Cake Mix Applesauce Cake is an easy dessert with only 6 ingredients. Adding applesauce to a boxed cake mix results in a light, moist cake that is irresistible to the young and old alike.
Cake Mix Applesauce Cake:
This Saucy Apple Swirl Cake recipe originated in my Waynesburg Christian Church Cookbook. It grabbed my attention because it only had 6 simple ingredients – cake mix, eggs, applesauce, cinnamon, sugar and powdered sugar (dusted on top).
Here’s the scenario: I needed to whip up dessert for a large group of people who were helping my sister (my blog partner in crime) move. So the recipe needed to be relatively quick, easy to prepare, and it needed to serve a crowd.
This applesauce cake using boxed cake mix covered all the bases, and the result was a home-run.
This particular old fashioned applesauce cake has a cinnamon-swirl center so it makes a delicious coffee cake. Try it for breakfast!
I love how versatile this dessert is. For example, sub in whatever type of cake mix you have on hand including yellow, butter, spiced or butter pecan. I used unsweetened applesauce; however, cinnamon applesauce or any other applesauce-fruit varieties would work too.
What is the purpose of adding applesauce to a cake? Applesauce is a replacement for oil or butter which means that an applesauce cake is lower in fat and calories. Use unsweetened applesauce to lower the amount of sugar too. Applesauce also lends to a moist texture in a cake.
How to Make Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake:
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, blend cake mix, eggs and applesauce until moist; beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
- Pour half of the batter into prepared baking dish; sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over top, and then cover with remaining batter.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pan; sprinkle powdered sugar over top.
For the full instructions for apple dessert, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Notes About Applesauce Cake with Cake Mix:
- Use whatever flavor of cake mix you have on hand including white, yellow, butter, golden, spice or butter pecan..
- For a lower sugar content, use unsweetened applesauce.
- There’s no need for an icing; sprinkle powered sugar (also known as confectioner’s sugar) over top for a fancy-look and lightly sweet flavor. A mesh sieve like this one works great for this purpose.
- Serve with coffee for breakfast or whip it up for the perfect dessert.
Our Favorite Apple Desserts
Apples are one of our favorite dessert ingredients. Here’s our line-up of apple desserts:
Cake Mix Applesauce Cake
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 15.25 ounce cake mix (white or yellow)
- 3 eggs
- 1 2/3 cups applesauce
- powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar; set aside.
- In a large bowl, blend cake mix, eggs and applesauce until moist. Beat on high for 2 minutes.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared baking dish; sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar; cover with remaining batter.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan; sprinkle top of cake with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Use whatever flavor of cake mix you have on hand including white, yellow, butter, golden, spice or butter pecan.
- For a lower sugar content, use unsweetened applesauce.
- There's no need for an icing; sprinkle powered sugar over top for a fancy-look and lightly sweet flavor.
- Serve with coffee for breakfast or whip it up for the perfect dessert.
- We love apple cake! Try our other favorite with caramel sauce.
Nutrition
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