Amish Applesauce Cake
Amish applesauce cake is delightfully moist and full of warm and cozy flavors. With every delicious bite, you get the taste of apples and spices, along with the crunchy texture of the nuts.
I prescribe a piece of this applesauce spice cake with a cup of coffee to get your day started off right! 😉 And I am not kidding when I say that this old-fashioned applesauce cake is addictive!
Applesauce Walnut Cake
Did you know that you can use applesauce to replace fats when baking? Baking with applesauce instead of butter or oil adds fiber and helps to reduce calories and fat. And, because of its water content, it will also keep your baked goods moist and fresh longer.
In this Amish cake recipe, applesauce is used for moisture and overall flavor.
And the nuts are added for an extra crunchy texture, flavor, and protein. You can use either walnuts or pecans, whichever you prefer.
Some people also like to add raisins and frozen cherries to applesauce walnut cake. And I don’t mind raisins in this cake, but I usually leave them out because not everyone cares for them.
Cake with Applesauce – Memories of Canning Applesauce
I grew up in an Amish home with nine siblings. Seven of them were boys, so I was a bit outnumbered.
And typically, in Amish homes, the boys work in the barn and fields with dad, and the girls work in the house and garden with mom.
Although we girls got called on plenty of times to help with the barn chores as well. But you’d rarely find the boys helping with the women’s work. It didn’t seem fair, but that’s the way it was.
We had several apple trees on our farm, and every fall my mom would make sure that we cook and can enough applesauce to last till the next apple season. And our family ate A LOT of applesauce!
My dad and my brothers ate applesauce with practically every meal. I know, it sounds disgusting, but they mixed applesauce with their hot cooked food to cool it down. Yuck!
I never was a fan of applesauce, but guess who had to help cut, cook, and can all those hundreds of jars of applesauce. It was no fun, and I used to feel rather bitter that I had to do all this work because the men ate so much applesauce.
And whenever there wasn’t enough applesauce on the table at dinnertime, guess who had to run to the cellar to get another jar. Yep, it was me, and inwardly I felt infuriated that the boys couldn’t go get their own applesauce.
So I have memories attached to applesauce that aren’t all pleasant. Although looking back, it seems rather foolish that I had such an attitude about it. lol
This applesauce cake recipe can be baked in a 9×13″ pan or a bundt pan. (affiliate links)
Does Amish Applesauce Cake Need Frosting?
You could top this old-fashioned applesauce cake with caramel icing or glaze, or cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Or you could slather it with your favorite buttercream frosting, whatever you prefer.
But honestly, this moist homemade applesauce cake does not need frosting. You can dust it with a bit of powdered sugar, or leave it plain.
I LOVE to eat this cake plain, along with a cup of coffee for breakfast! It feels more like I’m eating a muffin. Because after all, isn’t the frosting basically the only difference between cake and a muffin? And this applesauce cake has fruit in it too, so it sounds pretty healthy to me. 😉
Well, I’m kidding actually (kind’ve), because as much as we wish cake was healthy, we all know that it’s not. But, you know, this easy applesauce cake from scratch is still healthier than some cakes. 🙂
Try More Amish Cake Recipes…
Carrot Cake with Pineapple and Pecans Recipe
Homemade Angel Food Cake Recipe
Amish Applesauce Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. butter (1 stick), softened
- 1 c. white sugar
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1 egg, plus 1 yolk
- 2 c. applesauce
- 1/2 c. milk
- 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
- 1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 c. raisins, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9 x 13" baking pan, or grease and flour a bundt pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter. Add the sugars and beat well.1/2 c. butter (1 stick), softened, 1 c. white sugar, 1 c. brown sugar
- Add the egg and yolk. Mix well.1 egg, plus 1 yolk
- Add the applesauce and milk. Mix.2 c. applesauce, 1/2 c. milk
- In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on medium/low speed until incorporated.2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground cloves, 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
- Stir in the chopped nuts and raisins.1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans, 1 c. raisins, optional
- Pour the mixture into your greased pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with only a few dry crumbs. Bake a 9 x 13" cake for about 40 minutes, but it will take about 55 minutes for a bundt cake.
- Cool and enjoy. Dust the top with powdered sugar or top it with your favorite frosting.