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Applesauce Cake with Maple Glaze

Applesauce Cake with Maple Glaze. An old fashioned favourite just like Grandma used to bake. It’s lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and topped with a sweet maple glaze.

Photo of uncut applesauce cake on a clear glass pedestal

Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake with Maple Glaze.

I wish I had posted this recipe earlier in the fall when fresh local apples were at their best.That’s because I think the key to getting this recipe right is to make your own fresh applesauce.

There’s nothing wrong with using a jarred sauce if you want. However,  when I made the sauce from tart macintosh apples and used it immediately after it cooled, the flavour was noticeably better.

Red delicious apples on a red background. Stock photo.

I like McIntosh or Red Delicious Apples for this recipe but you can use any kind you like.

Years ago, I’d mostly used unsweetened jarred applesauce myself in baking. Today however, with a surplus of apples in the refrigerator I decided to make a quick applesauce to use them up. They’d then be ready to bake into this simple but scrumptious cake.

Photo of applesauce cake and a freshly cut slice with tea in the background

Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake with Maple Glaze.

I did sweeten the sauce a little to make it a little more multi-purpose. That’s because I was making a large batch, but the fresh flavour of the apples came through much better when baked into the cake.

maple syrup in glass bottle

Maple Syrup, only the best!

An applesauce cake to share.

I actually made two of these cakes, one for the family and one for the staff at our kid’s school for Teacher Appreciation Week. The teachers also got a Mocha Almond Fudge Cheesecake and a Black & White Cake to complete their lunchtime treat.

Photo of a single slice of applesauce cake on an antique blue floral tea service

Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake with Maple Glaze.

I’ll certainly be taking the few extra minutes to make fresh applesauce for this recipe in the future and I will certainly be baking it again next fall when the apples are at their very peak of flavour.

Click here for many more sweet and savoury apple recipes.

Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake photo of uncut cake with title text added for Pinterest

Love homemade cakes from scratch?

We’ve put together a collection of the 25 Most Baked Cakes of the last 12 years on Rock Recipes. You are sure to find several to love.

Top Ten cake recipes photo collage with title text for Pinterest

Originally published February 2016. Updated November 2020.

Like this Applesauce Cake recipe?

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Applesauce cake photo of one slice with a blue tea service in background with title text added for Pinterest

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Photo of uncut applesauce cake on a clear glass pedestal
Yield: 16 servings

Applesauce Cake with Maple Glaze

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Applesauce Cake with Maple Glaze - an old fashioned favourite just like Grandma used to bake; lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and topped with a sweet maple glaze.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 1/2 cup soft butter
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup, or honey
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 3/4 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • pinch salt
  • 2 cups applesauce

For the glaze

  • 1 cup icing sugar, powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp melted butter
  • a little milk, if needed
  • 3-4 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt pan or tube pan.
  2. Cream together the butter, oil, brown sugar and maple syrup.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Beat in the vanilla extract.
  5. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
  6. Fold the dry ingredients through the creamed mixture alternately with the applesauce, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
  7. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  8. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When completely cool, add the glaze before serving.

To prepare the glaze

  1. Simply stir together all of the ingredients until smooth.
  2. If the glaze is too thick, stir in a little milk a few drops at a time. If too thin, add a little more icing sugar. The glaze should be quite thick but still able to be poured slowly from a measuring cup all over the top of the cake.

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

    Nutrition Information

    Yield

    16

    Serving Size

    1 g

    Amount Per Serving Calories 324Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 8gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 47mgSodium 93mgCarbohydrates 50gFiber 1gSugar 25gProtein 4g

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    Lenore

    Sunday 15th of September 2019

    Loved this recipe! I used my own homemade applesauce and it was very moist. It has the nostalgic flavours and appeal of my grandmother’s era. Tried and true... always fabulous. The maple icing was also a hit!

    De

    Monday 23rd of January 2017

    I found this very dry.

    Cee

    Thursday 17th of January 2019

    I have to say, if you think this recipe is dry you either measured the ingredients wrong or overbaked it. It's a super moist recipe! As always, baking times are an estimate. It completely depends on your oven. Mine runs hot and this cake has to come out at about 55 mins in my house.

    Joanne

    Thursday 14th of July 2016

    Another home run recipe from Rock Recipes , just made this today and we both give it 5 stars.

    Thankyou Barry every recipe of yours I had made has been excellent.

    Melodie

    Sunday 28th of February 2016

    Question: I am going to try the Applesauce Cake with Maple Glaze. Do I use pure maple syrup or can regular syrup be used?

    Barry C. Parsons

    Monday 29th of February 2016

    What is "regular" syrup?

    Ruby

    Friday 26th of February 2016

    I will certainly try this receipe, I have a few containers of Apple sauce frozen ,made with apples picked from my own tree last fall .I was waiting for a good receipe to use it up .Thanks !!

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