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Applesauce Honey Cake

Applesauce honey cake with a tender crumb and a glossy honey glaze. Baked in a 9x13 pan until a toothpick comes out clean, then brushed with warm glaze for a lightly sweet finish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 330
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Flour mixture
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ginger
  • 0.25 tsp allspice
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Cake batter
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 0.75 cup honey
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 0.3333333333 cup sour cream
Honey glaze
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp butter melted
  • 1 tbsp powdered sugar

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and mix dry ingredients
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 baking pan (set it aside for batter).
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt together until evenly speckled (dry mixture should look uniform).
Make the batter
  1. Beat unsalted butter, honey, and brown sugar until smooth, then beat in eggs and vanilla extract (mixture should lighten and look glossy).
  2. Stir in unsweetened applesauce and sour cream until fully combined (no streaks should remain).
  3. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients just until combined (stop as soon as you don’t see dry flour).
Bake and glaze
  1. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean (top should be golden-brown).
  2. Whisk honey glaze ingredients—honey, melted butter, and powdered sugar—until smooth, then brush over the warm cake (glaze should glisten as it sets).
Serve
  1. Let the cake rest until it’s warm or at room temperature, then slice and serve (crumb should look moist and tender).

Notes

For the best texture, fold the dry ingredients in gently and stop mixing once no dry flour remains—overmixing can make the crumb tough. Store covered in the fridge up to 4 days; freeze sliced pieces up to 2 months (glaze may slightly soften after thawing). For a dairy-light option, use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream and use plant butter for the glaze butter.