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    Home » Quick Bread/ Loaves » Honey Applesauce Cake

    Honey Applesauce Cake

    By Wendy Sondov · Published: Sep 25, 2014 · Modified: Apr 12, 2020 · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, it’s traditional to eat honey cake and dip apples in honey, symbolizing the hope for a sweet new year. Baking this honey cake recipe is a tradition I began when my children were little. I make many loaves of Honey Applesauce Cake every year and share them with my family and friends.

    Honey Applesauce Cake

    Honey Applesauce Cake

    Honey Applesauce Cake

    Honey Applesauce Cake tastes like honey dipped apples. I adapted a recipe for applesauce bread by substituting honey for some of the granulated sugar.

    The result is a moist, sweet cake that makes a great snack cake or dessert. The recipe makes two large loaves. Eat one and freeze the other, or give it away and sweeten someone’s day!

    Honey Applesauce Cake

    Though I have been making and gifting Honey Applesauce Cake for years, until this week I never stopped to think of what a great care package treat it is. I was sealing up six little loaves in a Monday Box for my son (one for him and the others for his apartment mates) when I realized that Honey Applesauce Cakes are especially well suited for care packages.

    The loaves stay fresh for up to a week and are sturdy enough to travel well. They are best mailed during cool weather months due to the high moisture content of the cake.

    Honey Applesauce Cake

    ADDITIONAL SWEET HONEY RECIPES

    Apples and Honey Cookies

    Honey Jumbles

    Honey Gingerbread

    Honey Sesame Cookies

    Honey Graham Sandwich Cookies

    Honey Roasted Peanut Cookies

     

    For those of you who celebrate Rosh Hashanah, I wish you l’shana tova, a happy New Year. I wish everyone a year of health, happiness, and peace.

    Honey Applesauce Cake

     

    YOU MAY NEED THESE BAKING TOOLS

    loaf panmini loaf pan

     

    HONEY CAKE RECIPE

    Honey and applesauce make this loaf cake moist and delicious. It is an ideal little loaf for gifting and care packages too!

    Honey Applesauce Cake

    Honey Applesauce Cake

    This soft, moist loaf tastes even better in the days after baking! It's a great care package or gift cake whether baked in mini loaf pans of as full sized loaves.
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, Jewish
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 354kcal
    Author: Wendy Sondov

    Equipment

    • 4 cavity mini loaf pan
    • 9" x 5" loaf pan

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 3 teaspoons baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
    • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter room temperature
    • ½ cup honey
    • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 ½ cups unsweetened applesauce

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 ˚F. Lightly spray baking pans with cooking oil.
    • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.
    • In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, and honey.
    • Add eggs. Beat until combined.
    • Mix in applesauce.
    • Gradually add flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.
    • Pour evenly into pans (approximately 1 cup per mini pan or three cups per loaf pan). Mini loaf pans can be placed in the oven on a cookie sheet for more even baking and easy removal.
    • Bake loaf pans for 35-45 minutes and mini pans for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
    • If removing the cakes from the pans, cool for 10 minutes in the pans before removing the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
    • Once completely cool, cakes should be wrapped in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature (or in the refrigerator) for 5-7 days

    Notes

    • This recipe makes 2 bread pan loaves (9" x 5") or 6 (3” x 5”) mini loaves.
    • The loaves stay fresh for up to a week and are sturdy enough to travel well. They are best mailed during cool weather months due to the high moisture content of the cake.
    Packing tips
    Bake loaves in disposable foil pans. Keep the loaves in the pans for mailing. Double wrap in plastic wrap and place in a zip lock bag. Only ship Honey Applesauce Cakes to and from cool/cold temperatures.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 288mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 291IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheMondayBox or tag #themondaybox!

    Honey Applesauce Cake

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Doreen

      February 24, 2021 at 11:32 pm

      Is there a suitable icing that can be used with this loaf?

      Reply
      • Wendy Sondov

        February 25, 2021 at 8:17 am

        Hi, Doreen. Have you tried the loaf and feel it needs icing? This is a very moist and sweet loaf. I have never used icing, but I would think that a confectioners’ sugar glaze made with honey and a little cinnamon would go well with the loaf. Enjoy!

        Reply
    2. madhuri Shirke

      February 3, 2021 at 9:12 am

      hii i like ur post

      Reply
    3. Anita

      January 9, 2021 at 8:35 am

      What size of regular loaf pan would you use for this recipe and how many would this recipe use.

      Reply
      • Wendy Sondov

        January 9, 2021 at 8:40 am

        Hi, Anita. This recipe makes 2 full sized loaves. The loaf pans I use are 9″ x 5″. Enjoy!

        Reply
    4. Shanita

      December 22, 2020 at 1:24 am

      5 stars
      Delicious! I halved the recipe and it still made two nice sized loaves. This will probably be made monthly.

      Reply
      • Wendy Sondov

        December 22, 2020 at 11:35 am

        Hi, Shanita! I am so glad that you are enjoying the Honey Cake! We find that the flavors deepen and get even better in a day or two! The loaves also freeze well. Thank you for your comment and for your 5 star rating!

        Reply
    5. Sharon

      November 23, 2020 at 11:58 am

      Do you use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe?

      Reply
      • Wendy Sondov

        November 25, 2020 at 11:00 am

        Hi, Sharon. I use unsalted butter in all of my baking. I’ve fixed that in the recipe card above.

        Reply
      • Nicole

        January 15, 2021 at 11:23 pm

        What will happen if I use sweetened applesauce. I have a ton ro use up. Lol

        Reply
        • Wendy Sondov

          January 16, 2021 at 8:40 am

          Hi, Nicole. Nothing “bad” should happen at all! 🙂 The loaves will be a bit sweeter from the sweetened applesauce. You can leave out 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar to compensate if you like. Go ahead and use up that extra applesauce and enjoy!

          Reply
    6. Sally Harper

      November 20, 2020 at 11:18 am

      Wendy, I love the aroma and taste of this recipe! However, I ended up with a layer of applesauce at the bottom of the loaves. Instead of the top rising, they fell somewhat. I followed the recipe, I live at 1800 feet (elevation). Ideas of what could cause this?
      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Wendy Sondov

        November 20, 2020 at 12:37 pm

        Hi, Sally. I’ve never had these issues with this recipe, so I’m not sure what could be causing the problems. I have zero experience with high altitude baking, but I do know that it does often require adjustments. If you ended up with moisture on the bottom (the applesauce was completely mixed into the batter, right?) and the top fell in, it sounds like the loaf didn’t bake through. Take a look at this resource for high altitude baking from King Arthur Flour. I hope it helps! https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking

        Reply
    7. Sandra Trauzzi

      November 5, 2020 at 5:28 am

      5 stars
      Delicious. Will make it again and again

      Reply
      • Wendy Sondov

        November 5, 2020 at 8:26 am

        I agree, Sandra! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the honey cake! Thank you for leaving your comment and rating!

        Reply
    8. Denise Wartluft

      October 25, 2020 at 4:13 pm

      Can I use raisins in this recipe?

      Reply
      • Wendy Sondov

        October 25, 2020 at 5:32 pm

        Hi, Denise. You absolutely can use raisins in this recipe. Keep in mind that this cake tastes even better the next day, so you might want to plan ahead. Enjoy!

        Reply
    9. Siri

      October 20, 2020 at 10:05 am

      Hello! This looks like a wonderful recipe, thank you for sharing. I was just wondering if there is any way to only make one loaf? Would it be okay to half all of the ingredients?

      Reply
      • Wendy Sondov

        October 20, 2020 at 12:06 pm

        Hi, Siri. You can definitely make just one loaf using half of the recipe. However, this loaf freezes very well and also makes a lovely gift. You might want to make the whole recipe and freeze one loaf for later or gift a loaf to someone who could use a smile. 🙂 Happy baking!

        Reply
    10. Patty

      September 19, 2020 at 9:07 pm

      I baked your Honey Applesauce Cake tonight and everyone liked it, but I agree with another post that some small apple chunks would be delicious in this too. I was thinking about 1 1/2 cups and using Granny Smith, Fiji or Jazz. What do you think would be best and what about the amount? Oh, I also used half cinnamon and apple pie spice.

      Reply
      • Wendy Sondov

        September 20, 2020 at 8:03 pm

        Hi, Patty. I can see how some apple bits could be delicious. First, keep in mind that adding to the recipe will increase the volume of the batter. Be careful not to overfill your pans. That said, I would start with no more than 1 cup of chopped apples and see how the batter looks before adding any more. All of the firm, slightly tart apples you mentioned sound like good choices.

        Reply
        • Patty

          September 21, 2020 at 9:42 am

          When adding the extra cup of finely chopped apples, would you leave everything else the same? I think the cake/bread gets better each day! 🙂 I have been reheating it in a NuWave oven adding butter after heating YUM YUM YUM

          Reply
    11. Barbara F Anderson

      August 22, 2020 at 6:45 am

      have you ever made this vegan without egg and butter? using shortening or coconut oil and bananas for eggs?

      Reply
      • Wendy Sondov

        August 22, 2020 at 8:28 am

        I’m sorry, Barbara, I have never tried adapting this recipe to make it vegan. My concern with the substitutions you suggested is that they will make an already moist cake too mushy, but I have no vegan baking experience so I am really unsure. Have you seen this recipe below? Maybe it is a good place to start. https://www.thespruceeats.com/vegan-jewish-honey-cake-recipe-1135445

        Reply
    12. Thurcia

      August 19, 2020 at 7:43 pm

      5 stars
      Wanted to be sure to review here as well! I made square muffins for my toddlers (halve the recipe) using 2 to 1 brown to white sugar and added raisins. So moist and delicious and so easy! Next time I’ll try chopped apples. Thanks again! This will easily make my weekly rotation.

      Reply
      • Wendy Sondov

        August 19, 2020 at 9:55 pm

        Thank you so much, Thurcia, for taking the time to leave your lovely 5 star review! I really appreciate it. Your photo of the muffins on Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/366480488427085273/) looks delicious! The image in my head of your toddlers munching on honey cake muffins makes me smile! 🙂

        Reply
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    I'm Wendy, a baker, care package maker, and smile creator. On The Monday Box you’ll find care package inspiration and recipes for delicious treats that make it easy for you to share home baked love. Let’s spread happiness, one cookie at a time!

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