Air Fryer Apple Cake (Easy Applesauce Cake)
, Published Sep 30, 2024
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Easy and delicious Air Fryer Apple Cake. This applesauce cake is super easy and quick to prepare and full of the flavors and scents of fall. A deliciously moist and fluffy cake topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
You will also love my Air Fryer Apple Crumble and classic vanilla Air Fryer Cake recipe 🙂
This ridiculously easy apple cake is fluffy, moist and delicious – a great snacking cake that can be served as breakfast or a treat. We love it year-round but it is especially suited to fall baking of course, being full of apple and warming spices.
Using unsweetened apple sauce saves us time and effort – no apples to peel and cook but all the delicious apple flavor. Topping with cinnamon cream cheese frosting is a great finishing touch, but this applesauce cake is just as delicious sprinkled with a little powdered or cinnamon sugar!
Why you will LOVE this recipe
- Super-easy to make, no mixer required
- Stays fresh and moist for days
- Great for snacking or dessert!
Love baking and your Air Fryer?
My new cookbook is perfect for you! Learn how to air bake cakes, breads, muffins, cookies and desserts 🙂
Apple Cake Ingredients
In the past I used to make my own applesauce especially to bake this cake… Then I discovered that store-bought apple sauce basically cuts down the prep time to a few minutes. This is why I love baking in my air fryer – no lengthy preheating required 🙂
- Applesauce – unsweetened applesauce is perfect for this cake. If you are using cinnamon applesauce you will need to adjust the spices used (see below).
- Spices – apples are perfect partners for ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Sugar – light brown sugar.
- Flour – all purpose flour ( plain flour in the UK).
- Ground almonds – will make this cake extra moist.
- Leavening agents – baking powder and baking soda ( bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- Oil – sunflower or vegetable oil (use a neutral-tasting oil).
- Eggs – large eggs at room temperature.
- Block cream cheese or mascarpone, heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon for the frosting (a little salted caramel too if you have a jar handy!).
How to make Air Fryer Apple Cake
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
Add the oil, applesauce and eggs in a measuring jug and stir well to combine. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl and stir to combine, until there’s no dry streaks of flour. You don’t want to mix too vigorously, just enough for the batter to form.
Transfer the batter into a greased and lined square 8 inch pan (I used a brownie pan) and tap on countertop to release any air bubbles.
Preheat your air fryer to 320°F (160°C) for two minutes. Place the pan in the air fryer basket and bake for 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
Take the basket out of the air fryer but leave the cake in the basket for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before frosting.
Place the cream cheese, cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and caramel in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until the frosting is thick enough to spread.
Smooth the frosting over the cooled cake and swirl using a palette knife or cake scraper. Dust the cake with ground cinnamon and enjoy!
Recipe Notes and Variations
- You can use a round or square cake pan – just check first to make sure it fits into your air fryer basket!
- Fold roughly chopped nuts, such as chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter or add dried fruit like raisins for a variation.
- This apple cake stays lovely and moist for days, with the flavors intensifying as it matures. Store in the fridge if you are adding the cream cheese frosting.
- Simply dust the cake with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar if you prefer to skip the frosting.
- To oven bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and a tester comes out clean.
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Air Fryer Apple Cake (Easy Applesauce Cake)
Video
Ingredients
For the cake
- ¾ cup (200g) applesauce , unsweetened
- ⅓ cup (80ml) sunflower oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (250g) flour all purpose / plain,
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (50g) ground almonds
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz (225g) full-fat cream cheese or full-fat mascarpone
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- ⅓ cup (80ml) cream , heavy / double
- 1 tbsp salted caramel sauce , from a jar (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon , to dust
Instructions
- Mist an 8-inch square cake pan with cake release and line with baking paper. Let the edges of the paper overhang but make sure to clip them down (otherwise the air circulating in your air fryer will push them into the batter).
- Add the oil, applesauce and eggs in a measuring jug and stir well to combine.¾ cup (200g) applesauce, ⅓ cup (80ml) sunflower oil, 2 large eggs
- Place the flour, sugar, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a mixing bowl and stir well to combine.2 cups (250g) flour, 1 ¼ cups (250g) light brown sugar, ½ cup (50g) ground almonds, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ⅛ tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl and stir to combine, until there’s no dry streaks of flour. You don’t want to mix too vigorously, just enough for the batter to form.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan and tap on countertop to release any air bubbles.
- Preheat your air fryer to 320°F (160°C) for two minutes. Place the pan in the air fryer basket and bake for 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
- Take the basket out of the air fryer but leave the cake in the basket for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before frosting.
- Place the cream cheese, cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and caramel in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until the frosting is thick enough to spread.8 oz (225g) full-fat cream cheese , ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, ⅓ cup (80ml) cream, 1 tbsp salted caramel sauce, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Smooth the frosting over the cooled cake and swirl using a palette knife or cake scraper. Dust the cake with ground cinnamon and enjoy!1 tsp ground cinnamon
Notes
- You can use a round or square cake pan – just check first to make sure it fits into your air fryer basket!
- Variations: you can fold roughly chopped nuts, such as chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter or add dried fruit like raisins.
- This apple cake stays lovely and moist for days, with the flavors intensifying as it matures. Store in the fridge if you are adding the cream cheese frosting.
- Simply dust the cake with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar if you prefer to skip the frosting.
- To oven bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and a tester comes out clean.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
