Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cake is perfectly spiced, packed full of sweet, juicy apples and is so easy to make!

Now that I’ve made an Apple Upside Down Cake and an Apple Pie recipe, I knew it was time to make a spiced apple cake kind of between a pudding and a sponge cake.

Why you’ll love this Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cake:

• it’s undetectably vegan and gluten-free
• it’s soft and squidgy 
• it’s super moist
• it’s slightly fudgy
• it’s rich and nutty
• it’s perfectly spiced
• it’s warming and comforting 
• it’s made in one bowl
• it’s easy to make
• it’s refined sugar free!

How to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cake

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

Instead of adding large chunks of apple, I went for grated apple. It’s much easier as you don’t have to peel the apple first, and this method also allows you to pack in tons of apples and helps create an amazingly squidgy texture.

• Use a box grater to grate the apples.

• Mix together all the ingredients (including the grated apple) in a glass mixing bowl  – use a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.

I used date syrup in this cake as its thick and nectar-like texture makes the cake taste a little like molasses. It adds an amazingly rich flavour, whilst still being refined sugar free. Although you can use maple syrup instead, I love the stickiness that the date syrup adds.

I love to add some spices like ground ginger, cinnamon and vanilla for a warm, toasty, fragrant flavour reminiscent of all things cosy and autumnal.

• Transfer the cake batter to a pie dish.

Tip: Line it with greased baking paper to make the cake easier to take out afterwards.

• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes!

Substitutions you can make to this recipe:

• you can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil
• you can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc
• you can use any type of liquid sweetener: date syrup, maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc
• the apple cider vinegar is crucial as the acidity reacts with the alkali bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) – it can be substituted with lemon juice
• you can substitute the ground walnuts with ground almonds/almond meal
• you can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free
• you can top this cake with chopped walnuts, pecan nuts or flaked almonds before baking
• you can add raisins, chopped dates, chopped dried figs or dried cranberries to the batter.

How to serve this Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cake

You can top the cake with some buttery pecans, and vegan cream cheese frosting would be delicious too!

I personally love to go down the pudding route and smother this apple cake in a thick duvet of rich custard. This custard powder is my favourite as it’s made with just few simple ingredients and it’s vegan, gluten-free and completely free from sugar.

More similar desserts:

• Fig Upside Down Cake
• Apple Pie
• Pear Dark Chocolate Pudding
• Apple Upside Down Cake

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cake is perfectly spiced, packed full of sweet, juicy apples and so easy to make! 

4.11 from 19 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free apple cake, vegan apple cake, vegan thanksgiving dessert

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 322kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

• 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• 200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 8 tablespoons date syrup (or sub maple syrup or any other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 300 g (10.6 oz) grated apple (two medium-sized apples)
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground walnuts* (or sub ground almonds/almond meal)**
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
• Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the vinegar, date syrup, vanilla, ginger, mixed spice, salt, grated apple and ground walnuts
• Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
• Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
• Transfer mixture into a greased baking tin lined with baking paper - I used a 22.5cm/9inch pie dish
• Bake in oven for around 30 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean
• Best when fresh but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days. See notes for serving suggestions**

Notes

*Make the ground walnuts by putting walnuts in a food processor and whizzing until a fine powder forms.

**You can alternatively use almond flour 

***Serving suggestions:

• pecan nuts, roughly chopped
• vegan cream cheese frosting
• custard - This custard powder is my favourite as it's made with just few simple ingredients and it's vegan, gluten-free and completely free from sugar.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 322 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 7g35%

Sodium 69mg3%

Potassium 193mg6%

Carbohydrates 33g11%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 17g19%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 20IU0%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 97mg10%

Iron 1.2mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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