Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups applesauce
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans.

2. Mix white sugar and applesauce together in a large bowl; stir pumpkin puree and eggs into sugar mixture until smooth. Mix baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cloves, and mace into pumpkin mixture; fold in walnut and chocolate chips, if using. Stir flour into pumpkin mixture until fully incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pans.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle each loaf with confectioners' sugar.