Applesauce Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

This old-fashioned Applesauce Cake with Brown Butter Glaze puts a delicious twist on a classic Southern favorite. Moist, perfectly seasoned, and topped with a rich, nutty brown butter glaze, this easy applesauce cake is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. Enjoy a slice for breakfast, dessert, or anytime you’re craving a little homemade comfort.

Easy Applesauce Cake with Brown Butter Glaze Recipe

This homemade applesauce cake is a true double-duty dessert that’s welcome at the table any time of day. Serve a slice for breakfast alongside a hot cup of coffee, add it to your brunch spread, enjoy it with tea in the afternoon, or save it for a sweet ending to a family meal. Its moist, tender texture and sweet apple flavor make it the kind of homemade cake everyone loves.

Classic applesauce cake recipes often include raisins and toasted nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, along with a flavorful blend of spices that gives the cake its signature cozy taste. These simple additions pair beautifully with the natural sweetness of applesauce, creating a rich, comforting cake that feels right at home in any Southern kitchen. Whether served plain or topped with a buttery glaze, this versatile applesauce cake is perfect for sharing with family and friends.

Key ingredients you’ll need to make Glazed Applesauce Cake: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card and quantities.)

• Flour – All purpose flour forms the base of the cake batter.
• Applesauce – Applesauce adds moisture and gives this applesauce cake recipe its signature flavor. You can make your own or use store-bought.
• Leavening – Baking powder and baking powder give rise to the batter while baking. Salt balances the flavor.
• Sugar – A combination of granulated sugar (white sugar) and brown sugar for sweetness.
• Butter – Salted butter or unsalted butter for richness.
• Spices – Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves or allspice.
• Nuts – Chopped pecans for crunch.
• Whole Eggs – Large eggs stabilize the cake batter.
• Flavoring – Vanilla extract adds creamy floral notes.
• Brown Butter Glaze – Salted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream.

How to Make Applesauce Cake with Brown Butter Glaze Recipe

• Heat Oven and Toast Pecans – Preheat the oven. Spread pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast until fragrant then set aside to cool.
• Whip Creamed Ingredients – Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat until fully combined.
• Add Eggs – Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
• Sift Dry Ingredients – In a separate medium size mixing bowl, use a whisk to sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cloves and nutmeg.
• Combine – To the bowl add the dry ingredients alternately with the applesauce beginning and ending with flour. Stir in pecans by hand.
• Transfer Batter to Pan – Pour batter evenly in pan.
• Oven – Bake per the recipe until a toothpick inserted into the center shows moist crumbs.
• Cool – Cool cake, then drizzle with brown butter glaze garnished with pecans.

Kitchen Equipment to Make Brown Butter Glazed Applesauce Cake

• Electric mixer. You can use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer.
• Tube pan also called an angel food cake pan.
• Large bowl and medium bowl.
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons.
• Balloon whisk.
• Large rubber spatula.
• Small saucepan to brown the butter for the glaze.
• Sharp knife and cutting board or nut chopper.
• Wire rack.
• Baking sheet pan.

Recipe Variations, Tips and Substitutions

• Applesauce – You can use homemade applesauce or your favorite brand of store-bought applesauce. You can use plain or cinnamon spiced applesauce for this cake.
• Big Cake Big Pan – I highly recommend baking this cake in a tube pan, also called an angel food pan, to give it plenty of room to expand while baking. Skip a bundt pan for this recipe.
• Optional Topping – The nutty sweet brown butter glaze is what sets this applesauce cake apart. That said, you can enjoy this cake with a simple dusting of powdered sugar, too.
• Raisins – Traditional applesauce cake often includes raisins. You can add 1 cup of  raisins to the batter along with the pecans with no other adjustments needed.
• Nuts – Toasted walnuts can be substituted in place of pecans.
• Brown Butter Tip – When browning the butter for the glaze, the milk solids left behind will turn dark. Be careful, or the butter will burn, if it’s left unattended. When pouring it into the mixing bowl, try to leave as much dark sediment behind in the pot as possible. Please note, some darker flecks may slip through. I actually like this, but if it bothers you, strain the butter through a fine mesh sieve to remove.
• Serving Options – You can serve a slice of this cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, at room temperature or chilled.

Storage and Leftovers

• Leftovers – Store glazed Applesauce Cake with Brown Butter Glaze in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Freezer – You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months. You can freeze it glazed, or wait and drizzle with brown butter glaze after thawing just before serving.

What is Brown Butter?

Making browned butter is a simple process done on the stovetop. It’s achieved by slow simmering butter until it’s ever so slightly past its melting point separating and toasting the milk solids in the butter. Doing so, gives the butter a nutty taste and in this recipe, it adds a depth of flavor to the glaze. It takes this old fashioned applesauce cake to another level.

More Southern Style Apple Dessert Recipes to Make

The warm spicy seasonings that usually accompany apple recipes are the kind  that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Other apple recipes you may enjoy trying:

• My recipe for Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls will take you from breakfast to dessert.
• This Apple Baked Oatmeal is a fantastic way to make oatmeal for the family in one fell swoop.
• Apple Cider Doughnut Cake is coated with cinnamon and sugar.
• Harvest Apple Bread is packed with flavor.
• These Apple Pie Bars can be served just as they are or with a drizzle of caramel.
• These Apple Fritters are like a fluffy bakery doughnut coated in a vanilla cream glaze.
• You may also like this recipe for Delightfully Baked Apples from Skinnytaste.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• 10-inch Angel Food Pan with Removable Bottom
• Stand Mixer
• Cake Pedestal
• Silicone Spatulas