Description
A moist, crowd-pleasing spice cake made with applesauce and warm spices — perfect for potlucks, fall gatherings, or whenever you want something cozy and comforting.
Ingredients
Scale
For the cake
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 2 cups applesauce (unsweetened, natural)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and lightly flour a 9×13-inch baking pan (or spray with nonstick baking spray).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until evenly mixed.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the applesauce, eggs, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and uniform.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in two or three additions, stirring gently after each addition just until the batter comes together. Avoid overmixing — stop when you no longer see streaks of flour. Fold in the walnuts or pecans if you’re using them.
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9×13 pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cake cools, make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (or using a hand mixer), beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until creamy and light. Add the cinnamon, salt, and vanilla and beat briefly to combine.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, increasing speed as it incorporates, until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and beat once more to ensure even texture.
- Once the cake is completely cool, spread the frosting evenly over the top. Because this frosting contains cream cheese, store the frosted cake in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Use unsweetened applesauce — the recipe already includes sugar, so unsweetened keeps it balanced.
- Do not overmix the batter. Gentle folding keeps the crumb tender.
- This cake gets better the next day — flavors deepen after resting, so if you can, bake ahead.
- Make sure the cake is fully cooled before frosting; warm cake will melt the frosting and make a mess.
- Store leftover, frosted cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: wrap the unfrosted cake (or individual slices) tightly and freeze up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge overnight and frost before serving.
Nutrition
- Calories: 581kcal
- Sugar: 49g
- Sodium: 226mg
- Fat: 34g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Carbohydrates: 66g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 65mg