Pennsylvania Dutch Applesauce Cake Recipe

After my husband and I got married we moved down to Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. If you’re unfamiliar with Lancaster, it’s widely known as Lancaster Amish Country. A lot of our neighbors were Amish or Pennsylvania Dutch and shared many of their family recipes with me.

The Pennsylvania Dutch Applesauce Cake is a really easy-to-make cake. You’ll need applesauce to make it which gives it flavor and makes for a moist, not dry cake.

Pennsylvania Dutch Applesauce Cake Recipe

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 stick butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 cups applesauce
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour, lightly sifted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine together all of the ingredients listed above, in the order they are given in the recipe. Lightly grease a 9″ by 13″ glass baking dish or cake pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, using a spatula to obtain and even layer of batter.

Place baking dish into a preheated 325 degree oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the center of the cake is done. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Once cool, store in an airtight container.

You can serve the cake as-is with no frosting or top it with your favorite frosting. My mother likes it as-is but the rest of the family likes it with cream cheese frosting spread over the top.

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