This Apple Cake is soft, moist with juicy bursts of apple topped with a creamy dairy-free frosting. It’s a healthy sheet cake that is easy to make with wholesome gluten-free ingredients without any refined sugars and makes the perfect healthy snack or dessert for fall. Freezer-friendly, vegan and paleo-friendly.
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Easy Apple Cake Recipe
Looking for a healthy and delicious cake recipe for fall? This easy Apple Cake is a delicious and nutritious way to use up some of your extra apples from apple picking! This gluten free cake is grain-free, wheat free, vegan, paleo friendly and the perfect healthy fall baking option.
You can make this homemade apple sheetcake with any kind of apples you like. The cake texture is incredibly moist and soft, topped with a creamy dairy-free icing, this fall cake recipe is a family favorite waiting to happen!
Why we love this easy apple recipe
This is a quick sheet cake recipe, meaning it bakes to perfection in less than an hour. It’s filled with tender apple chunks, so you get tons of flavor in every single bite!
Another thing we love about this homemade cake is how healthy it is. It uses natural sweeteners and coconut oil in the place of butter and granulated sugar. If you’re looking for a guilt-free comfort food recipe for /October and November, you’ve hit the jackpot with this yummy cake for autumn!
Recipe Ingredients
There are three different things that make this paleo apple cake so delicious – the bread, the topping and the icing. This healthy snack is completely free of gluten, grain and refined sugar. Here’s what you’ll need to make the ultimate apple bread:
Wet Ingredients and Sweetener
- Maple syrup – An unrefined sweetener that is also vegan-friendly. You can also sub with Lakanto sugar-free sweetener or other sticky liquid sweetener of your choice such as date syrup, coconut nectar syrup, organic agave, honey (if not vegan) or yacon syrup.
- Melted coconut oil: makes the gluten free apple cake tender and moist and adds a light coconut flavor. Use refined for a neutral taste or any other neutral flavored oil, melted vegan butter or ghee if you are not dairy-free.
- Milk: we use unsweetened almond milk.
- Vinegar: combined with the almond milk to create our own vegan buttermilk.
- Pure Vanilla extract – just a teaspoon but adds so much flavor
Dry Ingredients
- Gluten-free Flour: be sure to use Gluten-free 1-1 Baking flour that mimics the texture and taste of all purpose flour. For grain-free, sub with 2 1/4 cups superfine blanched almond flour (spooned and leveled) + 1/4 cup tapioca flour / arrowroot starch + 2 Tbsps coconut flour.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: leaveners to help the cake rise.
- Ground cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and sea salt: add flavor and balances out the sweetness.
- Peeled Apples: You’ll need three medium-sized apples, chopped into 1/4″ pieces. We used Red Delicious since that is what we picked from the Apple Orchard but feel free to use Granny Smith apples, Gala, Honeycrisp or any variety of apples you have.
For the Dairy-free Icing – 2 Ways
Vegan Icing:
- Vegan butter
- Powdered Maple Sugar: you can also sub with powdered Lakanto or any powdered sweetener of choice.
- Vanilla
Paleo Icing:
- Coconut Butter: Melt your coconut butter and give it time to cool down slightly.
- Maple Syrup
- Vanilla
How to Make Apple Cake
This recipe is pretty simple and straightforward. All you have to do is combine your topping ingredients, bake your bread and throw together the icing!
- Heat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line and grease 9×13 inch sheet pan or cake pan with parchment paper.
- Make the “buttermilk”: Measure out the almond milk in a measuring cup and add vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, until milk is curdled.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, milk, maple syrup and vanilla. Pour in the curdled almond milk.
- Sift in Dry Ingredients: Place a large mesh sieve over the bowl and sift in the flours, baking powder and baking soda. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt and stir the batter until fully combined.
- Add Apples: Fold in all the apples. Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake: Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let Cool: Allow your cake to cool fully in the pan for at least 30 minutes.
How to Make the Icing
- Combine Ingredients: Once the cake is fully cool, use the parchment paper to very GENTLY lift it out of the pan and place it on a wire rack. Combine the icing ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Add more sweetener or milk, for desired consistency and sweetness.
- Spread onto cake: Use a spatula or a knife to spread evenly over the cake. Top with a drizzle of more maple syrup, chopped walnuts or pecans or sift over some extra cinnamon on top, cut and serve!
Tips for Making the Best Apple Cake
- Slow Browning with Foil: If your cake is browning too fast, tent it with aluminum foil to slow down the browning process.
- Use Crisp Apples: If you’re worried about soggy apples, opt for a firmer variety such as Granny Smith apples or Honeycrisp apples.
Can this apple cake be made into muffins or cupcakes?
Yes, to make healthy apple muffins, simply divide the batter evenly into muffin pans. Or you can even divide the batter into mini loaf pans for mini bread loaves.
How to Store and Reheat Apple Cake
This unfrosted cake should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days! You can serve it chilled or warmed up. To warm up your apple cake, microwave it in 15 second increments until it reaches your desired temperature.
Can this be frozen?
Sheetcakes are typically great for freezing, and this spiced apple cake is no exception. You can freeze the entire cake or individual servings. All you have to do is wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap or store it in a sealed plastic bag with all of the air removed. If you’re freezing individual servings, layer them between pieces of parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Be sure to thaw out your cake in the fridge overnight before serving it. Frozen apple cake will stay fresh for up to 3 months!
More healthy apple recipes:
This Apple Cake is soft, moist with juicy bursts of apple topped with a creamy dairy-free frosting. It's a healthy sheet cake that is easy to make with wholesome gluten-free ingredients without any refined sugars and makes the perfect healthy snack or dessert for fall. Freezer-friendly, vegan and paleo-friendly.
- 1 3/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1.5 tbsp vinegar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil , melted
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups gluten-free 1-1 baking flour , For grain-free, sub with 2 1/4 cups superfine blanched almond flour (spooned and leveled) + 1/4 cup tapioca flour / arrowroot starch + 2 Tbsps coconut flour.
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Pinch salt
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
- 3 medium apples , chopped into 1/4" pieces
- chopped walnuts or pecans , optional for topping
- 1 cup vegan butter , room temperature - sub with refined coconut oil or ghee if not dairy-free
- 2/3 cup powdered maple sugar , powdered Lakanto monkfruit sweetener or powdered sweetener of choice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup coconut butter (manna) , melted and cooled
- 3-4 tbsp maple syrup OR powdered maple sugar / coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line and grease 9x13 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
Measure out the almond milk in a measuring cup and add vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, until milk is curdled.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, milk, maple syrup and vanilla. Pour in the curdled almond milk.
Place a large mesh sieve over the bowl and sift in the flours, baking powder and baking soda. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt and stir the batter until fully combined.
Fold in all the chopped apples.
Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake in the preheated ovev for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Transfer to cooling rack and allow the cake to fully cool.
Once the cake is fully cool, use the parchment paper to very GENTLY lift it out of the pan and place it on a wire rack.
Combine the icing ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Add more sweetener or milk, for desired consistency and sweetness.
Use a spatula or a knife to spread evenly over the cake.
Drizzle some maple syrup, sprinkle some chopped nuts or extra cinnamon on top, cut and serve!
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