This applesauce cake is a fun, wholesome twist on apple upside-down cake. It's vegan and made with rich walnut milk instead of oil or butter. Applesauce makes the cake wonderfully moist, while brown sugar, cinnamon, apples, and walnuts make every bite cozy and delicious! Just 12 ingredients and 1 hour to make it.
I know how much y'all love an oil-free dessert, and with apple season officially here, an applesauce cake seemed like the perfect place to start. But this recipe is also a little celebration of My Quiet Kitchen turning 8 today! 🥳 So I wanted to make it a bit more exciting than just a regular ol' spiced applesauce cake.
I started thinking about apples, walnuts, and brown sugar, and that's when the idea of turning the whole thing upside-down took shape. The result is a cozy apple-walnut cake with a sweet, caramelized topping and a rich, tender crumb, all without eggs, oil, or butter.
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What You'll Need
The recipe is written for an 8-inch round cake pan. I've also included instructions for scaling up to a 9-inch round or 8x8 inch square pan, in case that's helpful.
As far as the ingredients go, here are a few details:
- flour - regular all-purpose flour gives the cake a classic, tender crumb. And since we aren't using oil, a little bit of oat flour adds just enough fiber and texture to break up the regular flour and prevent a gummy texture.
- sweetener - light brown sugar is best for the topping; for the cake batter you can use all brown sugar or a blend of regular and brown sugar. I haven't tried date or coconut sugar yet, but since they are more dry, you might need a bit more applesauce.
- applesauce - plain, unsweetened applesauce
- milk - I like plain soy milk for baking because of it's higher protein content and creaminess, but other unsweetened non-dairy milks should also work.
- apples - for the topping you'll need one large apple or two if they're very small; any crisp and firm variety is good, such as granny smith, pink lady, or honeycrisp. Pears would also be delicious!
- walnuts - use raw walnuts or substitute pecans
How to Make Upside Down Applesauce Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175C), and lightly oil and flour a round 8-inch cake pan. Place a circle of parchment in the bottom.
- Make the apple-walnut topping by combining the chopped apples, walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a tablespoon of applesauce in a bowl. Set aside.
- Next, blend the walnuts and non-dairy milk until smooth and creamy.
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- Whisk the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine the blended walnut milk with the remaining wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry and gently stir just until combined.
- Spread the topping evenly across the bottom of the prepared cake pan.
- Pour the batter over the topping.
Bake for 36 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then flip the cake onto a cooling rack, and carefully remove the parchment paper (it will be gooey and coated with brown sugar from the topping). Let the cake cool completely before slicing.
Frequently Asked Questions
I've only tested the recipe with regular all-purpose flour, but I suspect a gluten-free flour blend will work. If you give it a try, let us know in the comments.
Yes, you can bake the cake a day ahead of time. Let it cool completely, then cover and store at room temperature until ready to serve.
Since this applesauce cake includes an upside down topping, it's not the best for freezing. However, another option is to skip the upside down portion of the recipe, and prepare the basic applesauce cake layer, which is freezer-friendly (or double it to make a layer cake). Pair it with a classic vegan buttercream or try my vegan frosting without vegan butter.
Yield and Pan Size
This recipe is written for an 8-inch round cake pan. To make a slightly larger cake in a 9-inch round pan or an 8x8-inch square pan, multiply all ingredients by 1.25.
Keep an eye on the cake as it bakes, since the exact baking time will vary depending on your pan and oven. The cake is done when the center bounces back (even just barely) when lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
I hope you enjoy this simple applesauce cake as much as we do. Oh, and if you're in the mood for ice cream, try it with a scoop of homemade oat milk ice cream or coconut milk ice cream...so good! Be sure to share your feedback with us in the comments below! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recipe
Applesauce Upside Down Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Apple Walnut Topping:
- 1 large apple - cored, peeled, and finely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon applesauce - unsweetened, plain
- 1 pinch salt
For the Applesauce Cake:
- ¾ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk - I recommend soy milk
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup applesauce
- ½ cup light brown sugar - can sub regular sugar or use a blend of the two
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup oat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly oil and flour an 8-inch round cake pan, and place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom.
- Make the topping: In a bowl combine the finely chopped apple and walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, tablespoon of applesauce, and a pinch of salt. Stir well, and set aside.
- Blend the walnut milk: Combine the ¾ cup non-dairy milk and ⅓ cup chopped walnuts in a blender, and blend until smooth.
- Make the batter: Whisk the walnut milk with the applesauce, brown sugar, vanilla, and vinegar. In a separate, large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl, and gently stir just until combined. Work quickly once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, but be careful not to overmix.
- Assemble: Pour the topping mixture into the prepared pan, and spread it around evenly, lightly pressing down to fill in gaps. Pour the batter over the apple-walnut topping and smooth the surface.
- Bake and cool: Bake for 36-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. To test for doneness, you can also lightly press the center. If it bounces back even a little, the cake is done.Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack. Carefully peel away the parchment paper. It will be coated in a thin layer of gooey brown sugar from the topping; this is normal. Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and ingredients used.
Mandy says
Just made w king Arthur ap gluten free flour and it’s fantastic ! Had to bake 45 min (most gf baking takes a little longer in my experience)
Will be making this again thank you so much!
Bill says
Congratulations on 8 years! I love your recipes and trying to maintain no oil approach! For this recipe it seems whole wheat should work but may be more dense?
Lori Rasmussen says
Thank you, Bill!
Yes, exactly. It will be a little heartier, and slightly different flavor. If you have white whole wheat that would be great (milder flavor than flour from red wheat). I would be sure to weigh the flour if you have a scale (125 grams), or if not, whisk it first, spoon into the measuring cup, and level off the excess.
I hope you enjoy the cake!
Debra Chan says
Congrats on 8 years! I appreciate your time making sure we have delicious food! Debra
Lori Rasmussen says
Thanks so much, Debra! And thank YOU for all of the support and kind words over the years.
Karen says
Would gf flour work?
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Karen, I haven't tested it yet but I suspect so. Let us know if you give it a try!
in2insight says
We had one apple left on our tree and minutes after brining it inside, your recipe popped up. It was meant to be! 🙂
We loved the cake. So easy to make, so healthy, and sweet without being cloyingly so.
The topping was perfection and the cake base did its job well.
We did use spelt flour which likely changed the texture some, but we had no complaints.
Great desert that will be making regular appearances.
Thank you for sharing
Lori Rasmussen says
Wow, that was perfect timing! I'm so happy you enjoyed it, and thank you for letting us know about spelt flour. I'd like to try that soon.