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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Easy Vegan Applesauce Cake (No Flax Eggs)

    Published: May 21, 2023 · Modified: Jun 24, 2024 by Jen Cardenas

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This vegan applesauce cake is a delicious dessert (or snack) that's perfect for a special occasion or just an ordinary day. This cake is light and fluffy, full of spices and apple flavor, and not too sweet. It is easy to make and requires only simple ingredients.

    Forkful of cake with piece of cake in the background.

    While I don't usually serve cake for a snack, this homestyle vegan applesauce cake is the exception. It's flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg which makes it perfect for fall. It's also super easy to make so I can whip up this cake any time.

    It's so delicious, you don't need any frosting! Just add a dusting of powdered sugar and you're done. And since it's made with applesauce and not fresh apples, you probably have all the ingredients in you pantry.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredient Notes
    • How To Make Vegan Applesauce Cake
    • What To Serve With Vegan Applesauce Cake
    • Storage Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Vegan Cake Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • It's not too sweet.  Some applesauce cakes are slathered with frosting.  This recipe has just a sprinkling of powdered sugar on top.
    • It's light and fluffy.  No dense cake here!  
    • It's full of warm spices.  This recipe has a good amount of cinnamon and nutmeg.

     If you are looking for more recipes with cinnamon, try out my vegan rice pudding, vegan chai cupcakes and vegan zucchini bread.

    Ingredient Notes

    This vegan cake is make with simple and wholesome ingredients.

    Ingredients: Flour, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, non-dairy milk, applesauce, vegan butter.
    • All purpose flour - If you want to add some whole grain flour, you can substitute up to ½ the total amount of flour with whole wheat flour.
    • Brown sugar - You can use either light or dark brown sugar.
    • Applesauce - Store bought unsweetened applesauce is perfect but you can also use homemade applesauce if you have any around.
    • Vegan butter - My favorite vegan butter to bake with is Country Crock Plant Butter.  It comes in both tub and stick form which makes measuring easier.  
    • Non-dairy milk - I prefer baking and cooking with unsweetened soy milk.  Almond milk and oat milk would work well too.  I wouldn't use coconut milk as it gives too much coconut flavor.
    • Powdered sugar - ​If you want to make 100% sure your sugar is vegan, buy organic.

    Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and amounts needed.

    If you love baking with apple flavor, try my vegan apple galette and oil-free apple crisp,

    How To Make Vegan Applesauce Cake

    Step 1: First, preheat oven to 350°. Prepare an 8x8 baking pan by lightly coating with non-stick oil spray.

    Bowl of dry ingredients whisked together.

    Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of flour, ½ cup of white sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Make sure there are no clumps.

    White bowl with whisked together wet ingredients.

    Step 3: In a medium bowl, mix together the melted vegan butter, brown sugar, vanilla, applesauce, non-dairy milk, and apple cider vinegar until combined.  Whisk until nice and smooth.

    Cake batter being stirred by wooden spoon.

    Step 4: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.

    Cake batter in a glass baking dish.

    Step 5: Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan.

    Baked cake cooling on wire rack.

    Step 6: Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes into the pan. Remove the cake from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

    Powdered sugar being sifted on top of applesauce cake.

    Step 7: Put  the powdered sugar in a small wire mesh sieve and sprinkle on top of the cake.

    Slice of cake on a white plate with cut cake in background.

    Step 8: Serve as is or with one of the suggestions below.

    If you need more easy vegan cake recipes, try this matcha cake with frosting and chocolate bundt cake.

    What To Serve With Vegan Applesauce Cake

    This simple dessert is perfect as is, but you can also make it more decadent.

    • Serve warm with vegan whipped cream.
    • Top with vanilla vegan ice cream.
    • Spread some vanilla whipped frosting on top.
    • Enjoy with a cup of tea.

    Storage Tips

    Room Temperature

    Store any leftover applesauce cake in an airtight container at room temperature.  Eat the leftover cake within 3 days.

    Freezer

    After cake is cooled completely, wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you're ready to eat it, simply defrost overnight in the fridge before serving.

    You can also slightly warm up pieces of cake in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I substitute whole wheat flour for white flour?

    If you want to use whole wheat flour, you can substitute up to 1 cup of the white flour with whole wheat flour.  It will affect the texture a bit and make it a little denser.

    Doesn't this cake recipe need a flax egg?

    No, I don't bake with flax eggs (ground flaxseed and water).  They make baked goods too dense.  This cake is light and fluffy!

    Can I add dried fruit to this cake?

    If you want to add some dried fruit, I recommend mixing in ½ cup raisins before pouring the batter into the pan.

    Vegan Cake Recipes

    • Vegan chocolate Bundt cake on a cooling rack.
      Vegan Chocolate Bundt Cake With Chocolate Chips
    • Piece of berry coffee cake with blueberries on a plate.
      Vegan Coffee Cake With Berries
    • Gingerbread loaf on a plate with red napkin.
      Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake With Chocolate Chips
    • Spoonful of mug cake.
      Easy Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake

    If you tried this Vegan Applesauce Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!

    Recipe

    Square piece of applesauce cake on a white plate.

    Easy Vegan Applesauce Cake

    This cake is easy to make and not too sweet. It's light and fluffy and a perfect cake to eat any time.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 32 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 47 minutes minutes
    Servings: 9 servings
    Calories: 288kcal
    Author: Jen Cardenas

    Equipment

    • 8" x 8" baking dish
    • cooling rack

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • ½ cup white sugar
    • 2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup vegan butter, melted
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
    • ¼ cup non-dairy milk, unsweetened
    • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • 2 tablespoon powdered sugar optional
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare an 8x8 baking dish by lightly coating with non-stick oil spray.
    • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, white sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
    • In a separate bowl, mix together the melted vegan butter, sugars, vanilla, applesauce, non-dairy milk, and apple cider vinegar until combined.
    • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
    • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
    • Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
    • Put the powdered sugar in a sifter or a fine mesh sieve and dust the top of the cake, if you are using it. Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    • I use unsweetened soy milk but almond milk would work great too.
    • If you want a sweeter cake you can add a simple glaze.  Simply mix a few tablespoons of powdered sugar with a small amount of non-dairy milk until you get a desired consistency.  Then drizzle over the cooled cake.
    • Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 2g | Sodium: 392mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 19IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried our recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jen says

      June 03, 2023 at 12:07 pm

      5 stars
      We love this cake. It’s just sweet enough without going overboard. It’s easy to make too.

      Reply
    5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Jen! I love all things vegan, especially baking. I'm a food blogger, recipe developer, and mom of three. My goal is to show how delicious vegan baking can be.

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