This Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Cake is exactly what you need for the holidays, and it is only 5 WW points per serving!
As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s a great time to explore new dessert ideas, whether you’re hosting or bringing food to someone else’s gathering. This Thanksgiving Cake is an excellent choice! It pairs beautifully with traditional favorites such as pumpkin or apple pie, making it a delightful addition to your holiday spread. This cake has it all— fresh apples, dried cranberries, chopped nuts, and warm baking spices that give it more depth.
When making this recipe, I opted to make it a reduced-sugar cake that doesn’t require alternative sweeteners. Even though it has regular granulated sugar, the point amount is still relatively low since we’re using applesauce instead of oil and Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Aside from how it has real sugar, I also love the tender apples on top and how they bring a pleasant sweetness. The walnuts are a nice, crunchy addition, and the cranberries are tart and chewy. What more could you ask for? This cake definitely lives up to its name; it is the ultimate Thanksgiving cake.
If you’d like to make some other recipes to accompany it, you can check out my baking recipe collection here.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- It’s full of Fall flavors. All of the ingredients in this cake make it perfect for Thanksgiving time! It has a lovely balance of sweet, tart, and warm flavors.
- Simple yet delicious. This cake is easy to make, which is convenient for busy times like the holidays. Although it doesn’t take much effort to make, its yummy texture and flavor will impress you.
- Quick prep. You can have this cake in the oven in no time! It is so easy to make the batter by hand. The hardest part is peeling and slicing the apples.
Recipe Overview
- Serving Size: 1 slice (91g)
- Number of Servings: 12
- Time to Cook: 45 minutes
- WW Points Per Recipe: 5 WW points per serving, 64 for the entire recipe (Click here to view the recipe in the WW app. WW login is required)
Ingredients in Thanksgiving Cake
- 1 ⅔ cup All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ¾ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Table salt
- ⅔ cup Granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup No-sugar-added dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup Chopped walnuts
- 2 small or 1 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
- ½ cup Unsweetened applesauce
- 2 Eggs
- ¾ cup Nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground nutmeg
Instructions for making Thanksgiving Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 or 9-inch round baking pan.
- In one bowl, mix the dry ingredients, and in another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients, leaving out the apples, cranberries, and walnuts.
3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a batter forms, then mix in the dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. Be careful not to over-mix. Allow the batter to rest for 5-10 minutes.
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and then arrange apple slices over top in your desired pattern. Press them down slightly into the batter.
5. Bake the cake for about 45-55 minutes or until thoroughly baked, covering during the last 20 minutes of baking to prevent over-browning. Baking time will depend on the exact baking pan you use and how you arrange the apple slices. The cake should spring back up when you gently poke it with your finger.
Variations and Substitutions
- Reduce the Points Even More: Use a zero-calorie sweetener (1:1 sugar replacement), which will reduce the points. You can adjust the points in the WW recipe builder on the app.
- Frost the Cake: This cake would be delicious with a glaze, buttercream frosting, or classic cream cheese frosting. Make sure to wait for the cake to cool before applying a topping.
- Other Mix-In Ideas: if you have any extra points to use up, you can mix in other ingredients like chopped pecans, chopped pears or additional apples, raisins, or caramel morsels.
- Thanksgiving Cake Decorations: Enhance the cake with toppers or other decorative elements for Thanksgiving to make it more festive for the holiday.
- Thanksgiving Cupcakes or Muffins: You can also make this into individual portions by scooping batter into a lined cupcake pan. For this version, I suggest par-cooking the apples since they wont be baking as long in the oven. Cupcakes will have a quicker baking time, so keep an eye on them.
Tips and Tricks for Making Thanksgiving Cake
- This cake is best enjoyed warm and fresh out of the oven. I sprinkled some powdered sugar on mine, but you can also eat it at room temperature and with toppings.
- For extra moisture, you can mix some apple pieces into the batter as well; just be careful not to add too much. I would add about the same amounts as the nuts and cranberries.
- How to store Thanksgiving cake: Transfer any leftover cake to an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. I suggest reheating it in the microwave to refresh it.
- Bake the cake on the middle shelf for the best results. It might not bake evenly if it is too high or low in the oven. The top shelf will also cause the surface to burn.
- Do not over-mix the batter, as it will give the cake a funky texture. You can stop mixing once there are no flour clumps and the mix-ins are evenly dispersed.
- To check the cake’s doneness, you can also insert a toothpick into a few places, and it should come out clean.
Related Recipes
Thanksgiving Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ¾ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Table salt
- ⅔ cup Granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup No-sugar-added dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup Chopped walnuts
- 2 small or 1 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced, You can also mix some sliced or diced apples into the batter if preferred
- ½ cup Unsweetened applesauce
- 2 Eggs
- ¾ cup Nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 square dish or 9-inch round baking pan.
- In one bowl, mix the dry ingredients, and in another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients, leaving out the apples, cranberries, and walnuts.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a batter forms, then mix in the dried cranberries and chopped walnuts (if adding some apple pieces to the batter, add them now). Be careful not to over-mix. Allow the batter to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and then arrange apple slices over top in your desired pattern. Press them down slightly into the batter.
- Bake the cake for about 45-55 minutes or until thoroughly baked, covering during the last 20 minutes of baking to prevent over-browning. Baking time will depend on the exact baking pan you use and how you arrange the apple slices. The cake should spring back up when you gently poke it with your finger.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
