I love how the cake is light and fluffy but still moist and rich. It’s so effortless to make. The batter comes together without a stand mixer; once stirred together, simply pour it into a pan and bake! No layering, leveling, or any fuss. Want another easy cake recipe? Try my pumpkin cake recipe, banana cake recipe, or peanut butter cake.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Sugar — for the best flavor, texture, and crumb structure, use both white and brown sugar for the cake batter. If you do not have brown sugar on hand, you can make some by following my guide on how to make brown sugar. The molasses in the brown sugar keeps the cake moist, so I don’t suggest skipping it. Leavening agents — to keep the crumb light and fluffy, I use both baking soda and baking powder to help lift the cake. Warm spices — the ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger pair wonderfully with the apple flavor and makes the cake taste so cozy. Walnuts — chopped walnuts add a crunchy contrasting texture to the cake. Pecans are a great alternative. Applesauce — you can use store-bought or my homemade applesauce recipe. Both work great in this cake recipe. Not only will the applesauce add apple flavor to the cake, but it also gives the cake a rich and moist crumb. Avoid using sweetened applesauce as there is already sugar added to the cake batter. Oil — use a flavorless oil such as vegetable oil. The oil helps keep the applesauce cake soft and moist. Vanilla extract — for the best flavor, I suggest using real vanilla extract instead of artificial extract. Butter — make sure you use unsalted butter to prevent the cake from tasting salty. The butter needs to be at room temperature to avoid a lumpy frosting. Confectioners’ sugar — avoid swapping powdered sugar for another sugar. The fine powder will make for a smooth frosting. You might also find this sugar labeled as icing sugar or powdered sugar.
How to Make Applesauce Cake
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, all-spice, and salt. Stir in the walnuts.
- In another medium mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture stirring just until combined.
- Pour the applesauce cake batter into a greased 13×9–inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes and let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting by beating butter on medium speed until creamy in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the sugar alternating with the milk until combined. Add the vanilla and beat until fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Garnish with walnuts if desired.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
A scale to measure your flour is highly recommended for the most accurate results. However, if you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup, leading to a heavy applesauce cake. Lining the cake pan will help prevent the bottom of the cake from getting too dark. It’ll also make lifting the cake out of the pan much easier. Tap the cake pan on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles and level out the batter in the pan for an even bake. Do not overmix the batter, or you’ll have a tough cake. Mix everything until just combined, and avoid using a mixer. Room temperature eggs incorporate evenly and quickly so you do not overmix the batter. If you forgot to bring the eggs out, put the cold eggs in a large bowl and cover them with warm tap water for 5 minutes. Make sure you allow this moist cake to cool fully before you frost it. If you don’t let the cake cool, then the frosting may melt off. A delicious alternative to the vanilla frosting on this cake is to use my recipe for cream cheese frosting.
If you’ve tried this easy Applesauce Cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
