Cinnamon Applesauce Cake
Soft with a natural sweetness, this Cinnamon Applesauce Coffee Cake recipe is so easy to mix up and one of the most popular cakes we make.
Simple ingredients mix together and then applesauce and cinnamon chips make the cake so delicious, moist and unique! This recipe is requested often and makes a great conversation piece.
Cinnamon Applesauce Coffee Cake Recipe
The applesauce keeps this cake very moist and the cinnamon chips add a richness that is very enjoyable! I love that this coffee cake is topped with a simple icing made of powdered sugar mixed with warm water.
Our Cinnamon Applesauce Cake has been so popular on Pinterest we also created these Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins.
We enjoy cooking with basic ingredients because it makes our life easier. This recipe only calls for one ingredient that we don’t commonly use and that is Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips. But they have a good shelf life, so I like to keep a bag on hand.
Cinnamon Applesauce Coffee Cake is especially enjoyable in the fall when we seem to crave apple flavors, but it is delicious all year around too!
Several years ago I came across this recipe on a bag of Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips. I love the recipe, but it’s not printed on bags anymore so I wanted to make sure it would always be available.
I use my 9×13 Pyrex glass dish with a lid all of the time for these easy dessert recipes! Having a lid that fits well is much easier than handling plastic wrap or foil to keep the cake moist!
Ingredients Needed to Make Cinnamon Chip Cake
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Applesauce
- Flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon Chips
- Powdered Sugar
- Warm Water
Where to Find Cinnamon Chips
I often find my cinnamon chips at Walmart, however they do seem to be in the baking aisle with the chocolate chips on a limited time basis in the fall and winter.
I have also seen them in Amish whole sale grocery stores.
Other friends have come across them at smaller grocery stores like a hometown IGA.
How to Make Cinnamon Applesauce Cake
- Beat butter and sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla
- Mix in applesauce
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt
- Gradually add to the butter mixture
- Add cinnamon chips – they can be tough to find, so I have to order them online now or get at a bulk food store
- Pour into prepared 9×13 baking pan and bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean
- Stir together powdered sugar and enough warm water; drizzle over a slightly warm cake and enjoy
Step By Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 350℉ and prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking pan by coating with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl beat softened butter and granulated sugar together.
Add eggs and real vanilla extract. Mix again.
Then add applesauce. Use a silicone spatula to scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix well.
Mix dry ingredients and add about a third of the dry mixture at a time.
Stir until blended.
This is a thick batter.
I like to add the cinnamon chips and fold in by hand.
Spread the thick batter into the prepared 9 x 13″ dish.
Bake for 30 minutes and test with a toothpick. When the toothpick comes out clean the cake is done.
Let the cake cool for 20 – 30 minutes.
Then mix up powdered sugar and a little bit of milk to create the icing. Drizzle across the top.
Since we make this cake often I have tested different options.
I prefer the look of a cake with a thicker icing that you can see the spots where it is drizzled. This icing has more powdered sugar and less milk.
For a thinner icing add more milk and pour across the top. The thinner consistency will run to the low spots and sides and get more coverage.
The taste is the same, but the look of the cake will be different based on the consistency of the icing.
Tips for Making Cinnamon Applesauce Coffee Cake
- I mix all of the ingredients very well EXCEPT for the baking chips. If the baking chips are added to the mixer too soon they could be broken up by the beater.
- Let the cake cool a bit before drizzling with icing.
- I like making the icing a bit thicker and making a more distinct pattern with the drizzles, than having thin icing that covers the entire coffee cake.
- This cake is just as good warm as it is a day or two later!
- If storing the cake past two days I recommend storing in the refrigerator
More Easy Cakes in a 9 x 13 Pan:
- Gooey Butter Cake – a cross between a box mix of cake and cheesecake this quick and easy dessert always tastes great.
- Pumpkin Pie Cake – has layers of deliciousness and makes the perfect fall treat.
- Pina Colada Cake – a box mix quickly transforms into a tropical delight
- Our Crescent Roll Apple Pie recipe looks like a cake in a 9 x 13″ pan but tastes more like a pie.
Cinnamon Applesauce Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 2/3 cups Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips 10 oz. package
Easy Glaze
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350℉. Coat 9×13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Beat butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in applesauce.
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture until well blended. Add cinnamon chips.
- Spread into prepared 9×13 baking pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool.
- Stir together powdered sugar and enough warm water to make icing of your preferred consistency. Drizzle over a slightly warm cake and enjoy!
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Rate This Recipe Pin This RecipeOriginally published on August 25, 2018 with updates made on April 24, 2023.
Hi,
This cake looks very good, could I sub oil for the butter, or do half of each, I always male and give away,
I was just watching my cost..
Thank you,
Hi Linda – We always use butter because our family milked cows for generations. We also grow soybeans and a lot of vegetable oil is made from soybeans, so the good news is, either way, you support farm families in the United States! I’ve never substituted in this recipe, but I know this cake is VERY moist, so I would be careful about adding too much more liquid. Good luck and please let me know how it turns out for you 🙂
How about using crisco regular or butter flavor instead of butter. My coffee cake calls for crisco and it comes out great!
I’ve never tried that, but the butter flavor Crisco does make many baked goods delicious!
Sweetened or unsweetened applesauce?
I typically use unsweetened since there are other sources of sugar in the recipe, but if sweetened is all I have on hand then I’ll use it.
What is the consistency of the batter spread to be? I made this tonight and the batter was much thicker than I thought it would be so it also made it a little more difficult to determine if the cake was done. The cake started to come away from the sides (usually a sign the cake is done) and the edges started to brown. It tasted very good and will make this again.
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it! The batter has more of a heavy applesauce consistency. I typically determine doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center and when it comes out clean the cake is done. I think it depends on your preference with this cake. Yes, I’ve noticed that over multiple times of making it the outside and center can vary in consistency. It will keep cooking once out of the oven and that has helped it set up more, after the edges pull away from the pan. Thanks for your note 🙂
I am wanting to make this cinnamon applesauce cake but have come to find that the cinnamon bits are very hard to find so what can I do to replace them to make it still cinnamon?
I know this can be tricky. I’ve found them at Walmart, Meijer, Walmart.com or sometimes smaller local specialty stores. I’m not sure how to substitute for them. I hope it works out well for you!
Will the cake still be good if I leave out the Cinnamon Chips?
I think the cinnamon chips really give it a great flavor, but feel free to give it a try.
Could I put the batter in a bundt pan instead? Thank you!
Pamela
I’ve never tested it in a bundt pan, but please let me know if you give it a try!
I was thinking about splitting the cake batter between two 9×5 loaf pans – to give it more of a “bread” look to give as a gift. Wish me luck – sounds delish!
Have you ever made thus in a half sheet pan? Do you think it makes enough batter in this recipe to make in this size pan. Of course the baking time would be less. When made in the 9×13 does it come out thick? Seems to in one of your pictures. Thanks for and guidance.
Hi! This sounds like a great experiment! I have not made it in anything but a 9×13 pan, and yes it is fairly thick. I would be very curious to hear how this comes out if you give it a try!
I printed this recipe when you first posted it. I just made in this week and it was delicious and so moist. I took it to a small group event and told the hostess it was the first time I had tried the recipe. After the meal she said, “This recipe is a keeper.
I made this with gluten free flour and I received raving reviews! It was moist, flavorful and not too sweet.
So glad to hear this! Thanks so much for sharing