Applesauce Cake is perfectly spiced and flavorful, topped with an easy cream cheese frosting. Bake this cake with simple ingredients, all in one bowl!
Easy Applesauce Cake Recipe
This cake couldn’t be easier to make; it’s all mixed together in one bowl with a wooden spoon. You’ll only need a mixer if you choose to make the frosting. While the frosting adds a great touch, the cake is delicious on its own.
It’s made with a few simple swaps:
- No white flour: We use ground oats instead.
- No butter: We’re swapping the butter for coconut oil.
- Less sugar: This applesauce cake has less sugar compared to most cakes.
- Chopped pecans: These add great texture and nutrients.
- And, of course, there’s applesauce in the cake (more on this below)!
Ingredients
- Unsweetened Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce to control the sweetness. You can even make your own applesauce.
- Coconut Oil: Measure after melting and cool before adding to mix to prevent cooking the egg.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients together and helps the cake rise.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds more flavor.
- Brown Sugar: Lightly pack the brown sugar to measure accurately.
- Baking soda & Baking Powder: Make the applesauce cake rise and become fluffy. Check for freshness.
- Ground Cinnamon, Allspice, and Nutmeg: Adjust any of these to your personal preferences.
- Oat Flour: Blend regular oats into a fine flour or buy oat flour in baking section at your local grocery stores.
Quick Tip
To make this cake gluten-free: Check ingredient labels for any gluten processing. Even small amounts of gluten can be harmful to those with celiac disease.
How To Make Applesauce Cake
- Combine wet ingredients: Applesauce, melted and cooled coconut oil, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
- Add dry ingredients on top: Baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, oat flour, and pecans. Mix well.
- Transfer batter into a parchment-lined 8×8-inch pan and bake.
- Cool completely at room temperature.
- Prepare the cream cheese frosting while the cake cools. Frost the cake once cool and sprinkle with crushed pecans if desired.
Applesauce Cake FAQs
Does Applesauce Change The Texture Of Baked Goods?
Applesauce adds moisture, sweetness, and fresh flavor to the cake, making it extra moist and tasty.
What Does Applesauce Replace In Baked Goods?
Applesauce adds moisture, sweetness, and fresh flavor to the cake, making it extra moist and tasty.
How To Make Oat Flour?
To make oat flour, blend quick or old-fashioned oats in a food processor until powdery. Ensure no whole pieces remain. Measure the flour after grinding.
Storage
Store the cake at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap. It’s best within 1-2 days.
For longer storage, freeze un-frosted pieces for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature and then frost.
More Apple Recipes:
- Applesauce Bread made with better-for-you ingredients
- Healthy Apple Muffins
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
- Apple Crumble reader favorite recipe!
- Apple Almond Muffins flourless and healthy
Applesauce Cake
This Applesauce Cake is spiced to perfection and topped with a simple cream cheese frosting. Whip it up in one bowl with healthy ingredients for a delicious treat!
Equipment
- Baking pan 8 x 8-inch
- Parchment paper
- Hand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted and cooled, see note 1
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup oat flour blend up old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans optional
- 1/3 cup raisins optional
Optional Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- Chopped pecans optional, for topping
Instructions
- Set out cream cheese to warm to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or the cake will not come out easily. Melt coconut oil and let cool to room temperature (see note 1).
- In a large bowl, stir together applesauce, melted and cooled coconut oil, egg, vanilla extract, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg to the bowl, then add oat flour (see note 2). If using, add chopped pecans and raisins. Mix until combined and smooth.
- Pour batter into the lined 8×8 pan. Bake for 28–33 minutes or until a fork inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese and vanilla extract with a hand mixer until smooth. Add salt. If you'd like a tangier or soft frosting, only add 1-1/4 cups powdered sugar. For a sweeter, thicker frosting, add closer to 1-3/4 cups. Gradually add desired amount of powdered sugar, beating between additions, until the frosting is smooth and creamy and to your desired consistency. Add a bit of milk if too thick.
- Frost the cooled cake evenly. If desired, top with chopped pecans.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: The coconut oil needs to be melted, but if it’s hot, it will get chunky when added with other cold ingredients. Give it time to come to room temperature before adding it with the other ingredients.
Note 2: Make oat flour by blending (or pulsing) old-fashioned oats or quick oats in a blender or food processor until they resemble flour. Blend well so you don’t have any large oat chunks in the cake. Measure oat flour after blending and not before.
Storage: Store cake at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap. Applesauce Cake is best enjoyed within 1–2 days. Freeze (un-frosted) pieces for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature and then frost. Frosted cake doesn’t freeze and thaw well.
Nutrition
Serving: 12pieces | Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 56IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Chelsea – I couldn’t find another way to get this message to you. Wanted you to know that this is not a gluten free cake. Oats can be one of the culprits for folks with celiac disease, like me. I have suffered with it for almost 25 years now and am one of those very unfortunate people who can’t even tolerate gluten-free oats, let along regular oats. The 4 main culprits are wheat, oats, barley and rye. Some people who suffer from celiac can tolerate plain oats or sometimes GF oats but this cake would have made me very very sick. Just didn’t want someone else who didn’t tell you about this to cause a problem for you in case they ingested this cake. Wishing you the best and thanks for trying to make good-tasting gf food.
This turned out so moist and delicious! I used homemade applesauce and Einkorn flour in place of oat flour. I also added a few chopped dates….delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Christine! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
I give this five stars. It has great flavor although it is a thin cake. I am making it again but, doubling the recipe. It is very good.
So happy to hear this Rebecca! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
This is an amazing recipe! It was just what I was looking for, moist and tender cake with the perfect fall spices!! I added 1/4 cup raisins and walnuts to the mix 😉 I’m looking forward to making it again! Thank you for sharing 😊
Yay! Thrilled to hear that! Thanks Bri 🙂
Made this earlier today. I wanted to make it as muffins to freeze some. I used silicone muffin cups. They came out Great! So moist and great flavor. I did not frost them. They have such a great flavor I honestly don’t think you need to. I will absolutely make these again!
So happy you enjoyed this cake Dee 🙂
Delicious! I used a “flax egg” instead of a real egg and it turned out great! Did need to cook it for the longer recommended time though. And used a vegan cream cheese frosting. Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! Thanks for the tips and I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks Valerie! 🙂
Turned out great as cake! Can this recipe be used to make muffins too?
Oh. Wow. This cake is so amazing. And it’s so easy, my ten-year-old made it mostly by herself. I think I could eat the entire thing in one sitting. I’m not on a gf diet, but my kids are, so I guess I’ll save it for them. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear how much you guys loved this! And I love your daughter can make it! Thanks so much for your comment!:)
I have oat flour in my pantry. Can I use that instead of blending oats into oat flour? Thank you.
Yep 🙂
I often look for healthier versions of baked good recipes. Most of them I wouldn’t make again, but this was one of the best healthy recipes I’ve ever tried. I’ll definitely be making this again. I used sweetened apple sauce because that’s what I had, and I added extra spice, a bit of chopped pecans, no raisins. I had no parchment paper so I just sprayed the glass pan really well, and the cake did not stick. I didn’t make the frosting, it was perfectly good without it.
YAYYY!! I’m soo happy to hear this!! Thanks so much for the tips and for your comment! 🙂