This delicious applesauce cake is super moist, has tons of apple flavor, and is filled with the warm spices of fall! It’s the perfect cake to make during apple season, but can be enjoyed by the whole family all year long.
Easy Applesauce Cake
Few know that applesauce has a hidden talent: it works amazingly in cakes! It not only gives cakes a yummy moist crumb but also acts as a natural sweetening agent. We used unsweetened applesauce in this recipe to give it the perfect amount of sweetness.
Feeling creative? Add chopped nuts or more spices to your batter. You could even change up the frosting for a cinnamon cream cheese frosting, or a caramel browned butter frosting to make it your own.
Why You’ll Love this Applesauce Cake Recipe:
- Easy Cake Recipe: This is one of the easiest cakes to make! It uses simple ingredients and can be prepped and baked in under an hour.
- Lots of Flavor: A combination of cinnamon, apple, vanilla, and brown sugar provides the delicious and comforting flavors of fall!
How to Make Applesauce Cake
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
Applesauce Cake
- Combine batter ingredients and pour into your cake pan.
- In a separate small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Then place small scoops of the brown sugar mixture on top of the cake. Swirl into the cake as instructed (in the recipe card).
- Bake cake and let it cool completely before frosting.
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat together the frosting ingredients until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
- Use a spatula to evenly coat the top of the cake with frosting.
- Slice the cake and serve. Enjoy!
Applesauce is a great substitute for some or all of the oil in baked goods because it helps to keep them moist without all of the added saturated fats. Applesauce is also naturally sweet, which means you can add less sugar, too!
This applesauce cake does contain less fat than a traditional cake, but it still has a lot of sugar, so it should be enjoyed in moderation!
Yes! Applesauce adds both moisture and flavor to this cake!
No. This recipe needs the extra moisture from the applesauce in order to work properly. You won’t have the same result if you use diced apples.
Yes but you’ll want to wrap it well to keep out extra moisture. I’d recommend wrapping each cake piece individually in food-safe plastic wrap and then storing those in a sealed food-safe container. Bring the cake back to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- We don’t recommend using sweetened applesauce, as the added sugars may make the cake too sweet. An unsweetened, smooth applesauce without added water is best for the best results.
- If you have a kitchen scale, use it! It’ll give you the most accurate measurements for the most desirable results. Don’t have a scale? No worries! Just use the scoop and level method for measuring.
Make Ahead Instructions
This applesauce cake can be made up to 4 days in advance of when you plan to serve it. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover applesauce cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let come to room temperature before enjoying.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze applesauce cake whole or in individual slices tightly wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 2 months. Let come to room temperature before enjoying.
Substitutions
- You can use white or spice cake mix in place of the yellow cake mix.
- In place of the vegetable oil, you can use any other neutral oil, such as canola, avocado, or coconut. Or, try melted butter!
- You can use dark brown sugar for a richer flavor.
- In place of the cinnamon, try using a pie spice blend!
- Feel free to fold some chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter.
- You can also top this cake with cream cheese frosting, vanilla glaze, or a simple dusting of powdered sugar.
Tips for the Best Applesauce Cake
- Don’t use sweetened applesauce since the added sugars will make the cake too sweet!
- Opt for a smooth applesauce rather than a chunky one.
- You’ll want to mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter together just before you need them. You want the butter still to be melted (when mixed with the other swirl ingredients) so that the mixture swirls easily into the cake batter.
We hope you enjoyed making this moist applesauce cake! Tried any interesting variations? Let us know in the comments below!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Applesauce Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Applesauce Cake
- 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix 432 grams (1 box)
- 1½ cups unsweetened applesauce 375 grams
- 3 large eggs 150 grams, room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil 50 grams
- ½ cup brown sugar 100 grams
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 9 grams
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 43 grams, melted (⅜ stick)
For the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting
- 2½ cups powdered sugar 300 grams
- ½ cup unsalted butter 115 grams, slightly melted (1 stick)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar 67 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 grams
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
For the Applesauce Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a whisk, beat the cake mix, unsweetened applesauce, eggs, and vegetable oil together until well mixed, about 2 minutes.15.25 ounces yellow cake mix, 1½ cups unsweetened applesauce, 3 large eggs, ¼ cup vegetable oil
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, stir the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and melted butter together until well mixed.½ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Use a spoon to place small scoops of this brown sugar mixture evenly around the top of the cake.
- Use a table knife to swirl this brown sugar mixture into the cake batter until it looks well combined.
- Place cake in oven and bake for 26-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. The top of the cake should look lightly brown.
- Let cake cool completely before frosting.
For the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat (on high) the powdered sugar, butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.2½ cups powdered sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Use a spatula to evenly coat top of cake with frosting.
- Slice cake and serve.
Notes
- You can use white or spice cake mix in place of the yellow cake mix.
- In place of the vegetable oil, you can use any other neutral oil, such as canola, avocado, or coconut. Or, try melted butter!
- You can use dark brown sugar for a richer flavor.
- In place of the cinnamon, try using a pie spice blend!
- Feel free to fold some chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter.
- You can also top this cake with cream cheese frosting, vanilla glaze, or a simple dusting of powdered sugar.
- Don’t use sweetened applesauce since the added sugars will make the cake too sweet!
- Opt for a smooth applesauce rather than a chunky one.
- You’ll want to mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter together just before you need them. You want the butter still to be melted (when mixed with the other swirl ingredients) so that the mixture swirls easily into the cake batter.
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