Gluten-free apple spice cake for six months

Lucie turned six months old the other day. And we held a little party.

Why not celebrate six months? It seems like a pretty big accomplishment to us. Recently, I was talking to my sister, whose baby boy is 4 and a half months, and we both said we used to wonder why parents held parties for little kids. What’s the point? we thought. Like the kid cares. It’s all for the parents.

Now we get it. Exactly! It is all for the parents. And the parents need those parties. It’s a way to say, “Look! We made it! You are six months old and you are still alive and healthy and happy!”

This party was a pretty low-key affair. The invitations were a bit last-minute so only two friends were able to make it. But we ate snacks and cake and drank tea and wine and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as Lucie was her incredibly cute self.

I made this roasted apple spice cake from smitten kitchen and it was scrumptious. My only complaint was the cream cheese frosting was too sweet for me, so next time I will definitely dial back the sugar. The cake itself is super moist, not too sweet, with beautiful chunks of apple throughout, plus more applesauce in the batter. Definitely a keeper. There are a few more steps and a little more time involved than the average cake I make, so it’s perfect for a celebration.

Happy half-year to our beautiful Lucie!

Gluten-free apple spice cake
adapted from this recipe

Once again you will need a scale for this recipe. I’m sorry, I’m just too lazy to figure out the cup measurements since I never use them. If you find this incredibly annoying, please let me know and I can make more of an effort. Or just go buy a scale.

2 medium apples, peeled, cored and halved

50 g sweet rice flour
50 g tapioca starch
50 g buckwheat flour
80 g millet flour
80 g sorghum flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
pinch cloves
pinch nutmeg

168 g (1/2 cup) honey
1.5 cups applesauce
113 g (one stick or 1/2 cup) butter at room temperature
95 g brown sugar
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roast the apple halves face-down on parchment-lined baking sheets for about 20 minutes, until dry to the touch and lightly browned on the bottoms. Let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

While the apples are baking, butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the paper as well.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. In another small bowl, stir applesauce and honey together. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until very fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add one-third of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add half the applesauce mixture and beat again. Continue adding in this way until everything is incorporated.
Chop the apples into small chunks and fold into the batter.

Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The cake is done when lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cake cool in pans for ten minutes, then invert onto racks to let cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting if desired. I’m sure it would be delicious without it too, maybe lightly dusted with icing sugar. But you can’t have a (half) birthday cake without frosting! You can find the frosting recipe here.