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.
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Kayla DiMaggio says
Yum! This applesauce cake has all the great flavors of Fall! I loved it so much!
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Kayla, you're so right. It's my favorite Fall dessert next to pumpkin bread!🍎🎃 Thanks a bunch!🥕
Andrea White says
The perfect sweet treat! I love it! 🙂
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
It really is! Thank you!
Sam says
This is absolutely delicious!! I love using applesauce in baking and the idea of adding cranberries is irresistible. Love!
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Sam, thanks so much! I'd love to hear if you give it a go!💚
Carol says
This looks so moist and wonderfully delicious!
I am going to sub chopped pitted dates for the cranberries. I have always loved a good applesauce cake! It is incredibly comforting.
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Carol, dates would be scrumptious in this cake, great idea! Do let me know how it turns out. Happy baking!🥣
Helga says
This cake is yummy! I used 2 cups of applesauce just because I had it and wanted to use it up. Didn’t leave out the butter. The cake was very moist and delish 😋
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Helga! Isn't it a great cake? I bet that extra applesauce made it extra moist. So glad you love the recipe & thanks a bunch for sharing!🍎🌱
Karen says
Can you use a gluten free flour?
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Karen! I haven't baked this cake with gluten-free flour, but I would imagine you can. Do you have a favorite GF flour for cakes? I have used Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur 1:1 gluten-free flours in baking.
Lindsay says
I made this cake a few nights ago and I'm super happy with it! I substituted flax for the egg replacer, baking powder for the soda, and extra applesauce for the butter and the cake rose beautifully and is still super moist and tasty! Definitely adding this into my cake rotation! Thank you!
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Lindsay - I've been curious about replacing the butter with more applesauce & I'm so glad you tried it & loved the results. Thanks a bunch for sharing your experience! 💚🥕
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
There's very good reason why applesauce cake is so popular. It's absolutely delicious and this vegan version is over-the-top scrumptious!
Jayne says
Could this be made without the oil or is there a replacement for it?
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Jayne - good question. I haven't prepared this particular recipe without using butter, but if I did, I would replace it with 1/2 cup (more) applesauce.🍎 Love to hear if you give it a try! 🥕
Lindsay says
I just made this cake a couple nights ago and substituted applesauce for the butter and it came out really good!
Janet says
Hi, I would like to make this cake but what can I substitute for the egg replacer? I don’t like using it. Thanks. Janet
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Janet! I'm happy you want to make this cake 🍏 it's so delish! Here are a couple options for egg replacers that I have used in other cake recipes with great success. I haven't tried them in this one, but I can imagine either will do the trick: Option 1. Ground Flax Meal - Combine one tablespoon flax meal (ground flax seed) with 3 tablespoons water per egg - which would be a total of 2 tbsps flax meal & 6 tbsp water since this recipe requires the equivalent of 2 eggs. Option 2. Soda Water - Use 1/4 cup carbonated water per egg (1/2 cup total for this recipe).
I'd love to hear what you choose to use & how your cake turns out! Happy baking!🥕