One Bowl Applesauce Cake Recipe

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: My homemade Applesauce Cake recipe yields a soft, moist, and utterly delicious dessert, overflowing with applesauce and warm spices and topped with just a touch of powdered sugar. Plus, it’s a dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan recipe! 

Are you a fan of fruity cakes and have some applesauce on hand? Well, you’re in luck because I’ve created a simple yet absolutely tasty Applesauce Cake recipe that’ll satisfy your fruity cake needs — and it can be made in just one bowl! 

My One Bowl Applesauce Cake with walnuts is the epitome of a moist cake. It has a lovely soft texture from my Homemade Applesauce, and a warm autumnal spice flavor, making for a comforting dessert. A touch of cocoa powder adds depth of flavor and a beautiful color without adding an overpowering chocolate flavor. Chocolate isn’t a typical ingredient in traditional Applesauce Cake recipes, but it adds a bigger and bolder twist to a classic recipe.

You can even make this to-go using my Incredibly Moist Applesauce Muffins recipe. Serve this decadent Applesauce Cake alongside your favorite tea or a cup of coffee for the ultimate cozy treat!

Table Of Contents

• What Is Applesauce Cake?
  
• Tools You Need
  
• Ingredients For Applesauce Cake
  
• How To Make Applesauce Cake
  
• How To Toast Walnuts
  
• Gluten-Free Applesauce Cake
  
• Can I Make Applecause Cake In Advance?
  
• How To Store Applesauce Cake
  
• FAQs
  
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
  
• More Fruity Cake Recipes

What Is Applesauce Cake?

Just as the name suggests, Applesauce Cake is a cake made with applesauce, flour, and sugar. It’s a very moist, spiced cake topped with dusted powdered sugar or whipped cream. I also love to add some toasted walnuts to this cake to mix up the texture of the soft cake.

This delicious cake originated in the New England Colonies of the northeastern United States in the early colonial times. Applesauce Cake recipes were commonly found in American cookbooks between the 1900s and 1950s. It’s a well-loved cake even in 2023, and there’s even a National Applesauce Cake Day that occurs annually on June 6th!

Fun Fact: Did you know applesauce is a great substitute for eggs? Check out my post, 12 Best Egg Substitutes for Baking Recipes & How to Use Them, for more information!

Tools You Need

• Measuring cups and spoons
• 12-cup (2.8 liter) bundt pan
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Silicone spatula
• Wooden skewer
• Wire cooling rack
• Fine mesh sieve

Ingredients You Need To Make Applesauce Cake

• All-purpose flour: The flour will create the foundation for your cake and other dry and wet ingredients.
• Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar or “white sugar” will give this cake the perfect amount of sweetness in each bite.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder is important for a more complex flavor.
• Baking soda: Baking soda is a chemical leavener that will give your cake some bounce and help it rise.
• Cinnamon: This spice is highly aromatic and will add a warm, sweet flavor to your cake.
• Salt: Just a pinch will enhance the flavor of your other ingredients.
• Ground ginger: Ground ginger has a subtle spice and sweetness that will complement the other spices in your cake.
• Allspice: A SINGLE spice! Allspice is the dried unripe berry (of Pimenta dioica tree) featuring combined flavors of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It has a slightly bitter, earthy, and fruity taste.
• Applesauce: Make sure your applesauce is warmed up before use. Make your own Homemade Applesauce for more baking fun!
• Vegetable oil: Adding oil will make your cake extra moist.
• Walnuts: Toast your walnuts before use to bring out the most flavor.
• Powdered Sugar: Try making your own Powdered Sugar to dust on top of your cake.

How To Make Applesauce Cake

1. Preheat the oven and butter and flour a bundt pan. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
3. Stir in the applesauce and oil until blended. Then, fold in the walnuts.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the middle rack until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Let rest before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Dust with powdered sugar, slice, and serve.

How To Toast Walnuts

Walnuts are an essential component of your Applesauce Cake, as it adds texture and a mild nutty flavor. To make sure you can get the best out of your walnuts, make sure to toast them before folding them into your cake batter. 

To toast them, spread your walnuts on a baking sheet at 350℉ (180℃) for about 10 minutes or until dark and fragrant. Let cool before adding to your cake batter.

Gluten-Free Applesauce Cake

For those who prefer a gluten-free version of my Applesauce Cake, substitute the all-purpose flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, oat flour, almond flour, or rice flour. 

Check out my Guide to the Best Gluten-Free Flours for more information on gluten-free flours. If you want an added baking challenge, try making homemade Gluten Free Flour!

Can I Make Applesauce Cake Ahead Of Time?

Applesauce Cake is great to bring to parties, potlucks, and picnics. Good thing you can make it in advance to save some time! To prepare your cake beforehand, simply make the batter as usual and pop it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake it off. I recommend baking it within a few hours; however, you can leave your cake batter in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

How To Store

If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can store it in the refrigerator if your kitchen is on the warmer side.

You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months. I suggest slicing them and placing parchment paper in between the slices to make them easier to reheat. Hold off on dusting powdered sugar on your cake if you’re planning on freezing it because the sugar can become gummy once defrosted.

FAQs

What should I use if I don’t have a bundt pan?

Don’t worry if you don’t have a bundt pan — there are other options! This recipe can easily be halved and baked in a 9-inch (23cm) round baking dish or square pan. Baking times will be shorter, so test if your cake is done at the 25 to 30-minute mark.

Why is my cake so dense?

If your cake turns out too dense, you may have overmixed your ingredients. Overmixing your ingredients can cause gluten to develop, which creates a very dense texture. To prevent this, mix your dry and wet ingredients until just combined.

How do I know if my cake is done baking?

To test if your cake is done, insert a wooden skewer into the thickest part of the cake. Your skewer should come out clean. Wooden skewers are useful because they aren’t too short like a toothpick and will prevent you from getting burned.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• The warm applesauce will help dissolve the sugar and cocoa powder before baking, so be sure not to skip warming it up.
• If there are nut allergies, the walnuts can be left out. You can substitute with a different mix-in, like dried fruit.
• Is your cake browning too quickly? Your oven may be too hot. Cover your cake with aluminum foil and leave it to bake the rest of the time to avoid burning the outside before the inside has finished.
• Let your cake cool completely before dusting powdered sugar. If you dust the sugar when the cake is still warm, it will most likely melt.
• The Brown Sugar Glaze from my Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe would also be an excellent topping on this cake.
• If you are freezing the leftovers, try slicing them in individual portions first, so you only need to defrost what you want to eat.

Looking For More Fruity Cake Recipes? Check Out:

• Cranberry Orange Cake with Lemon Glaze
• Lemon Meringue Cake
• Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

And don’t miss more everyday baking recipes in my NEW Bigger Bolder Baking Every Day Cookbook!

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