Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the chopped crystallized ginger with 2 tablespoons of the all-purpose flour. This will prevent the ginger pieces from sticking together and help keep them from all sinking to the bottom of the cake.

In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter, applesauce, sugar, and eggs until light and creamy. Add the molasses and buttermilk.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir until just combined. Fold in the ginger pieces.

Pour batter into the prepared pans. Baked for 25-35 minutes, until the centers are set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with only a few crumbs clinging to it.

Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 10 minutes in the pans. Invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting with Whipped Cream Frosting and garnishing with Sugared Cranberries.