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Moist and delicious, this old-fashioned applesauce cake is filled with the perfect amount of spices, sugar, cinnamon applesauce, walnuts, and raisins. I’m excited to partner with Musselman’s to bring you this super yummy Southern treat.
Make sure you also try out our chocolate crazy cake and mayonnaise cake, too!
MORE CAKE RECIPES:
Oatmeal Cake | Vanilla Crazy Cake
Applesauce Cake Ingredients
You will need:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups Musselman’s Cinnamon Applesauce
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
Musselman’s Cinnamon Apple Sauce is the perfect addition to this recipe. For over 100 years, they have prided themselves with their fresh and delicious fruit products that boast no high fructose corn syrup. All their apples are American grown!
You can receive $30 Off Fanatics merchandise on fanatics.com with 4 proofs of purchase from Musselman’s Apple Sauce!
Ingredient Substitutions
You could add chocolate chips, oatmeal, coconut, carrots, or pumpkin to this tasty cake. It’s also delish with just a dash of ginger added.
How to Make Applesauce Cake
STEP ONE: In a small bowl pour the milk and place the raisins in the milk. Let them sit while preparing the rest of the cake.
STEP TWO: In a medium-size bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
STEP THREE: In a large bowl beat together butter and sugars until mixed. Then, add the eggs and vanilla and beat until mixed together.
STEP FOUR: Follow this by adding, the dry ingredients slowly to the butter/sugar mixture and beat just until combined.
STEP FIVE: Finally, add the applesauce and mix on low just until combined.
STEP SIX: Fold in the raisins and milk mixture as well as the walnuts and mix until just combined.
STEP SEVEN: Prepare a 9×13 pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Pour cake batter into the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes — or until a cake tester in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
PRO TIP: You could also bake this recipe in a bundt cake pan, a loaf pan, or make them as muffins!
If you want to skip the frosting, you could sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar as well.
Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Making the Frosting
- In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and beat on low until powdered sugar is mostly mixed in.
- Follow it with the heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon and salt — and mix on medium speed until all smooth and creamy.
- Once the cake has cooled frost with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
STORING THIS RECIPE:
Yes! I would suggest freezing the cake by itself before topping with the frosting, then add the icing after thawing, before serving.
Store in a well-wrapped, freezer-safe container for two to three months.
You could also freeze individual leftover slices as well, then just pop into the microwave to warm up before serving.
This delicious applesauce cake recipe has been a family favorite for generations. It’s so quick and easy to bake and the flavors are irresistible. I love the moist, dense texture and sweet, cinnamon taste. Topped with a fast homemade cream cheese icing, you’re going to love this recipe!
More Recipes You’ll Love
Applesauce Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups cinnamon applesauce
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl pour the milk and place the raisins in the milk. Let them sit while preparing the rest of the cake.
- Prepare a 9x13 pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
- In a medium-size bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl beat together butter and sugars until mixed.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until mixed together.
- Add the dry ingredients slowly to the butter/sugar mixture and beat just until combined.
- Add the applesauce and mix on low just until combined.
- Add the raisins and milk mixture and walnuts and mix until just combined.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Once the cake has cooled frost with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Video
Notes
Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
How to Make Frosting
In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and beat on low until powdered sugar is mostly mixed in.
Add cream, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and mix on medium speed until all smooth and creamy.
My grandma made the best I ever had, but didn’t get recipe before she passed. All I know is it had Hershey’s coca in it, no raisins but sometimes nuts. She made them and sent to my two cousins, one in the marines and one in the Air Force. That was when I was 10, I am now 78. Would love to know how she made it.
Awww ♥
I hope you find that recipe but until then, possibly experiment using this as a base recipe? Was it mildly chocolatey or was is a proper chocolate cake?
I just did a search for chocolate applesauce cake. There were a lot of return results. You may want to start with one of those.
What if we don’t like raisin would I still use milk
I have never made it without raisins, but I would suggest still using the milk! Enjoy 🙂
Fantastic and easy! I made this recipe for a coworker’s birthday and it was a big hit. The cake is delicious and the raisins and walnuts added extra flavor and texture. The cinnamon applesauce kept the cake fresh. My favorite part of this cake is the icing- OH MY WORD! This cinnamon cream cheese was perfect! It was sweet and light with just the right amount of cinnamon. It almost reminded me of cinnamon butter used at steakhouses. I accidentally doubled the vanilla amount in the icing, but it did not affect the outcome. I can’t wait to make this cake again.
YAY! So glad you enjoyed it so much 🙂
I am dying to try this recipe, but can’t get the cinnamon applesauce here. I can use plain applesauce, but should I increase the amount of cinnamon? And if so, how much extra cinnamon should I add to the batter? Anxiously waiting for your reply. Thank you so much.
I would put in two teaspoons to start – you might want three, but taste it and see what you think! 🙂 Enjoy!
I made this for myself for Mother’s Day. It is so good. I did decrease the powdered sugar using only 2 cups, it turned out perfect for my tastes. This reminds me so much that my mom used to make when I was little. Thank you for posting this.
Can you use honey instead of granulated sugar?
I’m sure you could but I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out or exactly how much you would need to add! Let me know if you try it, enjoy! 🙂
WE HAVE NUT ALLERGIES HERE CAN I OMIT THE WALNUTS AND WILL STILL WORK?
Yes, you can 🙂 Enjoy!!