This Applesauce Cake is a super easy 5-ingredient cake recipe ready in just about 30 minutes with a sweet, moist, and soft crumb.

I love making super simple cakes, like my Vanilla Wacky Cake, Vegan Olive Oil Cake, or Yogurt Cake, because baking is a bit like magic and chemistry together. You mix super basic ingredients, and they can turn into something really delicious, like this applesauce cake.

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Applesauce Cake

This Applesauce Cake is a super easy 5-ingredient cake recipe ready in just about 30 minutes with a sweet, moist, and soft crumb.

4.80 from 5 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 189.2 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

▢ 1 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
▢ 1 ½ cup Self-Rising Flour - (note 1)
▢ ⅓ cup Mild-Flavor Olive Oil - (note 2)
▢ ⅔ cup Brown Sugar - (note 3)
▢ 2 teaspoons Cinnamon

Cinnamon swirl

▢ 3 tablespoons Unsweetened Applesauce
▢ 6 tablespoons Brown Sugar
▢ 1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8-inch x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Oil with cooking oil spray. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add applesauce, brown sugar, cinnamon, and oil. Whisk to combine.
Fold in the flour and use a rubber spatula to stir and form a thick smooth cake batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, in a single layer. Set aside.
In another bowl, prepare the cinnamon applesauce swirl. Stir applesauce, cinnamon, and brown sugar together until it forms a dark syrup.
Drop dollops of the syrup on top of the cake batter and swirl in using a spoon.
Bake the cake on the center rack of the oven for 25-35 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool down on a cooling rack 3 hours before slicing or before drizzling vegan royal icing on top.

Notes

Note 1: You can swap self-rising flour for 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and whisk in 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder. For a gluten-free option, use my gluten-free converter, but don’t forget the baking powder.

Note 2: Any low-flavor oil works in this cake, like melted coconut oil, canola oil, and almond oil.

Note 3: Any sugar can be used instead of brown sugar. You can try coconut sugar or raw cane sugar for refined sugar-free options.

Oven Mode: I use the fan-forced (convection) mode. If you have to use conventional mode, I recommend increasing the temperature by 25°F (15°C). The baking time should be the same, but it might take a few more minutes.

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Nutrition

Ingredients and Substitutions

This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe

You only need 5 basic ingredients to make this simple cake recipe:

Unsweetened Applesauce – Use store-bought or homemade unsweetened applesauce. For a different flavor profile, try pear sauce. It might also work with pumpkin puree but I haven’t tried yet.
Self-Rising Flour – Use a good quality self-rising flour. If unavailable, you can make your own by combining all-purpose flour with baking powder as noted in the recipe. I haven’t tried gluten-free flour, but if you do, please let me know in the comments below! This recipe does not work with almond flour or oat flour.
Light Olive Oil – Choose a light olive oil for its neutral flavor. Canola oil, melted coconut oil, or almond oil can be used as alternatives.
Brown Sugar – Light or dark brown sugar works well. For a refined sugar-free option, coconut sugar or raw cane sugar can be substituted. You can also use sugar-free alternatives, if you prefer.
Cinnamon – Use ground cinnamon. For variation, try a mix of warm spices like nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.

How to Make Applesauce Cake

This is quite an easy recipe and you can follow all its steps in the recipe card further down. But if you like pictures, I’ve included below key steps.

Pouring flour into a bowl to make the applesauce cake batter.

Combine all the batter ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Stirring the applesauce cake batter with a silicone spatula.

Stir the batter until just combined, don’t over-stir it!

Pouring Applesauce cake batter into a pan.

Prepare a baking pan with lightly oiled parchment paper and pour the batter.

Flatten the batter with a silicone spatula.

Pour the swirl ingredients in a small mixing bowl.

Combine the applesauce swirl with a spoon until thick and sticky.

Applesauce batter with applesauce mixture on top in a baking pan.

Pour the swirl on a few spots of the uncooked applesauce cake batter.

Applesauce cake with an applesauce swirl in a baking pan.

Swirl the cake with a spoon until the sauce is spread but not incorporated.

Carine’s Tips

Ensure your applesauce is at room temperature before mixing to prevent the batter from seizing.
Don’t overmix the batter after adding the flour to avoid a tough cake.
For extra moisture, add a grated apple to the batter along with the applesauce.
The cinnamon swirl can be customized by adding chopped nuts or raisins to the mixture.
Check the cake at the minimum baking time to prevent overbaking, as applesauce cakes can dry out quickly.
Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing to achieve clean, neat pieces.
This cake freezes well. Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
For a more festive touch, as you can see in my pictures, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar or drizzle with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar and plant-based milk and cinnamon.