Golden Summer Applesauce Sheet Cake

RecipesCakeDessert

Jul 11

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This old-fashioned applesauce cake is a delicious addition to your summer table. Made with simple ingredients like unsweetened applesauce, sugar, butter, and cinnamon it's an irresistible classic. This super soft and moist cake is the perfect easy dessert that bakes up in under an hour. I love serving this cake with my homemade applesauce made with early summer Yellow Transparent apples!

Golden Summer Applesauce Sheet Cake: Easy Old-Fashioned Recipe

what is applesauce cake?

Applesauce cake is an old-fashioned recipe that your grandmother or great-grandmother used to make! This style of cake, made with applesauce in the batter, was popular to make in the early 20th century and then had a resurgence in the 1950s. However, recipes using applesauce in cake batter can be found in 18th century cookbooks, especially in the New England colonies. This makes sense as apples are still a very popular autumn crop in these states!

Applesauce cake uses applesauce to replace some ingredients that are traditionally added to a cake recipe. Most applesauce cakes use flour, sugar, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. The texture is similar to a coffee cake or banana bread as it’s incredibly moist and slightly dense in the crumb.

gathering ingredients:

To make your homemade applesauce cake, you will need to gather a few key ingredients. The cake itself is really simple and you can easily make this cake any time of year if you have some unsweetened applesauce in your pantry.

Applesauce. You can use store bought or homemade unsweetened applesauce. Sweetened applesauce can be used, but it will alter the overall flavor of the cake.
Flour. For this recipe, you will need all-purpose flour.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda.
Salt.
Spices. For this recipe, you will need cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.
Butter. I prefer to use salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer. Make sure that your butter is softened.
Sugar. You will need granulated sugar and light brown sugar for this recipe.
Eggs. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Vanilla.
Buttermilk. Buttermilk will help to interact with the leaveners in this recipe. If you do not have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing together 1 tablespoon (15 ml) white vinegar with enough milk to measure 1 cup (240 ml) total of liquid.
Sour Cream. You can replace the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt.

tips for making a super moist cake:

Have you ever found yourself so excited to cut into a super moist and fluffy cake only to find that it’s dense and almost bread-like? Try using a few of these tips while baking your old-fashioned applesauce cake.

Use Acid. If your cake uses baking soda, adding an acidic liquid ingredient will activate the baking soda and give the cake lift. As a bonus, using a thicker creamy ingredient like sour cream or yogurt will give your cake extra moistness and a lovely fluffy crumb.
Cream the Butter 1 to 2 Minutes. When creaming the butter, which should ideally be at about 65° F (18° C), which is considered “room temperature.” When you cream the butter, only beat the butter and sugar together for about 1 to 2 minutes. This will ensure that there is enough air in the butter without over-creaming the ingredients.

Check 1 to 2 Minutes Before the Timer Ends. Before your timer goes off, give your cake a little peek through the oven door or even a poke with your cake tester. Over-baking your cake will result in a dry cake. As oven temperatures vary, keeping an eye on your cakes can help you determine when it is truly done. After testing the cake with a toothpick or cake tester, it should come out clean or have a few moist crumbs.

how to make applesauce cake:

Step One: Begin by sifting together the dry ingredients. Then, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the applesauce, eggs, and vanilla and continue to cream together until well combined.

Step Two: To the butter mixture, add the dry ingredients, buttermilk, and sour cream mixing until the batter is just combined.

Step Three: Spread the batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking pan and bake the cake for about 30 to 35 minutes. The cake should be finished when tested with a toothpick inserted in the center that comes out clean.

Step Four: Next, make the mascarpone frosting. Cream together butter and mascarpone until it is smooth and creamy. Then, add some vanilla, heavy cream, and powdered sugar. Beat the frosting for about 5 to 8 minutes or until is soft, fluffy, and easily spreadable.

Step Five: When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting all over the top. Slice the cake into 12 equal-sized pieces and serve at room temperature. You can decorate the cake with fresh apple slices and seasonal edible flowers, if you wish!

common questions:

Here are some common questions about this applesauce cake recipe!

Can this be baked in a different pan? Yes! This applesauce cake recipe makes one 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) cake. You can easily bake this recipe into 2 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pans or 3 8-inch (20-cm) round cake pans. It can also be baked into about 24 cupcakes in a standard muffin pan.
Can I swap out all of the butter and/or eggs for applesauce? Applesauce is commonly used to replace butter, oil, and eggs in a recipe. I would not suggest replacing all of the butter AND eggs together with applesauce for this recipe, or you may end up with a dense and flat cake. If you want to replace any ingredients, I would stick with one or the other over both.

This delightful old-fashioned cake recipe is such an excellent dessert for those early summer apples or even in the fall! I love enjoying a slice of this seasonal applesauce cake with a hot cup of coffee or espresso in the afternoon. It’s super moist and just slightly sweet. I personally enjoy it without frosting, too! It’s a great afternoon treat or a great recipe for sharing at a gathering.

xoxo Kayla

similar recipes:

Yield: 12

Author: Kayla Lobermeier

Golden Summer Applesauce Sheet Cake

Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 1 H & 20 M

Ingredients

Applesauce Cake:

3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup (116 g) salted butter, softened
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened applesauce
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
1/3 cup (80 ml) sour cream, room temperature

Mascarpone Frosting:

1/2 cup (116 g) salted butter, softened
8 oz (226 g) mascarpone, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 to 4 tbsp (30 to 60 ml) heavy whipping cream
4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

To make the Applesauce Cake:

Begin by preheating the oven to 350° F (177° C). Butter and flour a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking pan and set this aside for now.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Set this aside for now.
In a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer or in a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the butter is light in color and everything is in fluffy clumps, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the applesauce for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until well combined. There may be a bit of separation. Then, beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla, another 3 to 4 minutes.
In a small dish, whisk together the buttermilk and sour cream to combine them well. Then, start adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Whisk the batter together until just combined and the ingredients no longer look separated, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or has a few moist crumbs stuck to it. Let the cake cool completely before frosting, slicing, and serving.

To make the Mascarpone Frosting:

While the cake cools, make the mascarpone frosting. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and mascarpone until it is smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes.
Add the vanilla, heavy cream, and powdered sugar. Continue to beat the frosting for a further 5 to 8 minutes or until it is smooth, creamy, and silky. It should be easily spreadable and soft.
When the cake has finished cooling, spread the mascarpone frosting all over the top of the cake. Slice the cake and serve at room temperature.
To store this cake, cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It should last in the refrigerator for about 5 to 6 days. Return the cake to room temperature before serving, or serve it cold.