Applesauce cake is a one-bowl spice cake where the applesauce replaces most of the fat and all of the fussiness. It bakes in a 9-inch pan at 350°F in 35 to 40 minutes, and it keeps better than almost any other cake I make.
Two questions come up every single time I give someone this recipe, so I am answering those first, then the recipe, then the ones that come afterwards.
Can I Just Use Shop-Bought Applesauce?
Yes, and I usually do. A jar of unsweetened smooth applesauce is what sits in my cupboard, and the version of this cake I have made most often used exactly that.
Check two things on the label. Unsweetened, first: sweetened jars can carry 15 to 20 grams of added sugar per half cup, and 1 1/2 cups of that arrives on top of the cup of brown sugar already here. If sweetened is all you have, drop the brown sugar to 3/4 cup.
Smooth, second. Chunky sauce leaves pockets of soft fruit holding water, and those spots stay wet while the rest of the crumb sets. Ten seconds with a stick blender fixes it.
Homemade is worth doing once, mostly because you control thickness. Four peeled Bramleys with 3 tablespoons of water, lid on, 20 minutes on low, forked to a mash, makes about 2 cups. Cook it until a dragged spoon leaves a track that fills in slowly. Thin and watery sauce makes a dense cake, which is the next question.
Why Did My Applesauce Cake Come Out Dense?
Three causes, in the order I would check them.
Overmixing. The main one. The batter is wet and looks lumpy when the flour goes in, which tempts you to stir it smooth. Every extra turn builds gluten, and there is no creamed butter and air here to protect against it. Twelve to fifteen folds with a spatula, stopping at the last streak of flour even if it looks rough.
Tired baking soda. The soda does the heavy lifting, reacting with the acidity of the apples. An open box from last year is often half dead. Drop a quarter teaspoon into a spoonful of vinegar; no hard immediate fizz means replace it.
Watery applesauce. Extra liquid with no extra structure gives a heavy, wet band near the base. Homemade sauce is the usual culprit, and five more minutes of cooking it down solves it.
If it is dense only in the middle, suspect the oven. Mine reads 350°F and sits at about 335°F on a separate thermometer, which cost me two sunken cakes before I bought one.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour — spooned and leveled for an accurate, tender crumb.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda — reacts with the applesauce’s acidity to give good lift.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder — adds extra insurance for a light texture.
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon — the star spice; use a fresh, fragrant jar if you can.
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg — a small amount adds warmth without overpowering.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt — balances the sweetness and sharpens the spice flavors.
- 1/2 cup neutral oil or melted butter — oil gives the moistest texture; butter adds a richer flavor.
- 1 cup packed brown sugar — adds moisture and a deeper, caramel-like sweetness.
- 2 large eggs — room temperature blends more smoothly into the batter.
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce — the heart of the recipe; smooth style works best here.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract — enhances the warm spice notes.
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or raisins, optional — for texture, stirred into the batter at the end.
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, for topping, optional — gives the top a light, sweet crunch.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9-inch square or round cake pan, or line it with parchment for easy removal.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk the oil and brown sugar together until smooth, then whisk in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.
- Stir in the applesauce and vanilla extract until the mixture looks smooth and slightly thickened.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula just until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing will make the cake tough.
- Fold in the walnuts or raisins, if using, then pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula.
- Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the top, if using, for a bit of sparkle and crunch once baked.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top springs back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Oil or Melted Butter, and Does It Matter?
They are good at different jobs. Oil stays liquid at fridge temperature, so an oil cake is still soft on day three straight from the cold. Butter sets solid and tastes noticeably drier chilled, though it has more flavour warm.
I use oil if the cake will sit on the counter through the week, butter if it is being eaten that afternoon with coffee, and 1/4 cup of each when I cannot decide. What you should not do is cut the fat further on the theory that the applesauce covers it. It already is, which is why this uses half a cup where a standard 9-inch spice cake uses nearly a full one. Less than that and the crumb turns rubbery.
Does It Need Frosting?
No, and I would argue it is better without. The turbinado gives a thin crackly top that frosting hides, and the cake is only moderately sweet, which is why it works at breakfast.
If you want something, cream cheese frosting is the obvious partner, the same one that goes on carrot cake. Halve the quantity. A thick layer flattens the cinnamon.
What I actually make for guests: 1 cup icing sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, a pinch of salt, whisked and poured over the cooled cake. Two minutes, and it sets firm enough to cut cleanly in twenty.
Can I Bake It in a Loaf Tin or as Muffins?
- 9×5-inch loaf tin: 50 to 60 minutes at 350°F, tented loosely with foil from minute 35 or the top darkens before the middle sets. My preferred shape, since it slices thin and toasts well.
- 12-cup muffin tin: three quarters full, 20 to 24 minutes. Makes 14 to 15, so expect a small second batch.
- 9×13-inch pan: 25 to 30 minutes, shallower, good for a glaze and a crowd.
Whatever the shape, a finished centre reads 200 to 205°F. The toothpick works too, but it is less reliable in a cake this moist, where a few damp crumbs are correct rather than a warning.
How Long Does It Actually Keep?
This is where applesauce cake earns its place. It is better on day two than day one, because the spices settle and the crumb evens out. Three to four days under a dome at room temperature, a week in the fridge, three months frozen in slices with parchment between them.
Avoid the fridge in the first 24 hours. Cold air pulls moisture from a fresh crumb faster than a covered counter does.
The same one-bowl, fold-gently method is what makes zucchini bread and pumpkin bread work, and cinnamon coffee cake is the one to make when you want a streusel top instead.
One habit I wish I had started with: a parchment sling, two inches hanging over opposite sides. I used to grease the pan and nothing else, then lose half the top edge levering it out.