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ThuJun 6

National Applesauce Cake Day – June 6, 2024

National Applesauce Cake Day is celebrated every year on June 6. People find making desserts a daunting task. National Applesauce Day provides you with just the opportunity to hone your culinary skills and treat your sweet tooth. Although it is a simple dish to bake, today you can get creative and come up with variations. People even get to show their patriotic side as they bake up a storm.

History of National Applesauce Cake Day

Applesauce cake is a traditional dessert cake that features applesauce as its star ingredient. Different spices are also added to the moist cake. Most Americans like to have a slice of applesauce cake with their afternoon tea or after dinner. Some even like to sprinkle some cinnamon on top.

This cake gained immense popularity among the Americans during the colonial times in the New England region. From the early 1900s till the 1950s, local cookbooks featured improvised recipes for applesauce cake. But it was during World War I when applesauce cake became the favorite dessert of American households.

Applesauce cake was super affordable and didn’t require much time to bake. It didn’t have any fancy frosting and, therefore, had a longer shelf life than frosted cakes. The best part about the cake was that it consisted of only two key ingredients — flour and applesauce.

During wartime, applesauce cake was prepared by American housewives because of food shortages. Soon, it gained a reputation as a patriotic food and was enjoyed by people of all ages. If there was a rationing of flour, cornmeal or oats was added to the cake mix instead.

National Applesauce Cake Day timeline

1739
Applesauce's First Appearance

Eliza Smith shares a recipe for applesauce in her cookbook “Complete Housewife.”

1917
Applesauce Cake in Literature

Professor Mary Swartz Rose writes about applesauce cake in “Everyday Foods in War Time.”

1940
Sugar Rationing in WWII

Applesauce replaces sugar in cakes during WWII’s times of economic hardship.

2016
Perfect Dessert for Vegans

American author Anne Byrn shares a vintage applesauce cake recipe for vegans.

National Applesauce Cake Day FAQs

Do you have to refrigerate applesauce cake?

An applesauce cake can last for two to three days when kept covered at room temperature. Applesauce cakes with cream frostings, however, require proper refrigeration.

What does applesauce do to a cake?

You can add applesauce directly into your cake batter. It works as a great alternative for fat and refined sugar and makes the cake less fattening.

How do I use applesauce instead of eggs in a cake?

You can substitute one egg with around two ounces of applesauce and a pinch of baking soda. The same thing works for other desserts, too, if you want to omit eggs from the original recipe.

How to Celebrate National Applesauce Cake Day

  1. Bake a wacky cake

    If you are someone who loves to experiment with their food, then making a wacky cake, aka a Depression cake or war cake, can be a great way to get familiar with the basics of baking. War cakes were popular during WWI and WWII. People substituted ingredients like sugar and fat with those that were less expensive and more easily available in their area. For example, sugar was substituted with applesauce, and butter was replaced with oil.

  2. Can and preserve apples

    Do you miss canning fresh apples with your beloved granny? Why not relive your childhood and bring back those sweet memories? Canning is a fun way to store your favorite fruits in large quantities and enjoy them all year long in recipes like cakes, puddings, and pastries. You can either preserve them in sugar syrup or freeze them in a ziplock bag. Make sure to dry the apples completely before storing them and use lemon juice to slow down the process of oxidation.

  3. Organize a charity bake sale

    You can invite your local community and plan a special theme for your bake sale. The participants can bake cakes according to the theme of the event. Try to make the event as fun as possible. You can have a mini photo booth where people can have their photos taken with their cakes or you could hire a photographer to take professional photographs of the event.

5 Delightfully Sweet Facts About Apples

  1. A fear of apples exists

    Malusdomesticaphobia is the scientific name for a fear of apples.

  2. Apples need time to grow

    Apple seeds require 10 years or more to fully grow into a fruit.

  3. Growing apples for land ownership

    Famous nurseryman Johnny Chapman planted apple trees on unclaimed lands to legally claim their ownership.

  4. Apples can be poisonous

    Apple seeds contain a substance called amygdalin, which can be poisonous in high doses.

  5. Apples can float

    Apples cannot sink in water because 25% of their volume is air.

Why we love National Applesauce Cake Day

  1. It compels foreigners to try out American desserts

    Americans love to bake applesauce cakes. It's a popular dessert among the locals due to its simplicity and association with wartime shortages. Still, it isn't as popular as other cream cakes like pineapple upside-down cakes and red velvet cakes. National Applesauce Cake Day is a great way to introduce this wonderful dessert to people of different cultures and nationalities who have not tasted it before.

  2. It promotes the idea of simple living

    Contrary to the general perception, it isn't necessary to use expensive ingredients to make mouthwatering desserts. The applesauce cake is one such dessert that doesn't require any extra flavoring to taste good. All you need is flour and applesauce in your pantry to enjoy this wonderful dessert.

  3. It gives you a glimpse into American history

    Food shortages were common during WWI and WWII. People had to preserve food to make it last for a longer period. Food shortages badly affected American households. And since applesauce cake was heavily consumed during this period, it reminds us of all the challenges and hardships faced by Americans during that difficult time.

National Applesauce Cake Day dates

YearDateDay
2024June 6Thursday
2025June 6Friday
2026June 6Saturday
2027June 6Sunday
2028June 6Tuesday

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