This delicious and easy to prepare lunchbox cake hails from Dr. Neal Barnard's classic work, "Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes". A favorite plant based cookbook author and chef, Bryanna Clark Grogan, has created the recipes for this program. Check out her website: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/.

• 1 cup unsweetened smooth applesauce
• 1 T lemon juice
• 2 T water
• 1 T grated orange peel
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (not regular whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup chopped pitted dates

Preheat oven to 350.

Place the applesauce, lemon juice, and 2 T water in a small saucepan over medium heat, and warm slowly. Add the orange peel.

Mix the pastry flour, brown sugar, oat flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium bowl.

Stir the baking soda into the applesauce mixture (it will foam up). Pour immediately into the flour mixture and stir briefly but thoroughly.

Add the dates and mix briefly. Scoop the batter into a nonstick 9 x 9 cake pan, smooth the top, and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until it tests done with a cake tester. Cool completely on a rack.