Applesauce does something special in cake. It keeps everything incredibly moist without making it heavy. It adds subtle apple flavor and natural sweetness, which means you can use less oil and sugar than in a regular cake. And it creates this tender, almost velvety crumb that stays fresh for days.
This spice cake leans into warm flavors—cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves—and gets a simple cream cheese frosting that’s tangy enough to balance the sweetness. It’s not showy, but it’s the kind of cake people ask for the recipe for. Simple, comforting, and impossibly moist.
What You’ll Need
For the Cake:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 cup raisins or chopped walnuts (optional)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
Tools:
- 9×13-inch baking pan
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl (2)
- Electric mixer
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wire cooling rack
- Offset spatula or butter knife for frosting
Preparing the Pan and Dry Ingredients
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease your 9×13-inch pan with butter or cooking spray.
In one medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
Making the Cake Batter
In your large bowl, beat the softened butter with both sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
In a separate small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the applesauce, vanilla extract, and buttermilk.
Add a third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Add half of the applesauce mixture and mix. Continue alternating, ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until no flour streaks remain.
If using raisins or walnuts, fold them in with a spatula.
The batter will be thick and smooth, with a beautiful warm brown color from the spices.
Baking
Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Spread it evenly with a spatula, smoothing the top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
The cake will smell incredible—warm spices and caramelized sugar.
Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting. This takes at least an hour.
Making the Cream Cheese Frosting
In your second medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition to prevent a sugar cloud.
Beat in the vanilla extract and salt.
Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Frosting and Serving
Once the cake is completely cool, spread the frosting evenly over the top using an offset spatula or butter knife. You can frost it right in the pan.
Some people like to leave this cake unfrosted and just dust it with powdered sugar. That works too, especially if you want it to feel more like a breakfast coffee cake than dessert.
Cut into squares. This makes 12-15 servings.
The cake is excellent at room temperature or slightly chilled. The frosting firms up in the refrigerator, which some people prefer.
Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week. The applesauce keeps it remarkably moist even after several days.
This cake also freezes beautifully. Wrap unfrosted cake slices tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and frost before serving.
For a dairy-free version, you can substitute the butter with coconut oil and skip the frosting or use a simple powdered sugar glaze instead.
The beauty of applesauce cake is its versatility. It works for breakfast with coffee, as an afternoon snack, or as dessert. It’s not too sweet, not too rich—just genuinely good cake that happens to be made with something you probably already have in your pantry.
