Description
Delight in this moist and flavorful Apple Spice Cake, bursting with warm spices and a double dose of apples. Perfectly tender with a rich blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, this cake serves wonderfully as a comforting dessert topped with buttermilk syrup, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
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 preferred)
- 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 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Optional Toppings
- Buttermilk syrup
- Whipped cream
- Vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch metal pan with butter, spray it, or line it with parchment paper to prepare for baking.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour or gluten-free flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter & Sugar: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar using a hand mixer or paddle attachment for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined.
- Finish Wet Ingredients: Beat in the eggs one at a time until each is fully incorporated. Then stir in the applesauce thoroughly.
- Add Dry Ingredients, Then The Apples: Gently stir or mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until blended. Next, fold in the grated or diced apples until evenly distributed in the batter.
- Bake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the cake starts to brown too much, tent it loosely with foil during the last few minutes. Once baked, cool the cake on a wire rack.
- Serve & Store: Slice the cake and top each piece with buttermilk syrup, caramel sauce, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Optionally, frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting. Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or at room temperature for 1 to 2 days for best quality.
Notes
- This apple spice cake features a perfect blend of warm spices combined with both applesauce and fresh apples for a moist and flavorful texture.
- You can substitute all purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend if preferred.
- If the cake browns too quickly during baking, use foil to tent the pan to prevent over-browning.
- Serving the cake warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream enhances its comforting flavor.
- For added richness, consider frosting with cream cheese frosting as an alternative topping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice (1/15th Recipe - Cake Only)
- Calories: 240 kcal
- Sugar: 26.7 g
- Sodium: 292.7 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: 41.1 mg
