Description
This Apple Spice Cake is a warm and comforting dessert featuring a blend of cozy spices and the natural sweetness of apples. Moist and flavorful, the cake incorporates grated apples and applesauce for a tender texture, topped optionally with buttermilk syrup, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream for an irresistible treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (113 grams/8 Tablespoons)
- 1 3/4 cups sugar (350 grams)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup applesauce (preferably unsweetened)
- 2 cups peeled & grated or finely diced apples (Honeycrisp or Granny Smith)
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour or gluten-free flour* (270 grams)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Optional Toppings
- Buttermilk syrup
- Whipped cream
- Vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13-inch metal pan with butter or nonstick spray, or line it with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well mixed. Set aside.
- Cream Butter & Sugar: In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar together using a hand mixer or paddle attachment for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined.
- Finish Wet Ingredients: Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter and sugar, mixing well after each addition. Then stir in the applesauce until fully incorporated.
- Add Dry Ingredients, Then The Apples: Gently fold the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients just until combined. Next, stir in the grated or finely diced apples evenly throughout the batter.
- Bake: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the cake is browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil during the last few minutes of baking. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack after removing from the oven.
- Serve & Store: Cut the cooled cake into 15 slices. Serve topped with buttermilk syrup, caramel sauce, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
Notes
- This cake achieves a perfect texture and flavor by using both applesauce and fresh grated apples for moisture and sweetness.
- If the cake surface browns too quickly, tent with foil to prevent burning while finishing baking.
- You can substitute with gluten-free flour to make the cake gluten free.
- For extra richness, frost the cake with cream cheese frosting as an alternative topping option.
- Store leftovers covered well to maintain moisture and freshness up to 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice (1/15th recipe - Cake Only)
- Calories: 240 kcal
- Sugar: 26.7 g
- Sodium: 293 mg
- Fat: 7.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 1.4 g
- Protein: 2.9 g
- Cholesterol: 41 mg
