Applesauce Cake With Cream Cheese and Honey Frosting
- Total Time
- About 1 hour 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- 2cups/255 grams all-purpose flour
- 1tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1tablespoon ground ginger
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt
- 2teaspoons baking soda
- 2eggs, beaten
- ½cup/100 grams sugar
- ½cup/120 milliliters buttermilk or plain yogurt
- 1½cups/400 grams unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓cup/80 milliliters canola or other neutral oil
- 6ounces/170 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2tablespoons sour cream
- ¼cup/60 milliliters honey
- Pinch of kosher salt
For the Cake
For the Frosting
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
327 calories; 15 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 22 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 326 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Make the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt and baking soda. Add the eggs, sugar, buttermilk, applesauce and oil and whisk gently just until everything is combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared pan and then smooth the surface so it is even.
- Step 3
Bake the cake until it is just barely firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Set the cake aside on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- Step 4
Use a dinner knife to loosen the edges of the cake from the pan sides and then invert it onto a work surface. Peel off and discard the parchment. Invert the cake one more time onto a serving platter.
- Step 5
Make the frosting: In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, honey and salt and whisk together aggressively until the cream cheese is slightly aerated (you can also do this with a handheld electric mixer or in a stand mixer).
- Step 6
Spread the frosting over the top of the cake and don’t worry too much about making this perfect. A not-too-perfect cake is so much better than a perfect cake. Cut into wedges and serve. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
farmercook
Made this as the cake for apple upside down cake in a skillet, 11inch. Sautéed diced apples and chopped candied ginger with butter and demerera sugar. Poured this over it and baked. Delicious.
Passion for Peaches
Amending my comment because the cake improved hugely after being in the refrigerator overnight (the frosting must be refrigerated). The spices became more noticeable and some of the moisture from the frosting moved into the cake. I still think it needs more oomph in the flavor profile, but I am now more impressed with the recipe than I was the day I made this.
Passion for Peaches
I’ve now made this with both yogurt and buttermilk. The texture, crumb and flavor were better with the buttermilk (I think the cake rose too much with the yogurt). Better, too, with chopped walnuts added. I topped the frosting with small-diced crystallized ginger, which brightened the flavor considerably. Next tweak I’m going to try is subbing in a jar of chunky apple pulp I have on the shelf, for the applesauce.
Gail
Used maple syrup instead of honey and added toasted pecans to frosting. The pecans were a hit.The flavor of the spices became more pronounced after several hours, cake tasted way too blend at first. Oh how I wish I had read all the comments, indeed, way too much salt!
Passion for Peaches
That 1.5 teaspoon amount is for kosher salt. The equivalent for table salt or sea salt is 1 teaspoon. I used 1 teaspoon of sea salt and the salt level was fine.
Theo
Being so not a fan of cream cheese I am going to make the frosting with Mascarpone cheese which I think will be sublime. (I use Mascarpone for Lox and Bagels as well(!)
Passion for Peaches
Recipe calls for *kosher* salt. One and a half teaspoons kosher salt is one teaspoon table or sea salt.
Carla
Because of complaints about blandness and because we didn’t have enough ginger, i added 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp almond extract. I think it might just give the cake a rounder flavor. I agree that the salt can be cut down a bit (I used kosher and went a touch under 1.5 tsp; next time I’ll do 1 tsp). Next time I’ll try a mixture of brown sugar for the caramel flavor and a bit of sugar in the rough for some crunch.
Natasha Haqim
I made this cake today and true to its word, it’s very simple to make. The texture is moist, but the flavor profile, I agree needs some oomph! The honey cream cheese frosting still needs a bit of sugar, I think. If I were to make it again, I might add more spices (maybe nutmeg, allspice) and some chopped walnuts for added texture and taste. Having said that, my husband loved it though!
karla
Your cream cheese may have been too cold. I always beat the cream cheese by itself first, and then add the other ingredients.
Passion for Peaches
This was very bland, even with so much spice! And possibly overbaked (would recommend checking at 35 minutes and testing at 40). It would certainly benefit from the addition of walnuts, but I think it would work well with candied ginger, too. If I make it again I will split it into two layers and make more frosting for the middle. The sticky frosting could use something, too. Maybe lemon or orange zest? Good template, but needs tweaking.
JW
This cake was very good. I used full fat plain yogurt and checked it after 30 per comments about cooking time being too long. It was done after 40 mins. I added golden raisins, chopped crystallized ginger, and pecans straight into the batter at the end. After the cake cooled, I glazed it with a simple Rosewater icing but I can see leaving it off to have more as a breakfast or snack cake. It was moist and delicious. Will make again.
mzhungry
Made this as written and it was definitely easy. Tasty cake but not spectacular, though frosting was very nice. Baking time as stated would definitely be too long for my oven at least - I baked for 40-ish minutes and it was still a tad overdone.
Gluten free version?
Has anyone tried to make this gluten free? I want to attempt for a gf family member this thanksgiving and would love any feedback!
PF
Based on the comments, I did increase the spices with a little clove and grated nutmeg and used dark brown sugar in addition to cane sugar. Plus sultanas soaked in Cognac. Because you can never find the Armagnac when you need it. Overall a good (meaning repeatable) recipe but maybe 2 tsp baking soda is too much.
Gale S
Made cake as written. I baked for only 45 minutes, but next time will start checking doneness at 30-35 minutes. For the frosting, I substituted real maple syrup for the honey and upped the maple flavor with an extra teaspoon of maple extract. This is a nice fall cake.
thesheck
Made with GF 1:1 and yogurt. The crumb is excellent but the flavor is a bit bland. Next time a bit of maple syrup or honey in the batter?
J Marsh
The salt was a borderline disaster. 1 1/2 tsp sounded like too much, so I used 3/4 tsp, it was almost too much. Next time, 1/2 tsp. With the number of people who have commented about the salt maybe the author would make a correction so people don't waste ingredients making a salty cake?... I used a pinch of ground cloves in the dry ingredients, fresh ginger in the wet ingredients, a splash of vanilla and 'buttermilk' made with oatmilk & lemon. Frosting with only cream cheese, honey & maple syrup
donna
When I saw only half cup sugar I thought for my particle taste that’s not enough sugar so I used muscleman’s cinnamon applesauce . I also only had to bake it 40 mins. I love this cake it’s right up my alley. I had to add some confection sugar to tighten the icing a bit since I used the whole 8 oz package of cream cheese. Had some leftover which never goes to waste.
Ronna
Loved the texture but hated the taste! Way too salty and I couldn’t taste any spices. All I tasted was salt. After we ate it once, I binned the rest. Yuck!
javafiend
Did you use kosher salt or table salt? The same volume of table salt is up to twice as salty as the same volume of kosher salt, depending on the brand of kosher salt.
Dominique
I would even go so far as to say that sliced through the middle, this cake would vibe great with cooked apples or another fruit or jam or caramel and nuts in addition to the frosting.
Dominique
Very simple and very tasty. I added clove and used up some homemade apple butter. I used mascarpone instead of cream cheese. I’m not trying to be one of those just to say these are fairly minor adjustments and you can easily adjust to your preferences with this recipe ie spices and sweetness.
nina
To those feeling like this is bland: yes spice it up (almond and vanilla extract, more spices), but also after it cools, throw it in the fridge and eat cold! Such a good cold cake!
Geno
This recipe has potential, but I won’t be making it again as written. First of all, the amount of kosher salt was far too great. Luckily I tasted the batter before baking, because it was noticeably salty. I added close to another 1/2 cup of sugar to temper the saltiness. Upon baking, the cake still tasted salty to some folks and was overall quite bland. I think with some adjustments, this recipe would make a nice iced loaf for breakfast.
Ronna
I made this cake and it baked up beautifully. It was lovely and moist. The only problem I had is that it had absolutely no flavor. And there was way too much salt as far as I was concerned. If I made it again, I would maybe have one or a half teaspoon of salt. Instead of one and a half teaspoons of salt. I’d to add more spices like a bit of nutmeg and cloves. Perhaps some raisins or nuts. Not my favourite cake. I tried it the next day with dulce de Leche on top. I ended up throwing it out.
Leah J
I checked it at 45 minutes which I thought was too much time. It was done, but next time, I'll check it after 40 minutes. As for the frosting, next time, I will use the whole 8 oz. package of cream cheese.
sadface
I love Julia Turshen, I do, but this cake is bland, not sweet enough, and honestly too moist. Not a fan, would not make again.
Lynne
My family and I really liked this cake. Like other reviewers, I found it to be completely baked at 35 minutes and to taste even better on its second day. I added a couple of hands full of dried cranberries and some chopped walnuts to the cake batter and added chopped crystallized ginger to the frosting. Delicious!
susanm
Read the comments and made this cake for an ill neighbor and her little kids with whole wheat flour, brown sugar, and added raisins and 1/2T of nutmeg. Made an incredible icing with mascarpone, maple syrup, and 1/3 cup of confectioners' sugar. Excited to share this with them.
E. Cruise
That frosting was sloppy. I probably added 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar.
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