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Perfectly moist, this spiced applesauce cake is one delicious sweet treat. Topped with a cream cheese frosting, this simple cake is spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, making it the perfect treat for fall.
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There really is nothing quite like a homemade cake, and this old fashioned applesauce cake ticks all of the right boxes.
Perfectly moist and sweet, and smothered in a cinnamon cream cheese frosting, this easy-to-make cake is wonderfully warming.
Serve as a dessert to a crowd, or enjoy with a mid-afternoon cup of coffee.
Be sure to try my Apple Almond Cake and Flourless Chocolate Cake too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Easy to make: There’s no complicated baking techniques needed to make this easy applesauce cake. Just mix the ingredients together and bake.
- Moist: The applesauce not only adds flavor and sweetness, but it also helps to keep the cake wonderfully moist, just the way cake should be!
- Make ahead: Because of the applesauce, this cake has a great shelf life, and can be made several days ahead of time.
Ingredients
- Flour: You can use either all-purpose flour or a 1:1 GF flour to make this cake.
- Baking soda and baking powder: So that your cake rises when it bakes.
- Seasonings: Salt, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla extract.
- Eggs: To bind the ingredients together.
- Coconut oil and applesauce: This eliminates the need to add butter and helps to keep the cake nice and moist.
- Sugar: Coconut or brown sugar adds more of a depth of flavor compared to white sugar.
- Nuts: Chopped walnuts or pecans add a great texture to the cake.
- Raisins: Raisins add a nice burst of fruity sweetness and they work so well with the spices.
- Frosting: Cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar and cinnamon.
How to make an applesauce cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and place parchment paper in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until well incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add applesauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts and raisins.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely.
- Combine all frosting ingredients (cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract) in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Spread frosting evenly on top of cooled cake. Cut the cake into small squares and decorate with chopped walnuts.
How long does it keep?
The moisture in this healthy applesauce cake recipe means that it has a pretty good shelf life. Unfrosted, it will keep well for 5 days at room temperature and up to a week in the fridge. If frosted, keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. Make sure that the cake is fully cooled before storing it in an airtight container.
Can you freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze this healthy applesauce cake if it isn’t frosted. Wrap it securely in plastic wrap and foil, before placing in a container or bag to keep it fresh. It will keep well for 3 months and can be defrosted at room temperature before frosting.
Why use applesauce in a cake?
Using applesauce eliminates the need to use butter to make the cake, and it also makes it super moist with the most perfect crumb. It adds a great fall flavor, especially when combined with the spices. Use unsweetened applesauce, as there is already a sweetener used in the cake and the frosting.
TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN
Recipe Notes and Tips for the best applesauce cake recipe
- Line your baking dish with parchment so that it’s easy to remove once it is baked.
- Preheat your oven while you are mixing the batter. If the cake is put in a cold oven, it won’t cook through.
- If the cake is browning too much on top, you can cover it loosely with foil.
- Let the cake cool fully before frosting it. If it’s still warm, it will slide right off.
- To make this cake gluten-free, use gluten-free flour.
- To make it Paleo & Whole30, use a Paleo frosting.
More Sweet Treats
Applesauce Cake
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Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups flour, all purpose or gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups applesauce
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, plus extra for decorating frosting
- ½ cup raisins
Frosting
- 5 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and place parchment paper in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until well incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add applesauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts and raisins.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely.
- Combine all frosting ingredients (cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract) in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Spread frosting evenly on top of cooled cake. Cut the cake into small squares and decorate with chopped walnuts.
Video
Notes
- Line your baking dish with parchment so that it’s easy to remove once it is baked.
- Preheat your oven while you are mixing the batter. If the cake is put in a cold oven, it won’t cook through.
- If the cake is browning too much on top, you can cover it loosely with foil.
- Let the cake cool fully before frosting it. If it’s still warm, it will slide right off.
- To make this cake gluten-free, use gluten-free flour.
- To make it Paleo & Whole30, use a Paleo frosting.
I made this cake for the monthly challenge and loved it! It has great flavor and a moist, tender crumb. I used homemade applesauce and it was just delicious!
I baked this cake for the Monthly Cooking Challenge. It was a hit! Moist and full of fall flavor. Easy to make.
My family loved this!
Don’t have coconut oil. Can I use butter instead?
This turned out really good! I used a Einkorn flour and didn’t add any icing. Perfectly sweet and moist! Great recipe to use up tons of applesauce that I made in the summer!