Applesauce Spice Cake

Two layer applesauce spice cake is moist and tender because of buttermilk. Top with a homemade cream cheese frosting. Simply beautiful!

Have you ever used applesauce in a cake? It’s one of my favorite additions for flavor and texture. Applesauce keeps cake moist and is a great low-fat replacement for oil in cakes.

This two layer Applesauce Spice Cake has a hint of apple that pairs so well with the warm spices that traditionally make up spice cake. And cream cheese frosting is always a welcome topping.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• 100% homemade spice cake and cream cheese frosting.
• Applesauce and buttermilk add flavor and keep the cake moist.
• Ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves add a warm flavor to the cake.
• Makes a tall 8″ cake.

Tips for Making Applesauce Spice Cake

• Use our cake release in the baking pans to ensure the cakes come out cleanly.
• Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately first. This will ensure the ingredients get combined well and also prevent over mixing the batter.
• Use a food scale to get even amounts of batter in both pans. If you don’t have one, you can just eyeball it, but a food scale is great for getting even layers.
• Another way to get flat layers without domed tops is to use Wilton Bake Even Cake strips. It sounds odd, but they really work!

Frosting Ideas

This frosting is simple and delicious. The flavor pairs wonderfully with our spice cake. If you’re looking for a different option, try one of these:

• Whipped cream cheese frosting
• Seafoam frosting
• Cinnamon buttercream
• Caramel frosting
• Vanilla buttercream

Storage Instructions

With the cream cheese in the frosting, this cake must be stored in the refrigerator. If you haven’t iced the cake, the cake itself can sit out at room temperature for up to 3 days (wrapped tightly in plastic food wrap). Once it’s frosted though, it must be stored in the fridge.

To freeze: Store in a sealed food safe container for up to 2 months in the freezer. Bring back to room temperature before eating.

Cupcakes and 9×13 Cakes

Although this cake will work as cupcakes, I’ve not yet tried that so I’m not sure how many cupcakes you’d get out of this recipe. If you try it as cupcakes, let us know in the comments below.

Instead of a 2-layer cake, can this spice cake be made as a sheet cake? Yes but you’ll have to adjust the baking time accordingly. For a 9” x 13” cake, I’d suggest starting to test the cake for doneness after the first 30 minutes.

Applesauce Spice Cake

4.73 from 11 votes

Servings 15

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

 

For the cake:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 350 grams
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed 300 grams
• ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup full fat buttermilk

For the frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• ½ cup unsalted butter 4 ounces, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar 480 grams

Instructions

 

Make the cake:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Spray two round 8” cake pans well with non-stick cooking spray then cut out two circles of parchment paper to go in bottom of each pan. Set pans aside for now.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, salt and cloves. Set aside for now.
• In a separate large bowl, beat together brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, applesauce and vanilla extract. Beat just until mixed (about 1 minute).
• Add half the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat just until mixed.
• Add all the buttermilk to the wet mixture and beat just until combined.
• Add the last half of the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat just until mixed. Do not overmix.
• Pour batter evenly into each cake pan. If you have a food scale, this can be a handy tool to make sure you have the same amount of batter in each pan.
• Optional: Use wet Wilton Bake Even cake strips around each cake pan to ensure even baking from outside to middle of cake.
• Bake cakes for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middles of cakes comes out clean. When testing for doneness with a toothpick, there should be no raw batter on the toothpick.
• Let cakes cool in cake pans on top of stove for 20 minutes before removing from pans and transferring to wire rack to cool completely before frosting. If cake is sticking to sides of pan, lightly run a table knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake.

Make the frosting:

• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
• Beat in unsalted butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth (about 2 minutes).
• Before layering cakes, use a serrated knife to cut off raised tops of cakes so you have two flat layers.
• Start by placing one layer of cake onto cake plate or cardboard cake circle.
• Add icing to the top of this layer that will be used to stick the two layers together. This doesn’t have to be a thick layer.
• Next put the second cake layer on top of the first layer. This second layer should have the bottom facing up since that will be a smooth top.
• Using an angled icing spatula, frost all sides and top with a thin layer of frosting. This is called a crumb coat and will help seal in the crumbs before the top coat of frosting. Put the cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes to allow this to harden before adding the final layer of frosting.
• Remove cake from freezer and add a second thicker layer of icing to sides and top of cake. Use a cake side scraper (optional) to smooth out sides and top of cake.
• Optional, use an icing bag and star tip to make dollops of frosting along the top and bottom rims of cake.
• Store cake leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 496IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 455

Keyword buttermilk spice cake, easy layer cake, spice cake recipe

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