This delicious old fashioned Applesauce Cake with a fabulous browned butter lemon frosting is easy to make. It is also a soft and flavorful cake with the pop of lemon flavor from the frosting.
It's the browned lemon butter frosting on top that makes this Applesauce Cake extra delicious. The cake is soft, flavorful of apples and cinnamon and with that topping of lemon drizzled down the side: pure deliciousness.
Ingredients
- flour - all purpose
- sugar
- baking soda
- salt
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- applesauce - unsweetened
- water
- shortening
- eggs
- raisins optional
- powdered sugar - frosting
- margarine - frosting
- lemon juice - frosting
So here is the big dilemma: Do you add raisins and nuts to the batter. Now, if you want my opinion, raisins are a sure thing. I LOVE raisins in this cake. It adds another depth to the cake that makes the cake shine even more.
Mixing up this cake
When making this Applesauce Cake, the best part, besides the taste, is the fact it is indeed, one bowl. From start to finish, you just put everything in a large bowl and mix it.
No need to separate the flour from the wet ingredients. You can dump everything in and use a hand mixer and mix away.
Types of pans to use
The standard cake pan to use is a 9x13 cake pan. I have used a Bundt pan and also a springform pan. All work well, some temperatures will vary. The standard time for this cake is 40 minutes. A springform pan will take a few minutes longer.
Browned butter lemon frosting
This frosting adds the pop of flavor to this cake that makes this cake sing. The apple flavor combined with the lemon is just plain perfect.
When adding lemon juice to the butter/powered sugar mixture the rule is two tablespoons of lemon juice. However, you may want to add a bit more after you mix all the ingredients together. That is up to your personal taste.
Add 1 teaspoon more at a time then stir. Then give it a taste.
Storage/leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container. You can also cover the pan tightly with foil and leave it on the counter.
Apple recipes
📖 Recipe
Applesauce Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 2 ½ cups flour all purpose
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cup applesauce unsweetened
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup raisins optional
For The Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup margarine
- 2 T lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- Put all cake ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix with hand mixer or by hand for 30 seconds on low and 3 minutes on high.
- Pour batter into a greased Bundt, Springform pan or 9x13 Sake pan.
- Bake Bundt pan: 50 minutes, Springform pan: 45-50 minutesCake pan: 40-45 minutes until test done.
For Lemon Frosting
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and lemon juice. Pour over cooled cake.
- Serve
Nutrition
Pin for later!
Donna Latham
Is the applesauce sweet or unsweetened?
Kim
You can use either. We usually only have unsweetened at our house, but I have used both.
Amy
Can you sub butter for the shortening? I'd like to make this tomorrow morning for church, but that's the only ingredient I don't have.
Kim
Sorry I am seeing this too late for Sunday church! I have never subbed butter for the shortening in this recipe, so I don't feel like I can answer that with confidence. I have in other recipes. If you tried it with the butter, let me know how it turned out for you!
This is my favorite cake and I have such great memories of my mom making it for us. I hope you enjoy it! :-)
Penny
Excellent cake! Super easy to make. Very moist. Perfect snack for a cool Fall day. House is fragrant with the scent of apples and cinnamon. Good dessert for potlucks, too. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will make this again and again.
Kim
Thank you! This my Mom's tried and true recipe. It was a favorite of mine growing up. I'm so glad you like it!