Serves a Crowd
Applesauce Cake With Caramel Glaze
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140 Reviews
teejulian
September 24, 2024
i made this cake in august. it is a very easy recipe and it was absolutely delicious. i added walnuts to the batter and a little bourbon to the glaze. both of those additional ingredients enhanced a fabulous result. i’m going to make it agin this week.
Peggy M.
November 7, 2022
Great cake because it is easy and has excellent easy results! So the brittle glaze is easily fixed with a pinch of Cream Tartare before boiling. The glaze doesn’t shatter after cooling and is smooth and delicious with the cake. definitely a keeper for this family!
Elizabeth
November 4, 2022
This cake is just out of this world. It's a great recipe to have around if you need to make something quickly. It is great even without the glaze. Not too sweet, lovely apple flavor with a little spice, moist, perfect.
Susan D.
November 3, 2022
I just made this cake for my art class gang, we take turns being snack-mom’s so we have weekly goodies for the 3 hour class. I love that I get that chance to bake, sometimes something new. This looked easy enough and sounded delicious. I subbed Bob’s RedMill 1:1 since we have a number of GF folks. Honestly it was so moist and delicious I would never know it GF! What a beautiful fall cake! Can’t wait to bring it to class tomorrow, this is a definite keeper.
Ruth
October 30, 2022
Interesting. Very similar to one my mom used to make, recipe from the Farm Journal cookbook. This one is sweeter, I think, and uses ginger. The FJ recipe uses nutmeg, cloves, and unsweetened cocoa powder. You can't taste the chocolate, but it gives a deeper, richer flavor underneath. It's a great fall recipe, whichever one you use.
Fran H.
October 31, 2022
The recipe I used to use also had a small amount of cocoa powder and I agree, one couldn't specifically taste it but it make a difference which was wonderful. It wasn't a FJ recipe but was a relic from one of mom's old Spry cookbooks... now I need to search for it again because it's been years since I've made it.
Plum P.
October 19, 2022
I’ve made this cake several times. It’s very easy and very delicious. It’s also quite adaptable. You can bake it in a 9x13, reduce the baking time. You can use store bought applesauce. I’ve even made it with pumpkin purée instead of applesauce. Sometimes I put a cream cheese frosting on instead. It’s always moist and delicious and a hit with adults and kids alike.
Russtipher
December 26, 2021
I made this for Christmas. It was my first baking experience. I couldn't be happier with the result. My wife loves it, and so do I.
Pamela T.
November 1, 2021
I made this cake last year and loved it, but had forgotten to add my review. I bought apples to make applesauce and this cake sprang to mind for a repeat performance. Though wile the applesauce was roasting and I started to gather the cake ingredients, I realized that 1) I only had dark brown sugar, 2) I had run out of vegetable oil and 3) we were also out of cream. For anyone else faced with this dilemma but you are still desperately wanting cake, you might be interested to know that grape seed oil seemed to be a reasonable substitution for vegetable oil and dark brown sugar seemed to deepen the spice notes (if my memory of the year prior is reliable) and lastly, using sour cream instead of cream for the glaze was very tasty, with a bit of added tanginess that worked with the overall caramelized sweet profile.
Anne B.
October 19, 2021
This is a very yummy cake. I made my own chunky applesauce for it and followed the recipe. Then I made one with a little bourbon in the glaze and I used butter for the cake instead of the vegetable oil and I liked that even more. This cake is a keeper, thanks!
elisaung
October 15, 2021
One of my favorite cakes, I make it at least once a year and whoever I make it for always wants the recipe. I just baked a 1/2 recipe in a 9-inch pan, swapping the same amounts of spelt flour for AP, maple sugar for white and brown, cardamom for cinnamon, olive oil for veg, and I scattered the top with chopped apples. Great swaps — they result in a much more rustic cake that’s just as delicious.
Randi
September 15, 2021
Just made this for the first time--it's delicious! Replaced the white sugar with maple syrup (cup for cup) and used gf jules all purpose gluten free flour. Cake was soft, tender, moist, flavorful. Didn't get a heavy maple flavor, just a hint. Spices were perfectly balanced. Will definitely make again!
Dana L.
November 23, 2020
Delicious and easy! After reading some reviews, I added a few diced apples tossed in flour. I ground my own spices, which made the flavors very distinct. Not having any cream, I used eggnog for the glaze and it was a win. Thanks!
ChrisA.
November 12, 2020
Great recipe! So tasty! Had homemade thick sweetened applesauce to use and made a boiled cider, cinnamon glaze on top. This is a new family favorite! Thanks!
helicopterina
November 12, 2020
How did you make the glaze? Super curious. And agree - this is a fantastic recipe!
Mercergirl
October 5, 2020
Delicious and easy. I made a 1/2 recipe and baked it in a 6 cup ring mold for ~30 minutes. Like others, I added 1 small apple, peeled and chopped. No glaze/frosting, served with sea salt caramel ice cream instead Very good.
Vidya
October 2, 2020
Cake was delicious. However I could taste the baking soda a bit. I have made this cake before and never had this problem. I am not sure what the reason is. It hasn't expired and is my regular brand.
zoe B.
August 21, 2020
This was really delicious--so moist and flavorful. Baked it in two pans--to take one to a socially distant dinner and one for us. Didn't change a thing, except used evaporated milk for the glaze instead of cream. The next time I'll either boil the glaze longer or wait a bit to pour it so that it is thicker and doesn't all run off of the cake.
missshelly
August 6, 2020
This cake was wonderful! My family loved it. I will definitely make it again and I appreciate that it inspired me to make my own apple sauce for the first time. I added a few tablespoons of rum to the sauce to give it a slight rum flavor which was delicious. I plan to add some soaked raisins the next time I try!
helicopterina
May 6, 2020
Just revisited this wonderful recipe. Made a vegan version and it came out great. Subbed in 6 T aquafaba for the eggs, and used extra virgin olive oil as it was all that I had. Cut sugar a bit and could have even done more (used 3/4 c. cane sugar and 1/3 c. brown). Baked it in a 8x13 pan for 22 minutes. YUM. Thanks, Merrill! This is the cakegift that keeps on giving. :)
helicopterina
May 6, 2020
hah hah -- just scrolled through these replies and found my own original thumbs-up comment from back in 2012. love this site.
Merrill S.
September 21, 2020
Great to know about these adaptations, and so glad you like this cake!
Beth H.
October 26, 2021
Can I make this cake 2 days before I need it, refrigerate it and put the Carmel topping on the day I am serving it?
Merrill S.
October 29, 2021
Hi Beth! Because this is a very moist cake, I wouldn't recommend keeping it in the fridge, as the surface will likely get soggy/sticky. If you're going to make it ahead, I would wrap the cake tightly in both foil and plastic and freeze it. Remove it from the freezer the morning you plan to serve it and thaw the cake at room temp for several hours before uncovering it and adding the glaze. Hope this helps!
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