Air Fryer Apple Cake

Easy Applesauce Cake

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. A deliciously moist and fluffy cake topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

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!

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INGREDIENTS

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 sal

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

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.

METHOD

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.
Set your air fryer to BAKE and preheat to 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)

NUTRITION