Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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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
Did you peel the apple?
I did, but it wouldn’t really matter too much either way.
It says cream, do you mean heavy whipping cream? Or half and half?
Sorry for the confusion! I prefer heavy whipping cream in frosting, but if you have half and half on hand already, it will be fine. The frosting may just be a little thinner.
Can these be made into cupcakes? If so, how long should they bake?
I’d try these apple cupcakes instead – https://www.justsotasty.com/apple-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting/ . Because the recipe was designed for cupcakes, it will provide a better texture and rise for making cupcakes 🙂
This was excellent! I cut the recipe in half- well I used 2 eggs- but everything else I cut in half and this was so delicious! I only have my husband and I here because the kids are grown and living on their own, but by cutting it in half- it worked perfectly as a snack cake and my husband really loved it. That is a huge compliment because he didn’t think he liked apple cakes.
Would gluten-flour blend work just as well?
To be 100% honest, it’s a little hard to know because different gluten free flour blends behave pretty differently. If it’s a brand that you’ve substituted for all-purpose flour in other recipes before and it’s worked well, then go for it!
I am baking mine in a bundt pan. How long should I bake it?
Also, what do you mean by “cream”? Is this a seasoning or a liquid? I’ve never heard of it before
What type of apples did you use?
You could use golden delicious, honey crisp, galas, granny smith – it’s really up to you. The only one I wouldn’t recommend is red delicious since the flavor isn’t as strong 🙂
I haven’t tried making this in a bundt pan, so I’m not sure of the bake time. I’d guess around 1 hour – or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and if you gently nudge the pan it doesn’t wobble. For the cream in the frosting, you can use whipping cream, heavy cream, or half and half cream.
I need to make the cake on Wednesday and won’t serve it until Saturday. Should I freeze it without frosting — or just refrigerate (with or without frosting)? I def don’t want it to dry out for sure. Thank you!!!!!
I’d make the cake on Wednesday, let it cool, wrap it tightly and then freeze (unfrosted). Then on Friday night thaw it in the fridge and then frost on Saturday. 🙂
Could you omit the grated apple and just use all applesauce?
I haven’t tried it – so I’m not 100% sure of the results. My concern would be that using all apple sauce might add too much moisture to the batter. So you might not need quite as much. I’d maybe try 2 cups total of apple sauce instead of 1 cup apple sauce and 1 1/2 cups grated apple.
Did you use sweet or unsweetened applesauce?
I used unsweetened 🙂
The cake batter will look soupy, but it turns out just right after baking! I was so nervous, not knowing if maybe I hadn’t added the correct amount of flour. Just wanted to relieve any fears of others baking this cake for the first time. It is amazing!!!!
I’m so glad you love the cake! And I’m sorry for any stress caused by how the batter looked – thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
This looks absolutely perfect. I think I just felt a touch of fall in the air! (ok, maybe not literally but this cake definitely brings on feelings of newly sharpened pencils and back to school vibes!) <3
Haha! I don’t like back to school, but apple season definitely makes it better 😉