The Perfect Pecan Applesauce Cake for Harvest Time

This is a fun twist on an old fashioned applesauce cake recipe that you can make in an Instant Pot! Sure it’s easy enough to bake cake in your oven. But you know how when it’s blazing hot outside the very last thing you want to do is turn on the oven and make it even hotter inside? Yeah. Baking an Instant Pot cake doesn’t heat up the house like that! 

Be sure to try this easy and delicious French apple cake recipe, too!

caramel pecan apple spice cake on a white platter - an instant pot cake!

3 reasons Instant Pot cake baking rocks

  • Baking an Instant Pot cake doesn’t heat up the house during hot summer months.
  • College dorm cooking! Without easy access to an oven, college students don’t always get to indulge in homemade sweets.
  • The Instant Pot becomes an extra way to bake during busy holiday meals when the oven is overloaded.

6 panel process shots: making an apple spice cake

Old fashioned applesauce cake (with a modern twist)

The only special equipment you’ll need to make this cake is a 7-inch springform pan that fits into the Instant Pot. You can mix this apple spice cake with a stand mixer, a hand mixer, or with a simply wooden spoon. Use what you have!

This cake is best made with homemade applesauce (it’s so easy to make!), but if you don’t have access to fresh apples for making your own, opt for unsweetened applesauce. [Psst! You can make applesauce in your Instant Pot, too!]

The caramel sauce in this is optional. If you are likely to eat this apple spice cake for breakfast, you might skip it. But for dessert? Go for it! This 3-ingredient caramel sauce is made with maple syrup and is easy to make. Sprinkle on a few toasted pecans, too.

To make this applesauce cake recipe in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake cake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

slice of applesauce cake with caramel sauce on a white plate with blue and green trim

★ Did you make this old fashioned applesauce cake? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! ★

slice of applesauce cake with caramel sauce on a white plate with blue and green trim

Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake with Pecans

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This apple spice cake can be baked in an Instant Pot or a standard oven.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Grease a 7-inch springform pan with oil. 
  2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add in remaining wet ingredients and mix well.
  3. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and blend until well combined. Pour batter into the springform pan.
  4. Mix together 2 tablespoons brown sugar and pecans and spread this over the top of the batter in the springform pan.
  5. Top applesauce cake with aluminum foil and place the springform pan on Instant Pot trivet.
  6. Add water to the pressure cooker and then place the springform pan into the pressure cooker on top of the trivet.
  7. Close the Instant Pot and seal the valve. Set to a manual pressure cooking time of 60 minutes. 
  8. Allow for a natural pressure release before removing the lid. Remove apple spice cake and set on a wire rack to cool.

Notes

To bake this apple spice cake in a conventional oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake cake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 368Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 402mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 5g

Did you make this recipe?

Share an image on Instagram and tag @attainablesustainable with #attainablesustainable!

Looking for more ways to use your abundant crop? I’ve gathered some of the best apple recipes from my collection for you right here!

Click to save or share!

About the author: Claudie Evert is passionate about living lightly on the earth. She digs in the garden, cooks food from scratch, and will — someday — master the art of picking out a ripe watermelon.

1 comment… add one
  • Toni Oct 2, 2018 @ 17:06

    Yes please! That sounds delicious. I know just what kind of applesauce to use. ❤️

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to Recipe