Vegan Old-Fashioned Applesauce Cake is a classic, warmly spiced cake made with applesauce and all-vegan ingredients. Moist, rich, and just sweet enough, it's delicious baked as a simple square cake or a beautiful Bundt cake.
Applesauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves give this cake a warm, spiced apple flavor that reminds me of hot apple cider. It's lightly sweet and satisfying, with a rich golden color and a dense, fine crumb that slices beautifully. While it bakes, the kitchen fills with the aroma of apples and fall spices.
This family heirloom recipe has been passed down for generations. As a child, I remember my mom baking her Aunt Velma's applesauce cake for holidays and family gatherings. Years later, my daughter Madison and I recreated it without eggs or dairy, while keeping the flavor and texture like the original. We love honoring traditional recipes, while making them kinder and even more special.
If you love classic apple desserts, try my Vegan Apple Pie and Vegan Apple Crisp. For another favorite made with applesauce and warm fall spices, my Vegan Applesauce Pumpkin Bread is perfect for fall baking.
★★★★★ "Made this morning to bring to a brunch Christmas morning. Of course, I had to do a taste test. It's delicious!! Thanks for sharing this recipe. It's a keeper!" Kathi
Why you'll love this recipe
- A true family recipe. This old-fashioned applesauce cake has been passed down through my family for generations and recreated with vegan ingredients.
- Richly spiced apple flavor. Applesauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves give the cake its distinctive warm flavor and aroma.
- Tested two ways. Bake it as a 9 × 9-inch square cake for easy slicing or in a Bundt pan for a beautiful presentation.
- Perfect for sharing. It makes plenty of neat slices for brunches, holidays, potlucks, or an afternoon coffee break.
- Easy to make your own. Enjoy it plain or add cranberries, walnuts, pecans, or golden raisins.
Ingredient Notes
See the printable recipe card below for quantities & details.
- Applesauce. Smooth, unsweetened applesauce provides moisture and apple flavor without making the cake overly sweet. Homemade or store-bought both work well. If you'd like to make your own, try my Homemade Applesauce.
- Vegan butter. Use softened, not melted, butter. Softened butter blends smoothly with the sugar and helps create the texture we want in this cake.
- Vegan egg replacer. Use the equivalent of two eggs. I tested this recipe with Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, which I found provides reliable binding and structure. If unavailable, flax eggs are another option, although I haven't tested them in this recipe. To make one flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water and let it sit until thickened. For this recipe, you'll need 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed and 6 tablespoons water.
- Spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves give this applesauce cake its warm, old-fashioned spice flavor.
How To Make Applesauce Cake
This recipe can be baked in a 9 × 9-inch square pan or a Bundt pan. The batter is prepared the same way, but the oven temperature and baking time are different.
Square cake baking
1.Preheat the oven to 350°F for a square cake. Grease and lightly flour the bottom and sides of a 9 × 9-inch baking pan.
2. Thoroughly whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Place the softened vegan butter, sugar, prepared egg replacer, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl.
4. Beat until thoroughly combined and smooth. Add the applesauce until fully combined.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients while mixing. Once incorporated, beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or whisk vigorously by hand, until the batter is thick and smooth with no visible lumps.
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. The batter will be thick, so use a spatula to spread it evenly into the corners.
Add-ins: Gently fold in cranberries, nuts or raisins with a large spoon or spatula into the batter before pouring into the baking pan/dish.
7. Bake on the middle oven rack for 35-40 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top should be golden brown and may begin pulling slightly away from the sides of the pan.
8. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool completely.
9. When ready to serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar, glaze, frosting or enjoy simply as is.
How to make an applesauce Bundt cake
Prepare the batter as directed above, with these adjustments:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Thoroughly grease and lightly flour the bottom, center tube, and every crevice of the Bundt pan.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake on the middle rack for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for 30-40 minutes before carefully turning the cake out of the pan.
Allow it to cool completely before adding powdered sugar, glaze, or frosting.
🍎 Connie's Kitchen Tips
Use softened butter. Don't melt the vegan butter. Softened butter blends smoothly with the sugar and other wet ingredients and helps create the cake's fine, even texture.
Whisk the dry ingredients thoroughly. I tested this cake with both sifted and unsifted all-purpose flour and found no noticeable difference in the finished cake. A thorough whisk works just as well and helps evenly distribute the baking soda and spices.
Don't stop mixing too soon. Unlike a quick bread, this batter benefits from additional mixing. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes, until the batter is thick, smooth, and free of visible lumps.
Use the toothpick test. Baking times can vary by oven and pan. The cake should be golden brown and may pull slightly from the sides, but the most reliable test is a toothpick inserted in the center. It should come out clean.
Optional add-ins
This applesauce cake is delicious as-is, but a few simple add-ins work especially well with the apples and warm spices.
- Fresh cranberries. Fold in ⅔ cup whole cranberries, lightly dusted with flour to help prevent them from sinking. Their tart flavor is especially good for the holidays.
- Walnuts or pecans. Fold in ⅔ cup chopped nuts for added texture and flavor.
- Golden raisins. Fold in ⅔ cup for little bursts of sweetness. If your raisins are hard or dry, soak them in hot apple juice for a few minutes to soften and plump them. Drain well before adding.
Finishing the cake
This cake needs very little embellishment. I like it best with a light dusting of powdered sugar. For something sweeter, add a simple glaze or Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, or serve it with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of Vegan Caramel Sauce.
Storage
Store the completely cooled cake securely wrapped or covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Recipe update: I recently revisited and retested this longtime reader favorite, baking it several times in both square and Bundt pans. I made a few minor adjustments to the instructions, baking times, and tips, and added new process photos to make the recipe even easier to follow.
Recipe
Vegan Old-Fashioned Applesauce Cake
Equipment
- Electric mixer (hand or stand)
- 2 large mixing bowls
- A 9 x 9-inch square baking pan/dish or 9-inch Bundt pan
- A silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour all-purpose
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg ground
- ½ teaspoon cloves ground
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt reduce to ½ teaspoon if using salted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup vegan butter softened - not melted
- 2 vegan egg replacer* equivalent of 2 eggs - I used Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer in my recipe tests.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup applesauce smooth, unsweetened
Instructions
Prepare the Cake Batter
- Preheat and prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F for a square cake. Grease and lightly flour the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9-inch baking pan.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Thoroughly whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Place the softened vegan butter, sugar, prepared egg replacer, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Add the applesauce. Mix in the applesauce until fully combined.
- Finish the batter. Gradually add the dry ingredients while mixing. Once incorporated, beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or whisk vigorously by hand, until the batter is thick and smooth with no visible lumps.
- Add optional extras. If using cranberries, nuts, or raisins, gently fold them into the batter with a large spoon or spatula.
Bake a Square Cake
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Use a spatula to spread the thick batter evenly into the corners.
- Bake on the middle oven rack at 350°F for 35-40 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top should be golden brown and may begin pulling slightly away from the sides.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool completely before serving or adding powdered sugar, glaze, or frosting.
Bundt Pan Option
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Thoroughly grease and lightly flour the bottom, center tube, and every crevice of the Bundt pan.
- Prepare the cake batter according to the instructions above, then spread it evenly in the prepared Bundt pan.
- Bake on the middle oven rack for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and place the pan on a wire rack and cool for 30-40 minutes. Carefully turn the cake out of the pan and allow it to cool completely before adding powdered sugar, glaze, or frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Love this site? 💚 Add us as a preferred source on Google ↓
Robin Lynn Stock says
I used part of your recipe. Im making apple cider so I took about 4 cups of the leftover meat from apples, I used, coconut sugar, unbleached whole grain flour, cinnamon, all spice, clove,sea salt, pure vanilla, avocado oil, and some water. Lets see if its good.
Connie says
I'm so curious to hear how it turns out!
Susan says
This was really good. I made it with gluten free flour and monk fruit and added cranberries. I put a vegan cream cheese frosting on it.
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Susan, you're the first person I have heard from that has used monk fruit in this recipe. I really appreciate knowing that it worked well! Thanks so much for sharing your experience!😊
Jennifer Chaplin says
I made this for a party, it was very good, everyone enjoyed it.
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
That is so nice to know, I'm happy your dessert was a crowd pleaser! Thank you Jennifer for your comment & 5-star rating!💚
Kathi says
Made this morning to bring to a brunch Christmas morning. Of course, I had to do a taste test. It’s delicious!! Thanks for sharing this recipe. It’s a keeper!
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Kathi! I'm so happy you love the applesauce cake! Thank you for sharing your kind comments & five-star rating! You made my day.😊
Carla says
I've tried this recipe 3 times, and all three times it has come out looking closer to a flying saucer than a cake – it doesn't rise nearly as much as yours. The batter doesn't look as wet as yours is pictured.
I used 1/4c each olive oil and Earth Balance vegan spread the first time, and 1/2c of Trader Joe's vegan butter the second and third times.
I used gluten-free all-purpose flour the first time and standard all-purpose flour the second and third times.
I used flaxseed eggs all three times, to your suggestion of 1:3 ground flaxseed to water.
It tastes great; it just looks... not great.
Any idea what might be going wrong?
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Carla, oh my gosh you deserve a medal for effort! My first thought is, since your 2nd & third attempts used the same ingredients, perhaps the problem is the leavening agent. Is your baking soda new? I have found that an opened box of baking soda will lose its rising power fairly fast. Another possible reason is elevation. Any chance you live in a higher altitude (>3500 ft.)? The size of cake pan will also affect the height of the cake (larger pan, thinner cake). Hope this helps!
Barbara says
When I make apple cake or cookies, I like to add a teaspoon of dry instant apple cider drink mix (like Alpine). Really pumps up the apple flavor. A little of it can also be added to the glaze. Or use apple cider as the glaze liquid. Or you can use a little frozen apple cider concentrate that’s been thawed.
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Such great tips! I particularly love the idea of using apple cider in a glaze.🍎 Thanks for sharing, Barbara!
Joanne Utke says
I tried this for my husband's birthday and it turned out great! I used coconut oil for the vegan butter, and Bob's for the egg replacer. I didn't do the cranberries this time and I made a lemon glaze by using juice if half a lemon and enough powdered sugar to get the consistency that I wanted. Excellent vegan baking recipe! This I e goes on my go to recipe cards. I am thinking about all the variations that I could do with this like pumpkin, banana, etc...
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Joanne!
Your cake sounds delicious! Lemon glaze is a great way to finish it. Love to hear if you try more variations. Thanks so much for sharing & happy birthday to your lucky husband!
Kristine says
I made a gluten-free version of this using your homemade applesauce recipe and loved how moist and fluffy it was! (That’s a big deal with gluten-free cakes that can get really dense.) I used 6 mini Bundt pans (perfect amount for this recipe) and filled the center hole with some of the chunky applesauce and my vegan GF husband was in heaven for several days. Thanks to you both for adapting and sharing this recipe!
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Kristine! That’s such good news! I’d love to know what type of gluten-free flour you used. What a great idea using mini Bundt pans, I bet they were super cute! Your hubby is a lucky guy 😊 Thanks a bunch for sharing!💚🥕
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
This cake sounds delicious! I love that you added cranberries to it. A nice pop of flavour 🙂
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Thanks a bunch Cindy! I love the combo of apples and cranberries together. 🍏
Crystal says
What a perfect fall recipe! Thanks so much!
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Aw, thank you Crystal, my pleasure. Do let me know if you give it a try.!