This Spiced Apple Loaf Cake with Applesauce makes the most delicious Autumn and Winter dessert. The Applesauce Bread is packed with chunks of Apples and Spices; perfect to enjoy with your afternoon tea!
Why we love this recipe
This apple bread with applesauce and apples chunks is probably one of my favourite winter dessert ever. Just like my French Apple Cake, this dessert is super easy and quick to make. It brings you these warm, comforting sweet flavours you often crave when the temperatures drop!
I love to use applesauce in my apple desserts, either as a filling or inside the cake batter like my Gluten Free Apple Cake, Puff Pastry Apple Tartlets or French Apple Tart. It can even be used to replace eggs like in this Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal!
The use of applesauce in the batter gives this cake an incredibly moist texture that is perfectly balanced by the chunky pieces of fresh apple. If you love spices and apples together, you will love this recipe!
Ingredients
To make this Spiced Apple Cake, you will need (scroll down to recipe card for all quantities):
- Sugar: Brown Sugar, either light or dark
- Eggs: medium size, at room temperature
- Canola Oil: or your preferred neutral-flavoured cooking oil
- Applesauce : preferably homemade
- Flour: Plain / All-Purpose
- Baking Powder, Baking Soda & Salt
- Spices: I used Cinnamon, Ginger, Allspice
- Fresh Apples
- Optional: flaked almonds
Ingredient Substitution
- Canola Oil: can be replaced by any neutral flavoured vegetable oil - or melted butter
- Applesauce: I used a Smooth Applesauce, but you could also use a Chunky Applesauce if preferred - though it will change the texture of the cake. I also highly recommend using a applesauce that is low in sugar or made without added sugar to control the sweetness of the cake.
- Spices: I used a mix of Cinnamon, Ginger and Allspice - but you can absolutely add other spices you like or replace them with your favourite spices.
How to make Apple Bread with Applesauce
This cake is very simple and quick to make. No need for fancy utensils or a mixer here - it is all made by hand with a whisk and a couple of mixing bowls!
- First, pre-heat your oven on 180'C/350'F and prepare your Loaf Pan (I used a 25 cm/10inch Loaf Pan) by greasing and flouring it (*).
- Before starting to make the cake batter, prepare the Apple Chunks: peal, core then slice the apple into small cubes and set aside.
- For the cake batter: whisk the Eggs and Brown Sugar in a large mixing bowl until bubbly - about 2 minutes.
- Add the Canola Oil and Applesauce and whisk until combined.
(*) I used an Oil Spray to grease the whole pan, then dusted it with flour. When the pan is fully covered in flour, flip it and tap it against your kitchen bench to remove any flour excess.
The second step is adding all of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients:
- Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl (*): Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt and Spices
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until fully combined and no lumps remain - but try not to overwork the batter to get a fluffy cake texture.
- Lastly, fold in the chunks of Apples until evenly distributed in the batter. You can also save a few chunks to add over the batter in the loaf pan to get some caramelised apple chunks sticking out.
- Optional: sprinkle some Flaked Almonds over the cake before baking it.
- Pour the batter into the Loaf Pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer poked into the cake comes out clean.
Tip: to get an even crack in the centre of the apple loaf cake, take it out of the oven after 10 minutes and slash it with a sharp knife.
(*) I like to mix all of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl to insure they will be evenly mixed with the wet ingredients. This is the best way to insure the cake bakes evenly, but is optional if you want to skip this step.
Recipe FAQs
The type of fruit you use to make this cake will have an impact on its taste. You can go for a sweeter apple if you have a sweet tooth, or alternatively choose a more crisp and tart apple variety.
I personally used some Pink Lady Apples for this cake. They have a delicious crunchy texture that is both sweet and crisp.
Here are a few varieties of apples that bake very well in cakes:
- Sweet: Golden Delicious or Jazz
- Crisp: Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Braeburn
- Sweet and Tart: Fuji, Pink Lady or Jonagold
You can read more about picking the right apples for baking in this article.
This Apple Spice Loaf Cake can be kept at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. You can keep it in the loaf pan covered with plastic wrap or aluminium foil (once completely cool) or transfer it into an air-tight container.
Alternatively, this apple tea cake can be kept in the fridge for an extra day or two - but it will become drier. If you keep it in the fridge, I highly recommend warming up individual slices before eating them.
Individual slice can be toasted (preferably on a lower heat / short time) to lightly caramelise the apples and warm up the cake.
Yes, this applesauce Loaf can be frozen for up to 3 months. You can freeze it whole but I personally prefer to freeze individual slices as they are easier to thaw.
Before freezing, make sure to let the apple loaf cake cool down completely. Wrap the cake or individual slices with wrap and/or foil, or keep in an freezer friendly container / freezing bag.
If freezing individual slices together, separate each slice with some baking paper.
More Apple Recipes:
- Apple Fritter Breakfast Cake from Courtney's Sweets
- Apple Dumplings from Kylee Cooks
- Apple Upside-Down Cake
- Easy Apple Galette
- Apple Streusel Muffins
- Pear and Apple Crumble
Made this recipe? Let us know if you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below! And don't forget to share your creation on Instagram with the hashtag #abakingjourney and tag @a.baking.journey
Apple Loaf Cake with Applesauce
Ingredients
- 1 Apple
- 60 gr (1/3 cup) Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) Canola Oil - or vegetable oil
- 250 gr (1 cup) Applesauce - Smooth
- 300 gr (2 cups) Plain / All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
- 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Allspice
- Flaked Almond, to taste - optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven on 180'C/350'F. Grease and Flour a Loaf Pan (*).
- Peal, core and slice the Apple into small cubes. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the Brown Sugar and Eggs together until froathy.
- Add the Canola Oil and Applesauce and whisk until combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (1): Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt and Spices (2)
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until combined and no lumps remain. Do not overwork the batter.
- Fold the cubed Apples into the batter until evenly spread.
- Pour the Batter into the Loaf Pan
- Optional: sprinkle some flaked almonds on the top of the loaf (3)
- Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer poked in the cake comes out clean (4)Optional: to create an even crack in the centre of the loaf, take it out of the oven after 10 minutes and slash it with a sharp knife, then place it back in the oven.
Notes
- This is to insure all of the dry ingredients are properly mixed together and insure an even baking. Depending on the Flour you use, you might have to sift it first as well.
- I used a mix of Cinnamon, Ginger and Allspice but you can absolutely use the spice mix you prefer instead.
- I left the centre of the loaf clear of flaked almonds so that the cake would evenly crack in the centre.
- If the cake seems to become brown quickly, it means your oven might be too hot. Simply reduce the temperature slightly.
If the top gets very brown but the centre is not baked yet, you can cover the loaf with aluminium foil to finish the baking without burning the cake.
