Simple and very delicious Vegan Apple Cake! Loaded with fresh apples, light and fluffy, with a super crunchy, sugar and flaked almond top. No mixer required!
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"OMG Melanie! You've done it again!!!! I had a whack of apples that I picked from my daughter's tree and had already made apple pie and apple muffins so wanted something different. This cake is fabulous!!!"
- Michelle ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
We're all about the apples right now with Apple Baked Oatmeal, Vegan Apple Muffins, and now Vegan Apple Cake ....And let's just take a moment to talk about and drink in those delicious baking smells before I begin. We're talking the ultimate freshly baked cake smell with wafts of sweet apple and fragrant cinnamon. This my friends is a cake that feels and smells like fall!
The cake itself is perfectly tender, nicely spiced, heavy on the meltingly soft apple, sweet but not too sweet .. except for the crunchy, optionally nutty, sugar sprinkled topping which is my favourite part.
Mel x
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Ingredient Notes & Equipment
Some ingredient notes:
- Sugar - Important for flavor, structure, leavening, and sweetness in a cake. I used organic cane sugar but white granulated will be fine, as will brown sugar. Bear in mind though that using brown sugar will change the colour and flavor of the cake. A really coarse sugar like turbinado is great to sprinkle on the top for texture. I see people reducing the sugar in baked goods a lot but know that if you do it will affect the flavor, crumb, and appearance of the cake and you won't get the best result.
- Vegan yogurt - For moisture, tenderness, and a slightly tighter crumb than more delicate cakes so that it can hold those apple chunks tight. Any plain or vanilla store-bought vegan yogurt is fine or use my vegan yogurt recipe.
- Oil - Some fat is necessary. It is what produces a soft, cake-y crumb. It also acts as a preservative. If you eat/bake oil-free you can replace the oil with the same amount of drippy nut butter. Cashew butter gives the least nutty and most buttery flavor. Be sure to blend it with the milk before adding though so that it incorporates fully.
- Flaked Almonds - Totally optional and only for sprinkling on the top prior to baking. They add lovely texture and nuttiness and make it look really pretty too. You can omit them if you need the cake to be nut-free.
The pan - To make this eggless apple cake you will need either a round 9-inch cake pan that is at least 3 inches deep or a 9 x 13-inch pan/dish. I recommend a springform cake pan or a dish it can stay in for serving because it's best not to invert the cake when removing it because of the sugary topping.
Let's Make Vegan Apple Cake!
Want to learn how to make Vegan Apple Cake? Here's a quick visual walkthrough (see the recipe card for full details):
1 - Mix the flour and spices together in a large bowl.
2 - In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients and the sugar together really well. Partially dissolving the sugar in the liquid before adding it to the flour helps inhibit gluten formation making your cake more tender and soft.
3 - Mix the wet ingredients with the dry to form a batter then add the apples and fold them through. It is a very thick and chunky batter.
4 - Spoon into the prepared pan, sprinkle with coarse sugar (LOTS of it!) and flaked almonds then bake.
Variations
Baking is a science so I don't recommend making any changes to the main cake batter recipe as you may not get the best results. However, you can make minor changes to toppings or add-ins. Here are some ideas for making the cake your own:
- Add some stem ginger or ground ginger with the other spices.
- Omit the flaked almonds on top to make the recipe nut-free.
- Add a generous amount of vegan streusel to the top of the cake before baking instead of the sugary almond topping.
- Omit the almond and sugar topping and once cool add a layer of very decadent vegan cream cheese frosting.
- Add a big handful of golden raisins or chopped nuts to the batter at the same time as adding the chopped apple
- Add a couple tablespoons of dark rum to the batter but reduce the amount of milk you use to compensate. Stir it into the other liquids before mixing them with the dry ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
Vegan Apple Cake is perfect for feeding a crowd. It's one of those cakes that you can eat for brunch, snacks, potlucks, afternoon tea or dessert, and it's great served warm from the oven or at room temperature.
Enjoy your cake just as it is or serve with a dollop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream, vegan whipped cream, tart vegan yogurt, a drizzle of date caramel, apple butter (I have Instant Pot Apple Butter, Slow Cooker Apple Butter, and Stovetop Apple Butter recipes), or vegan custard.
Individual slices of cake can be gently warmed in a microwave for 30 seconds or so (the time will vary depending on the size of your slice and the power of your microwave).
Recipe FAQs
You can use whatever your favorite variety is or you can go for optimum flavor and texture by using a couple of different varieties. Play around with sweet, tart, firm, and soft varieties to give your cake more interest.
I usually use a blend of crunchy, tart Granny Smith and sweet Gala or Fuji apples. If I were in England I'd be using at least 50% Bramley apples. They are so good for baking, but sadly we don't get them here.
Some fat is necessary. It is what produces a soft, cake-y crumb. It also acts as a preservative. If you eat/bake oil-free you can replace the oil with the same amount of drippy nut butter. Cashew butter gives the least nutty and most buttery flavor. Be sure to blend it with the milk before adding though so that it incorporates fully.
Recipe
Vegan Apple Cake
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375 grams) all purpose flour , (plain flour in the UK)
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda , (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt , not table salt
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (144 grams or 150 mls) vegan yogurt , vanilla or plain, preferably unsweetened
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (180 grams) sugar , cane, white granulated or light brown
- 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened plant milk
- 5 tablespoons (75 ml) neutral liquid oil , for oil-free see the FAQs
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) apple cider vinegar , or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
- 5 medium apples , about 700g (1.5 lb) of apples weighed before peeling/coring
For the topping
- ¼ cup (50 grams) coarse sugar , like turbinado or demerara
- ¼ cup (25 grams) flaked almonds , OPTIONAL (omit for nut-free)
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 360 °F (182 °C) and make sure you have a shelf placed in the middle of the oven.
- Grease a 9-inch springform cake pan that's at least 3 inches deep or a 9 x 13 dish/pan. If using a cake pan cut a circle of parchment paper and put it in the bottom.
- To a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk them up to combine.
- In another bowl, add the yogurt, sugar, milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Whisk them all up until well combined.
- Peel, core and chop the apples into chunks of about ¼ inch.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir them together. Don't over mix or beat it vigorously. Just stir gently until you can no longer see any dry flour.
- Pour in the apple chunks and fold them gently and evenly through. Again don't over mix.
- Spoon into the prepared pan and level the top with a spatula. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and the coarse sugar and place immediately in the oven on the middle shelf.
- If in a cake pan bake for around 1 hour and 15 minutes. It might need up to 1 hour 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick or skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean then the cake is ready. If you see any signs of wet batter return to the oven for another five minutes. If baked in a 9 x 13 pan/dish check it at about 55 to 60 minutes. It might take a little longer though. The time will vary depending on whether you've used a metal pan or ceramic. Insert a toothpick or skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean then the cake is ready. If you see any signs of wet batter return to the oven for another five minutes.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave for at least 15 to 20 minutes in the pan to settle. Before attempting to remove from the pan carefully run a knife or long spatula around the edges to free up any sugar or caramelized apple pieces that might have stuck to the side. Leave the cake to cool on a wire rack. If you baked it in a 9 x 13 pan/dish, allow it to cool in the pan/dish and serve straight from the pan/dish.
NOTES
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Ellen says
I have tried it for my vegan son and grandson. They loved it as did I! It was quite moist and tasty and the recipe is straightforward. Thanks!
RiaSunflower says
This was a very good, impressive cake.
It actually tasted and had the texture of a cake unlike a lot of the other vegan cakes I've made. I used a mixture of peanut butter and oil, Sicilian orange essence in place of vanilla, and the extra addition of mixed nuts. Baked well in a silicone baking pan.
Many thanks. :)