Martha Stewart Applesauce Cake

Martha Stewart applesauce cake is a moist, spiced tube cake with brown sugar, honey and cardamom that comes together in 2 hours 30 minutes. Try this easy dessert for fall brunch, potluck tables or holiday dinners, since it bakes in one pan and keeps beautifully for days.

Beat the butter, brown sugar and honey until the mixture turns light and fluffy, because that air is what lifts such a dense batter. Skip it and the cake bakes up heavy and tight instead of tender.

Martha stirs in two full cups of chunky applesauce and swaps part of the sugar for honey, which keeps the crumb moist for days. Cardamom sits alongside the cinnamon, so the spice tastes warmer and a little floral compared to the usual apple cake.

Martha Stewart Applesauce Cake

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Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Calories

450

kcal

A tender, deeply spiced crumb comes from creaming the butter well and folding in chunky applesauce at the end. It bakes in a tube pan until just slightly wet on a toothpick, then cools fully before a dusting of sugar.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  

• 2 teaspoons baking soda
  

• 1 teaspoon salt
  

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  

• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
  

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  

• 2 cups packed light-brown sugar
  

• 1/4 cup honey
  

• 2 large eggs
  

• 2 cups Basic Applesauce , or store-bought chunky applesauce
  

• Nonstick cooking spray
  

• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)
  

Directions

• Whisk the dry ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk 3 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 1/4 teaspoons cardamom in a large bowl, then set it aside.
• Cream the butter: Beat 2 sticks butter, 2 cups brown sugar and 1/4 cup honey with an electric mixer in another bowl. Keep going until the mixture looks light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs: Add the 2 eggs one at a time, beating until each is combined. That keeps the batter smooth instead of curdled.
• Mix in flour and applesauce: With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture gradually and beat just until combined. Then beat in 2 cups applesauce, which loosens the batter and makes it glossy.
• Fill the pan: Generously coat a nonstick 9-inch tube pan with cooking spray. Spoon in the batter, then smooth the top so it bakes evenly.
• Bake the cake: Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. It's done when a toothpick in the middle comes out clean but slightly wet.
• Cool and unmold: Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn it out onto a cutting board or baking sheet, then invert it onto the rack so it sits top side up.
• Dust and serve: Let the cake cool completely before you cut it. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving, if you like.

Tools for this recipe

• Chicago Metallic angel food tube pan, removable center, KitchenAid 5-speed hand mixer, Checkered Chef cooling racks. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use store-bought applesauce?

Yes, but choose a chunky one, because smooth applesauce can make the crumb gummy. Homemade applesauce works even better since you control the sweetness.

How do I store applesauce cake?

Wrap the cooled cake tightly or keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Dust it with confectioners' sugar only right before serving, since the sugar soaks in and disappears.

Can I make this cake ahead?

Yes, the cake tastes just as good the next day because the spices settle in. Bake it a day early and keep it wrapped, then dust and slice when guests arrive.

Can I bake it in a different pan?

A 10-cup Bundt pan is the closest swap for the tube pan, and it needs the same generous greasing. Check for doneness at 50 minutes, since fluted pans can bake a little faster.

What's the most common mistake with this cake?

Overbeating after the flour goes in is the usual problem, because it toughens the crumb. Mix on low just until the flour disappears, then beat in the applesauce and stop.