Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
I may receive compensation in the form of payment or products to supplement my posts, but all opinions remain my own. Read our disclosure policy.
This apple spice cake with cream cheese frosting is incredibly moist with a delicious apple flavor and warm spices. It has a soft cake crumb that sticks to your fork, but isn’t too heavy or dense. You’ll love how the tanginess of the cream cheese frosting pairs with this incredibly flavorful cake. Perfect cake for fall!
**This post was updated September 24, 2025 with new photos, recipe tips and pan size options**
A Note from Fiona
Why you’ll love this Apple Spice Cake!
This apple spice cake is one of my favorite fall desserts. Every apple season, it quickly becomes one of the most baked recipes on my blog.
The apple flavor comes from both applesauce and grated apple in the batter. The apples are complemented with brown sugar, warm spices and vanilla. What I love most about this cake, though, is the incredibly moist texture. It’s moist thanks to the applesauce, oil and sour cream in the batter.
You’re going to love the combination of warm spices and the slight tanginess of the cream cheese frosting. It’s equally delicious if you skip the frosting and add a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
I know most people typically think of apple crisp when it comes to apple desserts, but I urge you to try this apple spice cake.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
For the Apple Spice Cake:
- All-Purpose Flour – be sure to measure correctly
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda for the perfect rise
- Spices – cinnamon, ginger powder, and ground nutmeg
- Salt to balance out the sweetness
- Vegetable Oi or canola oil for moisture & the needed fat, don’t worry, you won’t taste the oil whatsoever
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar – the brown sugar adds flavor and moisture, whereas the granulated sugar ensures that the cake isn’t too dense
- Eggs for binding, tenderness and moisture
- Unsweetened Applesauce for both flavor and moisture
- Sour Cream for the perfectly moist texture
- Grated Apple – I prefer to use Granny Smith, Honey Crisp or Ambrosia
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Unsalted Butter or salted, if using salted simply omit the salt
- Full Fat Cream Cheese – be sure to use brick style cream cheese, otherwise the frosting will be too thin
- Powdered Sugar – sift first if lumpy
- Vanilla & Salt to round out the flavor
Method – with Photos
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and lightly grease and flour a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) pan.
- Whisk the Dry Ingredients. In a very large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
- Beat together the Oil, Sugars, Eggs and Vanilla. You could also do this by hand with a wire whisk. Ensure that there are no lumps of brown sugar or pieces of egg.
- Stir the Applesauce, Sour cream and Grated Apple into the wet ingredients. I recommend chopping the grated apple a few times first so that you don’t have any really long strands.
- Pour the Wet Ingredients into the Dry Ingredients and Mix Together. Make a well in the dry ingredients first, then pour in the wet ingredients. Stir by hand, being very careful not to over mix the batter. If needed, do a few whisks with a wire whisk to remove any lumps of flour.
- Pour the Batter into the Prepared Pan and Bake. The cake will need about 40-45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few soft crumbs. It should be starting to pull away at the sides of the pan.
Once the cake is baked and cooled, you can make the frosting
- Beat Together the Butter and Cream Cheese. They should both be slightly softened first. Always soften on the counter, as opposed to using the microwave, to ensure that the butter doesn’t start to melt.
- Beat in the Powdered Sugar, Vanilla & Salt. I usually start with 2 cups powdered sugar, then mix in the rest about 1/2 cup at a time until I get the sweetness level I want.
- Frost the Cooled Cake. You can use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. I like to add a sprinkle of nutmeg on top.
I made the apple spice cake and it was a big winner. Everyone loved it, thank you.
A Few Baking Notes for Making this Apple Spice Cake
- When baking, I recommend using a tart, crunchy apple because the flavor will mellow as it bakes. Granny Smith or Honey Crisp work perfectly. I do not recommend using Red Delicious or McIntosh.
- Sour cream can be substituted with plain Greek yogurt.
- Make sure to use unsweetened apple sauce.
- For the cream cheese frosting – use full fat, brick-style cream cheese.
Pan Sizes
For cupcakes, I recommend using this recipe: Apple Spice Cupcakes
For a layer cake, use 3 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and lightly grease the sides. The cakes will bake for about 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven. You will need to double the frosting recipe.
Serving Options
If you don’t feel like cream cheese frosting, this cake is also delicious with:
- A dollop of whipped cream
- A drizzle of butterscotch sauce or caramel sauce
- A light dusting of powdered sugar if you’re eating it for afternoon tea
More Apple Desserts to Try
Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 9×13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan*
Ingredients
Apple Spice Cake
- 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (312 grams)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil (160 ml)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (158 grams), light or dark
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (240 ml), if using sweetened, you may want to reduce the sugar and use 1/2 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups grated apple (about 1 1/2 large apples), peeled first, I recommend chopping the grated apple so that you don't have long strands
- 1/3 cup sour cream (80 ml) , or plain Greek yogurt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams), softened to room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese (226 grams), brick style, full-fat
- 2-3 cup powdered sugar (220-330 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream , or whipping cream, if needed
Instructions
Apple Spice Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm cake pan.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg.
- In a separate large bowl using an electric mixer or wire whisk, mix together the oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla. There should be no lumps of sugar of pieces of egg.
- Mix the applesauce, sour cream and grated apple into the oil mixture.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Gently mix together. I always stir by hand using a wooden spoon first, then do a few whisks with a wire whisk to remove any lumps of flour.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. The cake should be starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl butter until soft. Then beat in the cream cheese until no lumps remain.
- Add in 2 cups powdered sugar along withe the vanilla and salt. Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar a little at a time until the desired sweetness is reached. Stop mixing as soon as the powdered sugar is incorporated. If you overmix the frosting, it will get too thin. If the frosting is too thin, beat in 1 tablespoon of cream.
- Frost the cooled cake using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. I sprinkle the top with a little nutmeg, sifting it through a metal sifter as I go.
Notes
- Applesauce: If using sweetened applesauce, you may want to reduce the sugar in the recipe by 1/4 cup. I’d use 1/2 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup granulated sugar in total.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Set cake sit on the counter for about 15-30 minutes before enjoying.
- Make Ahead Tips: Cake can be made 1 day in advanced, covered and stored at room temperature. Then make the frosting the day you plan to serve. Unfrosted cake can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 2 months (cool cake completely before wrapping and freezing). Thaw in the fridge, then frost before serving.
- Nutrition: Details are an estimate only, based on 1 slice of cake with cream cheese frosting, assuming the cake is sliced into 15 uniform pieces.
Nutrition
I only have light olive oil. Will that work instead of vegetable oil? Thank you!
I think that would be fine for this recipe since it is very flavorful
Can I use apple butter instead of apple sauce?
I haven’t tried it – so I’m not sure.
Is this cake ok to be made in a Bundt cake?
I haven’t tried it myself, but I believe some readers have with good results. You’d want to ensure that you grease and flour the bundt pan really well, or use pan release. I think the bake time would be closer to 50-60 minutes at 350F degrees. I also have some general tips for baking bundt cakes, including my favorite recipe for pan release here
This recipe turned out great, even with gluten free substitutes! I used 1cup millet flour, 1cup brown rice flour, 1/4cup tapioca starch, and 1tsp of xantham gum. The rest I did the exact same but added 1/4 tsp of all spice.
I even did the freezer trick for the last half of the cooling time as suggested by another commenter, it really is a lovely moist cake!
Thank you so much for your tips on how to make it gluten free! So happy you enjoyed the cake
I took a chance on this recipe because it sounded really good and all I can say is I was absolutely right. This cake is delicious! I’m no stranger to baking but I never leave reviews on recipes, I had to for this cake. I made it for my parents and it was practically devoured. I’ve made it multiple times and it will now be on our dessert rotation. The only change I made was toasting and chopping up some walnuts and mixing those in the batter, plus adding another teaspoon of cinnamon the second time I made it just because we’re crazy for cinnamon. Delicious both times! One tip I use for all cakes is that when you take it out of the oven, immediately place the whole pan in the freezer for 30- 60 minutes. This helps keep your cakes moist and you can frost it much sooner this way. This cake is amazing at room temperature or chilled.
Thank you so much for your review! Thanks for the tip about freezing the cake – I definitely agree, it keeps the cake very moist!
I made the apple spice cake and it was a big winner. Everyone loved it, thank you.
Hey
Can this be made as a layered cake in 9 inch pans and also can the apples be chopped instead of grated?
Thank you, going to make tomorrow
Can this recipe be used for cupcakes instead of a 9×13 cake?? Sounds yummy!
I’d use this recipe for apple cupcakes:
Hello!
I’m needing to make a Fall dessert, your recipe looks perfect! One question I have however, it calls for sour cream. Is that cultured sour cream or heavy whipping cream that has gone sour? Thanks!
Sorry for the confusion – dairy products are different in different countries! Sour cream that comes in a tub is definitely what you’ll want for this recipe – definitely not anything you pour.