Applesauce Date Cake

This is a wonderful cake for the fall and for Thanksgiving. It is heavy and rich and wonderful with a cup of coffee or hot tea on these cool autumn evenings. Whenever I make this cake I always think of my grandmother, Ellen, she loved dates. She had a wonderful date cake recipe but I didn't get the recipe. :( She also had a wonderful recipe for date muffins and I will share that sometime.

3 cups hot applesauce
1 cup butter, melted
4 t. soda
2 cups sugar
1 cup raisins
1 8 oz. pkg. dates, chopped

Sift together:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
4 cups flour

Combine hot applesauce with the melted butter in a large saucepan. Add soda, sugar, raisins, dates, salt, spices and flour. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13x2 inch cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Icing for Applesauce Date Cake
1 cup butter
1/2 cup cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 8 oz. pkg dates, chopped
1 cup pecan, chopped

Cook over low heat until dates are soft and filling is thick. Spread over cake. This cake will serve 20 people if you cut it into smaller pieces. Like I said, it is rich and I don't think you could eat a huge piece at one time. I have never put this in the freezer but the directions say that it keeps well in the freezer.