Apple Spice Sheet Cake

Apple Spice Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect sheet cake for Fall. It is sweet, soft and perfectly spiced. Frost the cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and this apple spice cake will be your new favorite sheet cake.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings servings (approx.)

Calories 309kcal

Author Beth, The Butcher’s Wife

Equipment

half sheet pan See blog post above if you only have a jelly roll pan or 9x13 pan.

Ingredients

Applesauce Cake

1/2 cup butter Softened - 1 stick/cube
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon *if you really like cinnamon add another 1/2 tsp.
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup Unsweetened applesauce

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese 1 block of cream cheese
1/2 cup butter Softened - 1 stick/cube
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar add as much as you like to get it as thick and as sweet as you like
1 to 2 tsp ground cinnamon start with 1 tsp and add to taste

Instructions

Applesauce Cake

Preheat oven to 375° and grease your half sheet pan.
*See notes below if using a jelly roll pan (it is slightly smaller than a half sheet pan) or a 9x13 pan.
In a mixer, beat the white sugar and softened butter together until smooth.
Add in the eggs, and mix them in fully. Then add the sour cream and vanilla. Mix well.
Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
Add in the spices and mix until fully incorporated.
Add the unsweetened applesauce and mix well.
Pour the batter into the half sheet pan. Bake 15-20 minutes. (Mine bakes perfectly at 18 minutes).
You will know it is done when the edges start to brown and pull away from the corners of the pan and the top is golden brown. You will also know it is done when you poke a toothpick in the center of the cake and it comes out with only a little crumb on it.
You can make the frosting while the bars bake, or are cooling.
Cool the cake/bars completely before frosting.
Make sure to use only forward strokes when frosting this soft cake and do not push too hard or the soft top of the cake will peel and crumble as you frost it. (That means it is a super yummy soft and moist cake)!
Cut into pieces and enjoy!

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

In a mixer, add all of the frosting ingredients and mix until smooth. Make sure your butter and cream cheese are softened completely or your frosting will be lumpy!
Add more cinnamon to taste.

Notes

Jelly Roll pan: If you are using a jelly roll pan it is slightly smaller than a half sheet pan so you will not want to use all of the batter (or you will end up with a messy oven). Only fill your greased jelly roll pan about half full (or a little less). You can see in the photos in the blog post how much room I have in my pan after pouring in the batter.

9x13 pan: If using a 9x13 pan you will need to lower the baking temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit so it can cook a bit slower and get done in the center because it will be a thicker cake. The cooking time will need to be a little bit longer. It will need to bake anywhere from 25-35 minutes, depending on how your oven cooks. Start checking it at 25 minutes. The edges should start to brown and pull away from the corners of the pan and the top will be golden brown when it’s done. You will also know it is done when you poke a toothpick in the center of the cake and it comes out with only a little crumb on it.

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