Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake is a moist and tender classic. It’s perfectly spiced and makes for a comforting treat anytime. Try it today!
If you love old-fashioned Coffee Cake recipes, then you are going to love this classic cake. For more delicious cakes to enjoy for breakfast or dessert, try Banana Coffee Cake or Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake.
Sabrina’s Applesauce Cake Recipe
This old-fashioned coffee cake proves that you don’t need fancy ingredients or techniques to get an amazing dessert. All you need is some common baking items and a jar of applesauce to get a tender, melt-in-your-mouth warm spice cake that tastes like Apple Cider, perfect for fall days.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 cups applesauce
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup butter , softened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 baking pan with baking spray.
- In stand mixer on medium speed, beat the applesauce, sugar, butter and eggs.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice into a medium bowl.
- Gradually add flour mixture into applesauce mixture on low speed until just combined.
- Pour batter into baking pan.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Nutrition
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Note from Sabrina
To make this Applesauce Cake recipe extra light and fluffy, be sure to cream the wet ingredients before gently folding in the flour until just combined. You can make this cake in one large bowl with a spatula, just sift the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients, but it will be slightly denser than if you start with two separate bowls.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
For the perfect Applesauce Cake that is just the right amount of sweetness and moistness, you want to use chunky unsweetened applesauce. And you can’t beat a homemade applesauce if you have the extra time. I’ve included a quick recipe for easy homemade unsweetened applesauce that is ready to use in about 30 minutes.
Can this be made a head of time?
This simple cake is a great make-ahead potluck or summer barbecue dessert because it stays moist for days thanks to the applesauce and extra egg yolk. Make sure to keep your cake covered and stored in the fridge. Before serving, bring the cake to room temperature. This cake is delicious any time of day for any occasion. It is a go-to fall dessert, but since you are using jarred applesauce and pantry ingredients, you can make it all year long.
Pairing Suggestions
This cake is perfect for breakfast with Greek yogurt or apple butter spread on top. For a decadent dessert, make a Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (just add 1 teaspoon cinnamon) or Buttercream Frosting. Top a warm slice of Applesauce Cake with a dusting of powdered sugar and vanilla ice cream or apple pie filling.
How to Store
- Serve: Cover Applesauce Cake with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. If frosting with Cream Cheese Frosting, you need to refrigerate it after 2 hours.
- Store: Wrap the cake pan with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 week. Bring the cake to room temperature to serve.
- Freeze: Once cake has cooled, cover cake pan with plastic wrap and foil or transfer to an airtight container. Freeze cake for up to 3 months and thaw overnight before serving at room temperature.
Ideas to Serve
While this cake is amazing to serve cut into pieces out of your baking pan, you can also make your cake into muffins or a loaf. For cake on the go, bake in a muffin tin lined with paper liners for 18-22 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. This batter should make about 24 muffins. Or, you can bake Applesauce Cake like a quick bread in a loaf pan for 50-60 minutes. For a fancier brunch cake, bake in a Bundt pan for 50-60 minutes.
Frequent Questions
I recommend using unsweetened applesauce for this recipe. Since you are adding additional sugar to this cake, the sweetened applesauce may make the cake overly sweet. If you are using sweetened, you may want to adjust the amount of added sugar.
For even more apple flavor, you can bake sliced apples tossed in cinnamon sugar on top of your cake. You could also dice 1-2 apples into bite-sized chunks and fold them into the batter.
Variations
- Spices: Substitute 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. You can also add spices like ground ginger, clove, or cardamom.
- Raisins: Mix in a ½ cup of raisins, or other dried fruit like cranberries or apricots, for a classic Applesauce Cake pairing. You can also add shredded carrots, coconut, or even chocolate chips!
- Nuts: Chopped nuts go great in this cake recipe and add a bit of crunch. Use ½ cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts.
- Brown Sugar: Instead of granulated sugar, use brown sugar for a richer, caramel flavor. Adding a tablespoon of molasses will also bring a brown sugar flavor.
Homemade Sugar-Free Applesauce
- Ingredients: 4 sweet apples (like Honeycrisp or McIntosh), ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Peel, core, and chop apples into bite-sized pieces, about 1-inch chunks.
- Cook apples and cinnamon, covered, in a medium saucepan over medium heat until they start simmering.
- Once simmering, reduce to medium-low heat and cook 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender and slightly caramelized.
- Remove from heat and stir lemon juice into the apple mixture.
- Using a potato masher or a spoon, mash into a sauce. For a smooth applesauce, use a food processor.
- Keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in an airtight container.
Related Recipes
More Amazing Apple Cakes
Photos were used in a previous version of this post:
Can this be made gluten free and vegan with no nut or soy products
I substituted pears for the applesauce recipe since I had some that needed to be used up before they got too ripe. The cake was super moist and delicious. I will definitely make it again with the applesauce.
What a fun substitution! How creative! Thanks!
I love this cake. Never would have thought of cocoa powder. I used brown sugar and reduced the qty to one cup. Added golden raisins…and used 2 and 1/2 cups of gluten free white cake mix. Omitting salt and baking soda since it was already in the cake mix, and used the spices suggested. Used 1 tsp of Clove, nutmeg and 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon..since I did not have allspice
Baked 350 for 45 to 50 minutes since I have an electric oven.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Alice.
This cake is amazing and it made my apartment smell incredible. I lowered the sugar to 200g but kept everything the same otherwise. Could not stop eating this!!
Fantastic! Thanks for the 5 stars, Nancy.
This cake was perfectly moist. I love the flavors together.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Laura.
So delicious! My mom used to make a cake like this. We would put it warm in a bowl and pour cream over the top. Or sometimes serve it with ice cream. Love how moist this is!
That sounds amazing!
So yummy!! I love using applesauce in baking. This cake is so awesome!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Matt.