Cake Mix Applesauce Cake – Applesauce Coffee Cake with Yellow Cake Mix

Cake Mix Applesauce Cake is an easy dessert with only 6 ingredients.  Adding applesauce to a boxed yellow cake mix results in a light, moist coffee 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 (optional for dusting 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 easy applesauce coffee cake using boxed cake mix covered all the bases, and the result was a home-run.  It’s light and moist from the applesauce with a subtle apple flavor.

Want a from-scratch applesauce cake? Try our Amish Applesauce Cake recipe.

Applesauce Coffee Cake with Yellow Cake Mix

This particular old fashioned autumn applesauce cake has a cinnamon-swirl center so it makes a delicious coffee cake. Try it for breakfast!  Take your knife and swirl around to get the cinnamon sugar all the way though the cake.

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 and calories too. Applesauce also lends to a moist texture in a cake.

Ingredient List for Autumn Apple Cake with Yellow Cake Mix

Dry, Boxed Cake Mix (yellow or white)

Large Eggs

Applesauce

Ground Cinnamon

White Sugar

Powdered Sugar (optional)

How to Make Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake

Step by Step Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, blend cake mix, eggs and applesauce until moist; beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
4. Pour half of the batter into prepared baking dish; sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over top, and then cover with remaining batter.
5. Take a knife and swirl it in all different directions in the batter.
6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack; sprinkle powdered sugar over top (or ice with a cream cheese frosting) if desired.

For the full instructions and ingredient amounts for apple dessert, scroll to the bottom of this post. 

Recipe FAQs

• 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. Any type will work.
• There’s no need for an icing; if desired, 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.
• Check out our Amazon store for our favorite pantry essentials.

What does applesauce do to a cake?

Applesauce gives cake a moist texture and helps reduce the fat content when it replaces oil or shortening.

Our Favorite Old Fashioned Apple Desserts

Apples are one of our favorite dessert ingredients. Here’s our line-up of apple desserts:

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

Grandma’s Apple Crisp

Sour Cream Apple Squares

Baked Apple Surprise

Apple Cheesecake Salad

Red Hot Cinnamon Apples

Apple Pudding Cake