In bowl cream butter; gradually add sugar to the creamed butter. Thoroughly mix until fluffy. Add applesauce. Sift together all dry ingredients, then add those to the mixture. Add the nuts, and stir well. Pour cake mixture into wide-mouth canning jars. WARNING: Please use only canning jars that are specially tempered. Do not use cans or other jars that may not be appropriate for this method due to lead content. Or, use a special crockpot baking pan available thruough Rival Co. To assure that baked cakes will slip out easily, grease inside of jars well. (Lining bottom of jars with waxed paper also will help.) Cover each jar with a piece of foil greased on one side. Place greased side down and press foil around edges to seal tightly. Place jars in crockpot with crockery liner in place. Cover; cook on high-heat setting for 2.75 to 3 hours or till cakes spring back when touched and a wooden tothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean. Remove jars from cooker; cool 10 minutes. Unmold cakes; remove waxed paper. Serve warm or cool with whipped topping, if desired. Judy Garnett/Raleigh, NC ----