Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake Recipe
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This Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake Recipe is super moist, made from scratch and topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting you'll go crazy for. If that frosting sounds familiar, it's the same one I use on my Sweet Potato Cake.
This is the perfect old-fashioned applesauce cake recipe for apple season, but honestly, we enjoy it all year long. It's one of my favorite cakes to take to potlucks and barbecues — everyone goes crazy for it.
Quick Look: Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 55 minutes
- 👨👩👧👦 Servings: 12
- 📊 Calories: ~404 kcal per serving
- 🥣 Ingredients: flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar, eggs, unsweetened applesauce, vegetable oil, pecans, cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy — a stir-together batter baked in one pan.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
It's genuinely moist. Two full cups of applesauce go into the batter, so this one doesn't dry out the way a lot of spice cakes do.
Warm spices all the way through. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves — it tastes like fall even if you make it in June.
It travels well. Baked right in the pan and frosted on top, so it's an easy one to carry to a potluck without worrying about it.
For even more baked options, try this Tomato Soup Cake or my Apple Fritter bread and Apple Cider Donuts.
Ingredients Needed
- Spices: Ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg are warm spices that add so much to this flavorful cake.
- Applesauce: Unsweetened store-bought applesauce, or you can make this homemade applesauce, but just leave out the sugar.
- Pecans: You can also use walnuts or leave them out altogether.
How to Make Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake
- Step 1: In a large bowl, combine flour with the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
- Step 2: In another large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- Step 3: Add in the oil and applesauce and mix.
- Step 4: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low just until combined. Do not overmix
- Step 5: Pour batter into a cake pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
- Step 6: Bake the cake until a toothpick comes out clean; let cool.
- Step 7: In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar, and using a hand mixer, beat until combined.
- Step 8: Spread the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake.
Recipe Tips
- Spoon your flour into the cup and level it off with a knife.
- Don't overmix the cake batter.
- Chill if Needed: If you find that the cream cheese frosting is too soft or runny, refrigerate it for a short time to allow it to firm up before spreading it onto the cake.
Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake Recipe FAQ's
Applesauce makes a very moist cake and adds a slight apple flavor.
Unsweetened applesauce doesn't have any white sugar in it. So yes, you can; I just recommend only using 1/2 cup sugar in the cake, as the applesauce is already sweet.
Yes, this cake freezes beautifully. Let the cake cool completely and wrap it in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil or a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then add the cream cheese frosting.
Store the frosted applesauce cake in the refrigerator, as cream cheese frosting is perishable. Cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container to maintain freshness. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving for the best taste and texture.
Two things. Use unsweetened applesauce — there's already granulated and brown sugar in the batter, and sweetened applesauce tips it too far. And measure your flour by spooning it into the cup and levelling it off. Scooping packs in far more than the recipe wants, and that's the usual reason an applesauce cake turns out dry.
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Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour spoon and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounce pkg cream cheese at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves and mix just until combined.
- In another large bowl add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs, and using an electric mixer beat just until combined.
- Add in the applesauce, vegetable oil, and vanilla and beat just until combined.
- Gently add in the flour mixture and beat on low just until mixed.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl add the softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and mix with the electric mixer until creamy.
- Spread the frosting on top of the cake and sprinkle the chopped pecans on top.
- Chill until ready to serve!
Haven't made this cake yet but I am wondering if I can substitute something else for the canola oil?I try not to use these oils.
Glad everybody loved it, it's one of my favs!
This was excellent! My whole family raved and thoroughly enjoyed this apple cake. Even the picky eaters were loving it. I especially liked the cream cheese frosting. My brother went back for seconds. Really great recipe.
Yay Julie!