If you're looking for an incredibly moist, rich chocolate cake that's easy to make with simple pantry ingredients, this Chocolate Applesauce Cake is the recipe you've been searching for. Unsweetened applesauce keeps every bite soft and tender while cocoa powder and melty chocolate chips deliver deep chocolate flavor that's perfect for birthdays, potlucks, holidays, or an everyday dessert.
Chocolate Applesauce Cake Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Dessert, Snack, Cake
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: Prep: 15 minutes | Bake: 30 minutes | Total: 45 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 15 to 18 servings
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Rich, chocolatey, moist, soft, and perfectly sweet
- 🍚 Best Served With: Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, fresh berries, coffee, tea, or a cold glass of milk
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes! Bake the cake a day ahead and store it covered at room temperature until ready to serve.
Summarize and Save This Content On
One of my favorite things about this cake is how effortlessly it comes together. There's no complicated decorating or fancy techniques-just mix, bake, and enjoy. Whether you serve it warm with ice cream or pack a slice in a lunchbox, this cake is guaranteed to disappear quickly.
My grandma always had a way of making simple desserts feel extra special. She believed the best cakes weren't necessarily the fanciest ones, but the ones everyone reached for seconds of. She loved baking with everyday ingredients, and I know she would have appreciated how the applesauce keeps this chocolate cake incredibly moist while letting the rich chocolate flavor shine.
This recipe was inspired by my chocolate caramel poke cake and chocolate peanut butter poke cake and pairs perfectly with homemade Oreo ice cream, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or a hot cup of coffee.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Rich chocolate flavor: Cocoa powder and plenty of chocolate chips create a decadent cake that's moist, fudgy, and loaded with chocolate in every bite.
- Easy to make: Simple pantry ingredients and straightforward steps make this an ideal recipe for beginner bakers, busy weeknights, birthdays, bake sales, or family gatherings.
- Moist for days: Unsweetened applesauce adds incredible moisture and tenderness while helping the cake stay fresh longer than many traditional chocolate cakes.
Ingredients
This applesauce chocolate cake comes together with everyday baking staples you probably already have in your kitchen. The combination of applesauce, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips creates an incredibly soft cake with rich chocolate flavor and an irresistibly moist texture.
- Wet Ingredients: Melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and unsweetened applesauce create a rich batter that's soft, flavorful, and incredibly moist.
- Dry Ingredients: All-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt provide the perfect structure while keeping the cake light, tender, and deeply chocolatey.
- Chocolate Chips: Semisweet chocolate chips are folded into the batter and sprinkled over the top before baking, creating melty pockets of chocolate throughout every slice.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Change the Chocolate: Use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, or a combination of your favorites for a different flavor profile.
- Add Fruit or Nuts: Fold in chopped walnuts, pecans, shredded coconut, dried cherries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries for added texture and flavor.
- Boost the Flavor: Stir in a teaspoon of espresso powder, cinnamon, almond extract, or orange zest to enhance the chocolate and create a unique twist.
- Dress It Up: Frost the cooled cake with chocolate buttercream, cream cheese frosting, whipped chocolate ganache, or simply dust it with powdered sugar for an easy finish.
- Bake It Your Way: Divide the batter into 12 cupcake liners and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or use two 8-inch round cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes to create a beautiful layer cake.
How to Make Chocolate Applesauce Cake
This cake is as simple as mixing the wet ingredients, combining the dry ingredients, and baking until perfectly soft and chocolatey. Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 1: Prepare the Batter. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and applesauce until smooth and fully combined.
Step 2: Add the Dry Ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until no streaks of flour remain.
Step 3: Add chocolate chips and fill the baking dish. Gently fold in ¾ cup of the chocolate chips, being careful not to overmix the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining ¾ cup of chocolate chips evenly over the top.
Step 4: Bake and Cool. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing and serving. For the cleanest cuts or if you plan to frost the cake, let it cool completely on a wire rack for 1½ to 2 hours.
Enjoy as is or serve with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or your favorite frosting.
Recipe Tips
- Measure carefully: Spoon and level the flour and cocoa powder instead of scooping directly from the container to keep the cake light and tender.
- Don't overmix: Stir the batter only until the ingredients are combined to avoid a dense or tough cake.
- Use quality cocoa and chocolate: Good-quality cocoa powder and chocolate chips make a noticeable difference in the richness of the finished cake.
- Watch the baking time: Begin checking for doneness around 28 minutes since every oven bakes a little differently. The cake should still be moist but fully baked.
- Cool before slicing: Let the cake cool for at least 20 to 30 minutes so it slices neatly and the chocolate chips have time to set slightly.
If you love rich chocolate desserts like this applesauce in chocolate cake, you may also enjoy my naked chocolate cake and chocolate cherry dump cake.
Storage Directions
Room Temperature: Cover the cooled cake tightly with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Let slices come to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and texture.
Freezer: Wrap individual slices or the entire cake tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil or place in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.
Reheat: Warm individual slices in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds for soft, melty chocolate chips, or enjoy the cake at room temperature.
Make Ahead: Bake the cake a day in advance and keep it covered until ready to serve. In fact, many people find the flavor is even better the next day.
Serving Suggestions
- Classic Dessert: Serve warm with vanilla or sprinkles ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, or caramel sauce for an irresistible dessert.
- Holiday and Party Dessert: Add chocolate frosting, cream cheese frosting, fresh berries, chocolate curls, or festive sprinkles for birthdays, holidays, and celebrations.
- Fresh Fruit: Garnish with baked strawberries, raspberries, chocolate covered blueberries, sliced bananas, or pretzel chocolate peanut butter bites for an extra-special dessert.
- Lunchbox and Snack Time: Pack slices for school lunches, picnics, bake sales, potlucks, or an easy afternoon snack everyone will enjoy.
- Coffee Break Favorite: Enjoy a slice with coffee, espresso, cappuccino, cinnamon hot chocolate, peppermint hot chocolate or your favorite tea for an afternoon treat.
Chocolate Applesauce Cake Recipe FAQs
Applesauce adds incredible moisture and tenderness while helping create a soft crumb. It also enhances the cake's texture without making it taste like apples.
Not at all. The chocolate flavor is the star of the recipe. The applesauce simply keeps the cake moist and tender while blending seamlessly into the batter.
Overbaking or measuring too much flour are the two most common causes. Begin checking for doneness a few minutes early and measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup before leveling it off.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
Do you love rich chocolate desserts? Here are some delicious chocolate cake recipes you may also enjoy trying.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Chocolate Applesauce Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup butter melted or vegetable oil
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips divided
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and applesauce until smooth and fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in ¾ cup of the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining ¾ cup of chocolate chips evenly over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing and serving. For the cleanest cuts or if you plan to frost the cake, let it cool completely on a wire rack for 1½ to 2 hours. Enjoy as is or serve with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or your favorite frosting.
- Enjoy it as is or top with whipped cream, ice cream, or your favorite frosting.
Notes
- Measure carefully: Spoon and level the flour and cocoa powder instead of scooping directly from the container to keep the cake light and tender.
- Don't overmix: Stir the batter only until the ingredients are combined to avoid a dense or tough cake.
- Use quality cocoa and chocolate: Good-quality cocoa powder and chocolate chips make a noticeable difference in the richness of the finished cake.
- Watch the baking time: Begin checking for doneness around 28 minutes since every oven bakes a little differently. The cake should still be moist but fully baked.
- Cool before slicing: Let the cake cool for at least 20 to 30 minutes so it slices neatly and the chocolate chips have time to set slightly.
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