This fragrant spiced Applesauce Crumb Cake is quick and easy to make with a few simple ingredients. The soft applesauce butter cake is topped with a crunchy oat streusel topping, creating a delicious Winter cake that is full of flavours and textures.

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This Applesauce Crumb Cake is soft, moist, and warmly spiced. With its super light crumb and crunchy streusel topping, it is the perfect cozy bake for dessert, morning coffee or afternoon tea!
Made with only a few simple ingredients and topped with a buttery cinnamon oat streusel, this easy recipe is a delicious way to use up leftover applesauce.
More crumble cakes to try:
Ingredients
What is Applesauce Crumb Cake made of:
Scroll down to recipe card below for all quantities
Ingredients Notes:
- Butter: unsalted butter, at room temperature / soft. If too cold or too warm (looks a bit greasy), it will not cream properly with the sugar and you won't get a nice fluffy crumb in the cake.
- Brown Sugar: I used light brown sugar but you can use dark brown sugar for a deeper molasses flavour. Alternatively, use white granulate sugar / caster sugar - though I personally find that brown sugar works best with spices.
- Eggs: large eggs, at room temperature. If cold, they will make the creamed butter harden and curdle.
- Applesauce: you can use either a homemade applesauce or store-bought one. If using store-bought one, try to pick one that is only very lightly sweetened - or even better, completely unsweetened. This gives you more control on the overall sweetness of the cake.
- Oats: rolled oats for the crumble. You can replace it with the same amount of flour if you do not want to use oats.
- Spices: I used a mix of Cinnamon, Cloves and Nutmeg - but you can really use any of your preferred spices here (or only use cinnamon).
Variation / Optional Addition:
- Apple chunks: a great way to add even more flavour and texture to your cake is to add small apple chunks. You can fold them into the cake batter or place them over the batter before topping for the crumble.
- Spices: You can use more or less spices to suit your taste and use different spices as well, such as ginger, allspice or star anise.
- Nuts: add some chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts directly into the cake batter or add to the crumb topping for extra crunch.
- Dried Fruits: some raisins / sultanas or even dried cranberries could be a great addition to the batter!
How to make Applesauce Coffee Cake
1. Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over the stove or in the microwave. Set aside to cool.
- Photo 1: Place the plain / AP flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
- Photo 2: Whisk to combine until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Photo 3: Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredient mix.
- Photo 4: using a heat-proof spatula, gently mix to cover all the dry ingredients with the melted butter. With your fingers, press the batter between your fingers to form small crumbs.
Be careful when using your fingers as the melted butter might still be warm.
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- Place in the fridge while you make the cake batter.
2. Spiced Applesauce Cake
- Preheat your oven on 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a 22 cm / 8.5-inch Springform Pan with baking paper and set aside.
- Photo 5: in a small bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: plain / all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Photo 6: Place the soft butter and brown sugar in a separate large bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes on medium speed or until it looks like a fluffy thick paste.
- Photo 7: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium low speed until fully combined.
If the mixture looks like it is splitting at this point, it is usually an indication that your butter was either too cold or too warm - or that the eggs were too cold.
- Photo 8: Mix in the applesauce.
- Photo 9: Add the flour mixture and mix with the electric mixer on low speed.
- Photo 10: Stop mixing as soon as you cannot see streaks of flour and get a thick mixture.
- Photo 11: transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Use a small offset spatula or back of a spoon so smooth out the top and get an even layer.
- Photo 12: sprinkle the oat crumble all over the cake batter. Make sure to break down larger chunks that might have solidified together to get pea size crumbs.
- Bake for about 35 minutes or until the cake has risen, the crumbs look golden and the tip of a knife or skewer comes out clean.
- Place on a wire rack to cool down completely before removing from the pan. Optionally, dust with icing sugar before serving.
The applesauce crumb cake can be served warm or cold.
Recipe FAQs
Applesauce adds moisture, flavour and sweetness to baked goods. It makes baked good more tender and fragrant.
Either! I love using my Homemade Applesauce in baking but you can absolutely use store-bought one instead. Just make sure the applesauce is unsweetened - or only lightly sweetened - or the overall flavour might be a bit too sweet.
Yes - if you don't want to use oats for the crumble, you can simply substitute it for the same amount of plain / AP flour.
- Cinnamon Glaze
- Homemade Applesauce
- Apple Curd
- Mixed Berry Compote
- Vanilla Ice Cream
Tips & Troubleshooting
- It is important for the butter to be at room temperature (between 18-20 degrees C / 65-68 degrees F) when creaming it with the sugar. If too cold (you can't easily dent it when pressed with a finger) or too warm (looks slightly greasy), the mixture will split once you add the eggs. If this happens, try to mix the mixture on high speed to force the emulsion (if butter is too cold) or place in the fridge for a few minutes (if butter is too warm).
- For a stronger apple flavour, simply add some apple chunks to the cake! Either fold them into the cake batter or place them over the batter before topping for the crumble.
- It can be hard to tell if the cake is ready because of the crumb topping. When unbaked, the centre of the cake will jiggle slightly when the pan is moved. Test the doneness with a toothpick or skewer to be sure it is fully baked.
Storing & Freezing
This applesauce coffee cake can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap / aluminium foil for up to 3 days. You can serve the cake either cold or warm - simply heat it individual slices for 20 or 30 seconds in the microwave.
It is best served fresh as freezing it will affect the texture of the crumbs once thawed.
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"Bite-Sized French Pastries for the Beginner Baker"
is now available for purchase!
Recipe
Applesauce Crumb Cake
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 50 gr Unsalted Butter, melted
- 50 gr Plain / All-Purpose Flour
- 50 gr Rolled Oats
- 50 gr Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Applesauce Cake
- 225 gr Plain / All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 pinch Fine Table Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Clove
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 120 gr Unsalted Butter, soft, at room temperature
- 120 gr Light Brown Sugar
- 2 large Eggs, at room temperature
- 240 gr Applesauce, unsweetened
Instructions
Crumb Topping
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over the stove or in the microwave. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and cinnamon until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Pour the melted butter over the dry mix. Using a heat-proof spatula, gently mix to cover all the dry ingredients with the melted butter. With your fingers, press the batter between your fingers to form small crumbs (see note 1).
- Place in the fridge to set while you prepare the cake.
Applesauce Cake
- Preheat your oven on 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a 22 cm / 8.5-inch Springform Pan with baking paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large separate bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) use a hand mixer on medium speed to cream the butter and sugar for about 3 to 5 minutes. The mixture should look like a fluffy, thick paste.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium low speed until fully combined (see note 2).
- Whisk in the applesauce, then add the dry ingredients mix. Mix on the lower speed and stop as soon as you cannot see streaks of flour. You should get a thick mixture.
Assembling the cake
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Use a small offset spatula or back of a spoon so smooth out the top and get an even layer.
- Sprinkle the oat crumble all over the cake batter. Break down larger chunks that might have solidified in the fridge to get pea size crumbs.
- Bake for about 35 minutes or until the cake has risen, the crumbs look golden and the tip of a knife or skewer comes out clean (see note 3).
- Place on a wire rack to cool down completely before removing from the pan. Optionally, dust with icing sugar before serving.Serve warm or cold.
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Notes
- Be careful when using your fingers as the melted butter might still be warm.
- It is important for the butter to be at room temperature (between 18-20 degrees C / 65-68 degrees F) when creaming it with the sugar. If too cold (you can't easily dent it when pressed with a finger) or too warm (looks slightly greasy), the mixture will split once you add the eggs. If this happens, try to mix the mixture on high speed to push the emulsion (if butter is too cold) or place in the fridge for a few minutes (if butter is too warm).
- It can be hard to tell if the cake is ready because of the crumb topping. When unbaked, the centre of the cake will jiggle slightly when the pan is moved. Test the doneness with a toothpick or skewer to be sure it is fully baked.
Nutrition (per serving)
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