1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, mix applesauce, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Batter will be thin.
5. Coat a 9-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into greased pan.
6. Bake on middle rack of oven until center is firm and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. This will be about 30–40 minutes.

Chef’s Notes

If doubling the recipe, use 2 (9-inch) pans. This cake does not work well in a 9-by-13-inch pan.

Make chocolate muffins instead of cake. Pour batter into a 12-cup muffin pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake as in step 6, about 25 minutes.

Dress up the cake by dusting with powdered sugar. Serve with 1 Tablespoon low-fat vanilla yogurt and fresh or thawed frozen berries.

Use whole wheat flour in place of half of the all-purpose flour, if you can.

White or cider vinegar will work in this recipe.

Use leftover applesauce for a healthy snack for adults or kids.