Vegan Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake 🍏 We've updated a beloved family recipe by creating the perfect marriage of apples, spice and everything nice using all vegan ingredients in this scrumptiously moist & delicious cake.

A vegan old fashioned applesauce cake with cranberries inside a bundt pan.

Few aromas are more enticing than the welcoming scent of baked apples, cinnamon and nutmeg wafting from the kitchen. I love vegan apple crisp and apple pie, but there's nothing quite like enjoying a cup of coffee or tea (sweetened with homemade vegan apple honey) and a slice of this wonderfully sweet, lightly spicy and deliciously moist applesauce cake.

This recipe is one that has been in my family for generations, handed down from my great aunt - to my mother - to me - and now, to my daughter Madison. I have been creating and curating a collection of vegan fall and Thanksgiving inspired recipes and asked Madi if she would work her culinary magic on Aunt Velma’s old fashioned applesauce cake by replacing the dairy and eggs with plant-based ingredients. We couldn't believe how great it smelled while baking and how gorgeous it looked when she took it out of the oven. Then we tasted it. OMG. It was so fantastic we decided to make another one - this time with fresh cranberries. Holy wow!

A slice of vegan old fashioned applesauce cake on a plate.

Ingredients

🥕See the printable recipe card below for quantities & details.

Flour
Applesauce - homemade or store-bought
Baking soda
Salt
Cinnamon - ground
Nutmeg - ground
Cloves - ground
Butter - vegan
Sugar - granulated
Vegan egg replacer – we used Bob’s Red Mill or you can use flax seed (1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons water = 1 egg)
Vanilla

A bowl of homemade applesauce and fresh apple slices.

Applesauce is, of course, the key ingredient in the marvelous cake. You can use sweetened or unsweetened, smooth or chunky, depending on your preference. Personally, I love to make homemade applesauce, so that is what we used. If you haven't created your own before, it's super simple and so delicious!

Ingredients for making old fashione vegan applesauce cake.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F
In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
In another large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, vegan egg replacer and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined and smooth.
Add applesauce to wet ingredients. Mix until combined then gradually add in dry ingredients. Continue mixing on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes.
Fold in cranberries, nuts or other add-ins to the batter.🥕See notes below.
Prepare baking pan by coating with butter or oil and then dusting with flour.

A bundt pan filled with batter for old fashioned vegan apple sauce cake.

Pour batter into pan. Place in oven on middle shelf.
Bake at 350° for 55 minutes.
Place cake in pan on a cooling rack for at least 15 - 20 minutes prior to removing from pan. Allow to cool completely before adding icing or powdered sugar.

Old fashioned vegan applesauce cake on a tray.

I decided to finish this cranberry applesauce cake with a light dusting of powdered sugar, which gives it a festive holiday look. While this cake is perfectly delish just as is, if you prefer your cake with a little something extra, why not drizzle the top with this easy homemade vegan caramel sauce or slather on some of our luscious vegan lemon cream cheese frosting.

Variations

This recipe is so easy to prepare. One of the things I love about it is the variety of ingredients you can add to the basic batter. You can create a lot of different cakes with just one simple recipe.

For this post, we included fresh cranberries. They were a fabulous addition. The tart berries provided a colorful and tasty contrast to the lightly spicy and sweet cake. Imagine what else you can add? Here's a few ideas:

Fresh blueberries
Chopped walnuts or pecans
Chopped fresh apples
Golden raisins
Chopped dates

Equipment

Electric mixer (hand or stand)
2 large mixing bowls
A 9" bundt/tube pan or square baking pan
Measuring spoons
Measuring cup
A silicone spatula

I decided to use a Bundt pan to bake this cake, but you can also use a basic round or square cake pan.

🍎 Top Tips For Better Baking

Tip #1 - Read the recipe thoroughly before starting. Familiarize yourself with each step before you begin baking. Make sure you have all the ingredients you'll need.

Use fresh ingredients, including flour, baking soda and baking powder. All-purpose white flour has a shelf life of about 3-8 months. Gluten-free and whole wheat flours may become stale sooner. Unless you bake a lot, it's better to purchase flour in small quantities. Baking soda and baking powder can lose their rising oomph after a few months, so I like to keep an extra unopened box or tin on hand, just in case.

Tip #3 - Measure accurately. Baking is equal parts science and art. Unlike some cooking methods where you can guess-timate quantities by adding a handful of this or a pinch of that - too much or too little of an ingredient can mean the difference between ooh and aah or uh-oh. Pre-measuring your ingredients with everything prepped in advance can be a game-changer.

Tip #4 - Set a timer and keep an eye on the oven. Temperature accuracy can differ with some ovens. You may find the baking times will need to be adjusted depending on your oven. I like to check whatever I'm baking at least 5-10 minutes before the timer rings. If you have an older oven, using an oven thermometer can be a helpful tool.

Tip #5 - Baking in high altitudes over 3,500 feet above sea level requires a few adjustments for baked goods to rise properly. You may need to increase your oven temperature and decrease the baking time as well as adjust the quantities of certain ingredients. This article from King Arthur Baking offers a lot of great tips on successful high-altitude baking.

Slices of vegan old fashioned applesauce cake on a plate with fresh cranberries.

A (very) brief history of applesauce cake

Since this recipe certainly has a history in our family, I was curious to see how it originated. According to Wikipedia it dates all the way back to colonial times in the United States. In fact, this delicious dessert is so popular there is an official day dedicated to it - National Applesauce Cake Day which occurs annually on June 6th. Now that's something sweet to celebrate!

If you enjoy baking, I think you will love these fall baking recipes!

If you’ve enjoyed this recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ please rate it in the comments below.

Thanks a bunch!🥕

Recipe

Vegan Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake

5 from 15 votes

by Connie🥕

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 55

Course Dessert, potluck, Snack

Cuisine American, Christmas, dairy free, egg free, Fruit, Holiday, no dairy, Thanksgiving

Servings

Calories 206 kcal

Equipment

Electric mixer (hand or stand)
2 large mixing bowls
A 9" bundt/tube pan or square baking pan
Measuring spoons
Measuring cup
A silicone spatula

Ingredients

2 cups flour all-purpose
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
½ teaspoon nutmeg ground
½ teaspoon cloves ground
½ cup vegan butter softened - not melted (I like Miyoko's butter)
1 cup sugar
2 vegan egg replacer* equivalent of 2 eggs - see suggestions in 🥕Notes
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup applesauce chilled

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F
In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
In another large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, vegan egg replacer and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined and smooth.
Add applesauce to wet ingredients. Mix until combined then gradually add in dry ingredients. Continue mixing on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes.
Fold in cranberries, nuts or any other add-ins to the batter.
🥕See notes below.
Prepare baking pan by coating with butter or oil and then dusting with flour.
Pour batter into pan. Place in oven on middle shelf.
Bake at 350° for 55 minutes.
Place cake in pan on a cooling rack for at least 15 - 20 minutes prior to removing from pan. Allow to cool completely before adding icing or powdered sugar.
🥕See notes below.
Leftover cake is best stored (covered) in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

🥕This recipe is for basic Vegan Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake, which is absolutely scrumptious all on its own. You can enjoy it just as it is or add one or more extra ingredients such as:

⅔ cup whole fresh cranberries or blueberries (lightly dusted in flour)
⅔ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
⅔ cup chopped apples
⅔ cup golden raisins

🥕Vegan egg replacer – we used Bob’s Red Mill or you can use flax seed (1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons water = 1 egg)

🥕To frost or not to frost? That is the question. This sweet and moist cake can be enjoyed with or without icing or frosting, but if you decide to add a little something extra, might I suggest:

A light dusting of powdered sugar over the top of the cake. It's a perfect finish as a holiday dessert. Simply pour a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar into a small strainer or sifter and lightly shake it over the cake until it's as you like it!
Drizzle the top of the cake with a lemon glaze icing. Combine ½ cup powdered sugar with ¼ cup lemon juice (add juice 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency). Drizzle with a teaspoon over top of cake. You could also make a similar icing with apple juice and a pinch of cinnamon.
Frost the cake with vegan lemon cream cheese frosting. See the recipe here.

Nutrition

Calories: 206kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 347mgPotassium: 42mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 366IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mg

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.

Vegan Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake

Ingredients