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    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cake

    Last updated - July 15, 2021; Published - October 29, 2017 By Rhian Williams 46 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Photo of a slice of apple cake on a white plate with a small jug of custard being poured over it

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cake is super moist, soft and squidgy and perfectly spiced! It's rich and nutty, warming and comforting and packed full of sweet, juicy apples. It's so easy to make, comes together in one bowl and is refined sugar free too.

    A slice of gluten-free vegan apple cake on a plate topped with a pecan nut

    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.

    How to make this recipe

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

    • Use a box grater to grate the apples.

    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.

    A pile of grated apple on a plate
    • 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.

    Raw gluten-free vegan apple cake batter in a bowl
    • Transfer the cake batter into a baking dish.

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

    Raw gluten-free vegan apple cake batter in a round baking dish
    • Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
    A gluten-free vegan apple cake in a round baking dish topped with chopped pecan nuts

    Substitutions you can make

    • 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 replaced with lemon juice.
    • You can replace 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.

    Serving suggestions

    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.

    A slice of gluten-free vegan apple cake on a plate with a jug of vegan custard being poured over it

    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.

    Watch how to make it

    A slice of gluten-free vegan apple cake on a plate with custard being poured on top

    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! 
    4.19 from 48 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 (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
    • 200 ml (⅘ 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
    • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • Pinch salt
    • 300 g (10.6 oz) grated apple (two medium-sized apples)
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground walnuts * (or sub ground almonds/almond meal)
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • ¼ 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 baking dish lined with greased 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.

    Video

    Notes

    *Make the ground walnuts by putting walnuts in a food processor and whizzing until a fine powder forms.
    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.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

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    • Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Katya

      March 16, 2020 at 5:16 pm

      5 stars
      Super yummy and easy to make cake - I'd even call it apple bread. Love the combo of buckwheat flour and apple flavor. Next time I will add more cinnamon, nutmeg and a zest of an orange for extra aroma.
      Also needed to bake for 45 minutes instead of 30, so do not worry it is takes longer.

      Yummy all together!! Thank you for the recipe!!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        March 16, 2020 at 7:57 pm

        Thank you so much! So glad you liked it!

      • Ingrid

        October 28, 2020 at 1:15 pm

        How can I replace the syrups for granulated sugar?

      • Rhian Williams

        October 28, 2020 at 3:05 pm

        Yes!

    2. Rachel SAG

      April 29, 2020 at 8:40 am

      5 stars
      Delicious! I used toasted almond pulp from making almond milk (whizzed up in the spice grinder to make flour.). Wish I could show you a picture. I'll try on FB.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        April 29, 2020 at 3:16 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!!

    3. Mary

      September 27, 2020 at 11:12 pm

      5 stars
      Made this cake this morning. Super moist easy to make and oh so yummy. Rhian you rock! Your recipes are ALWAYS my go tos over and over again. Thanks for creating and sharing!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        September 28, 2020 at 1:59 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

    4. Patricia

      November 18, 2020 at 1:38 pm

      Do you think this recipe could work with oat flour? ❤️

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 18, 2020 at 3:01 pm

        Yes it will be ok, but the texture will be slightly different!

    5. Harry

      May 20, 2021 at 6:33 am

      Amazing I cook this for my mummy as she is gluten free and she cried because she loved it so much! Hahaha

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 20, 2021 at 1:00 pm

        Aww thank you so much, so so happy to hear she liked it!!

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    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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