of the butter. To complement the flavor of apples, I also used chai spices for a little added flavor.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 271 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cups white sugar
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 cup water
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
• nonstick cooking spray
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 chai tea bag
• ½ cup light sour cream

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a 10x15-inch cake pan thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 2

Bring water to a boil in a microwave-safe bowl in a microwave oven or in a pot on the stovetop. Remove from heat and add chai tea bag. Let steep for 10 minutes; remove bag.

Step 3

Combine chai tea, applesauce, and butter in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add flour, sugar, sour cream, eggs, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt and whisk until smooth. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Step 4

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes.

Step 5

Remove cake from the oven.

Step 6

Combine butter and milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a light boil and remove from heat. Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon; whisk icing until smooth.

Step 7

Pour icing over warm cake and smooth across the surface. Let cool thoroughly before cutting into 24 pieces.