This healthy applesauce spice cake is a perfect treat that is filled with the warm flavors of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves and is topped with a perfectly creamy honey cream cheese frosting.

This cake is easy to make and perfect for any time, from a family gathering to a cozy evening at home. The applesauce adds natural sweetness, moisture, and keeps the cake tender, while the spices give it a comforting aroma.

This cake not only satisfies your sweet tooth but also adds a cozy, seasonal touch to your life.

Why you’ll love this healthy applesauce spice cake

This applesauce spice cake is moist and flavorful with a combination of applesauce, honey, and warm spices. Topped with the best honey cream cheese frosting, you have a cake that everyone will most definitely love.

Here’s why else you’re going to love it:

Great texture: This applesauce cake is that perfect, spongey texture you love in a cake.
No eggs: Whether you are allergic to eggs, avoid eggs, out of eggs at the moment, or whatever, this recipe is great for you because it doesn’t call for any eggs.
Naturally sweetened: You’ll use only honey to sweeten this recipe.
Full of flavor: This cake is filled with the delicious flavors of cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. You’re gonna love it!

Applesauce cake and cream cheese frosting ingredients

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the ingredients list. These everyday ingredients come together to make such a great cake, you’ll want to make it everyday.

This is what you’ll need:

Applesauce – This gives the cake moisture and a nice hint of appley flavor. Use unsweetened applesauce for this recipe.
Whole wheat flour – You can use regular whole wheat flour, which is made with ground red wheat berries, or you could use white whole wheat flour, which is ground white wheat berries. White whole wheat flour is lighter in color and has a milder flavor, but regular whole wheat flour works beautifully in this recipe.
Baking soda – Baking soda helps the cake rise by producing carbon dioxide bubbles, creating an open crumb.
Baking powder – Baking powder also helps the cake rise, making it light, fluffy, and have a soft, airy texture.
Salt – Salt enhances flavor and balances the sweetness in baking.
Spices – A blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg come together to make this spice cake. To make measuring ingredients out easier, you can simply use 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead.
Neutral oil – Use a neutral oil like avocado or grapeseed oil.
Honey – Honey is the main sweetener in the recipe. While sweetening, it also gives the cake some moisture and a little flavor as well.
Vanilla – Vanilla in the recipe adds flavor, warmth, and it enhances the sweetness from the honey and applesauce.

While you can leave this cake unfrosted, this honey cream cheese frosting takes this cake to a whole other level.

This is what you’ll need for the honey cream cheese frosting:

Cream cheese – A full fat, room temperature cream cheese will make for the creamiest frosting.
Butter – To have full control of the amount of salt in the frosting, use an unsalted butter here. Like the cream cheese, make sure it’s soft and at room temperature.
Honey – This frosting is sweetened with honey. The honey complements the tang in the cream cheese, so the frosting will be sweet but still a little tangy like a cream cheese frosting should be.
Vanilla – Adds more depth of flavor.
Salt – The frosting won’t taste salty, just a pinch of salt is added to round out the flavors of everything else.

How to make healthy applesauce spice cake

Start that oven because you can make this healthy applesauce cake in no time flat.

Prep. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking pan with oil.
Whisk. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Mix. Get a large bowl and mix together the applesauce, oil, honey, and vanilla.
Combine. Pour the flour mixture in with the apple sauce mixture and fold together until just combined.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the heated oven for about 30 minutes. When golden brown and set in the middle, remove from the oven and let cool in the pan.
Frosting. In a medium bowl, put the cream cheese, butter, honey, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. With an electric hand mixer, whip everything until smooth and creamy.
Frost. Once the cake is fully cooled, frost the cake with an even layer of cream cheese frosting. Slice into 9 even squares and enjoy!

Baking tips

Check out the tips below to bake the best cake possible.

Simplify things with a pumpkin spice mix. Instead of measuring out the classic fall spices every time you bake this fall, make adding fall flavor to your baked goods simple by mixing up a batch of pumpkin spice. The recipe makes the perfect amount for a season of fall baking.
Add a parchment sling. If you want to remove the cake from the pan before frosting and serving, add a parchment sling to the pan. A parchment sling is a strip of parchment paper that has a 2 to 3 inch overhang on either side of the pan so you can easily lift the cake out.
Slice with a sharp paring knife. Another type of knife, like a chef’s knife for instance, is too long and unwieldy for slicing a cake in an 8 x 8 pan. A paring knife is the perfect sized knife for cutting a cake in a pan.

Storing and making ahead

After the cake has completely cooled, cover it tightly with plastic wrap. You can leave it covered on the kitchen counter for two days, or keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this healthy applesauce spice cake is a super tasty treat that brings warmth and comfort with every bite.

The warm spices and moist texture make it a favorite for sure. Whether you enjoy it as a dessert or a snack, this cake is really easy to make and sure to impress.

Try baking one today and share the joy with friends and family. Enjoy the deliciousness of this egg free applesauce spice cake!