Vegan Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake

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.

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!

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🥕See the printable recipe below for complete details.

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.

Ingredients

• 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

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!

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.

• 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.

🍎 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.

Tip # 2 - 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.

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 a simple lemon glaze icing (see notes in the printable recipe below) 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

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 love this recipe, here are a few more sweet ideas!

• Vegan Honey with Apple Juice & Clover
• Easy Vegan Applesauce
• Vegan Orange Cranberry Bread
• Easy Vegan Homemade Pumpkin Bread
• Vegan Oatmeal Muffins
• Vegan Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting