The Fluffy No-Bake Cake That Turns Applesauce Into A Light Dessert

Applesauce can be a delicious side dish, and it adds a sweet touch of nostalgia to savory meals too, but did you know that it can also be made into a light, sweet dessert, without requiring an oven? It's true! No-bake strawberry cloud cake is made with just three ingredients: Applesauce, strawberries, and a packet of unflavored instant gelatin. The result is not only a dessert that's pretty as a picture and a shade of pink that would make your inner Barbie proud, but one that's light, sweet, and refreshing, with no added sugar, butter, or eggs. Best of all, it's a classic no-bake dessert. To make it, you need to boil some water, combine your ingredients over the stove to dissolve the gelatin and stir in the applesauce, pour into a dish, and then place in the fridge to set for at least two hours. 

Happily, this means that, if you're making it for a party or other occasion, you'll be leaving your oven free to cook the main course. Not a fan of strawberries, but still like the sound of no-bake cloud cake? There are plenty of other flavor profiles for this quick, easy, and refreshing dessert. For a more autumnal spin, pumpkin cloud cake can be made using canned pumpkin pie filling. This dessert will be richly spiced and comforting, but still with a light finish, perfect for topping off a heavy meal. Meanwhile, blueberry cloud cake is another no-bake gelatin-and-applesauce cloud cake, made with blueberry applesauce for a sweet, tangy flavor and a vivid blue-purple color finish. 

As an ingredient, applesauce can be the unsung hero of multiple desserts. Because of its texture and sweetness, applesauce can bring additional flavor to cakes and muffins, while also helping to give them a lighter, more moist consistency. It can be an especially useful ingredient in vegan desserts, as it helps keep them moist without the need for eggs, milk, or other animal products. Applesauce is also the key ingredient in Veiled Maiden, a traditional Norwegian apple-and-cream parfait that's light, creamy, and typically presented in tall glasses. 

In fact, applesauce can even add more flavor and balance to savory dishes too. For example, it helps form a gravy for rich, hearty, German-style meat dishes, adding sweetness as well as texture to the sauce, while it can also play a part in a barbecue-style sauce that goes great with chicken. Noodle kugel, the classic Jewish side dish, can also benefit from applesauce, either as an alternative to the traditional recipe's sliced apples or as an extra boost of apple goodness.