Delicious Vegan Apple Cake

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This easy vegan apple cake is the perfect way to celebrate fall. Filled with crisp apples and warm spices, it’s easy to mix together. Casual or fancy, this apple cake is perfect. 

I love quick cakes like this. Mix it up in a bowl and no fussing is required. It is perfect for lazy weekend mornings but with a dusting of powdered sugar, is fancy enough to be a casual dessert. 

The apples are diced more finely than other apple cakes, so they blend better with the batter. Spiced with cinnamon and warm brown sugar, this delicious vegan apple cake is a treat. 

Free from: dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn (optional), sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, and more 

Why You’ll Love this Vegan Apple Cake 

• The cake is soft, moist, and perfectly spiced. 
• Quick to mix together, kinda like my pumpkin snack cake! 
• Easy to make with no decorating required. 
• Totally delicious as is or with powdered sugar on top.
• No flax egg required! 

Ingredients

I love cakes like this that are simple to put together. All the ingredients are things that can be found in your local grocery store. Here is what you’ll need:

• Apples – I love to use large sweet and crisp apples like Honeycrisp. For this vegan cake you’ll need one large apple or two medium apples.
• Vegan yogurt or sour cream – This helps the cake with moisture, acts as an egg replacer, and gives it that little tang to deepen the flavors. 
• All-purpose flour and Cornstarch – Using a combo of the hearty all-purpose flour and the lighter cornstarch make the final texture really nice and soft. 
• Organic white sugar – To make sure that the sugar is vegan, either use beet sugar or organic cane sugar. 
• Non-dairy milk – You can use your favorite milk here. I used rice milk in the cake seen in the photos but almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk would also work. 
• Other ingredients you will need: Apple cider vinegar, plant-based butter, vanilla, baking powder and soda, cinnamon. 

Allergy Substitutions

Avoiding corn? Use tapioca starch or arrowroot powder in place of the cornstarch in an equal amount. Also make sure to use a corn free vanilla extract and baking powder. 

Best Apples to Use in Cakes 

Firm apples are typically better than softer apples when used in baking. In things like apple pie, I tend to use more tart apples to offset the sweet filling. However, in this cake, I found that both sweet and tart apples worked well. 

Best tart apples to use in baking: Granny Smith (a gold standard for a reason!), Braeburn, Jonathan

Best sweet apples to use in baking: Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady 

Instructions 

For the full instructions, complete with measurements, please see the recipe card below. 

Start by preheating the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a springform pan and set it aside. 

Mix up the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set this aside while you mix up the wet ingredients. 

In a measuring cup or separate bowl, stir together the plant based milk of your choice and the apple cider vinegar. This will form a “buttermilk” to help the rise and lift of the cake. Let it rest for about 5 minutes while you mix up the rest of the wet ingredients. 

Finely chop up your apple. You can peel it or leave the peel on, it is up to you! I like to chop the apple down to about the size of a raisin. This way they almost melt into the batter. But if you like big chunks of apples in your cake, you can totally chop them into ½-inch sized bites. 

In the large bowl with a hand mixer, or with your stand mixer and the paddle attachment, first cream together the room temperature vegan butter, vegan yogurt, and white sugar. Mix this together really well until it is soft and fluffy. 

Tip! Use room temperature vegan butter, dairy-free milk, and yogurt for this recipe. It will make the mixing come together so much easier. 

Now add the milk on low speed, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. 

Finally, add the dry ingredients. Do this on low speed. And last, add the apples. I like to add the apples and mix it in by hand so that they don’t get pushed to the sides of the bowl in the mixer. 

Transfer the cake batter to your prepared pan and sprinkle the top of the cake with more white sugar if desired. This makes a delicious crispy crust on top! 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. The cake is done when golden brown in color and a toothpick pulls out clean. 

Let it cool before dusting with powdered sugar. Enjoy! 

Variations

• Make it spicy! In addition to the cinnamon, add ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon allspice. 
• Use a pear in place of an apple. This cake is so delicious with pears as well as apples. 
• Want to jazz up the toppings on this cake? Try adding a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of my vegan caramel sauce. It’s divine! 

FAQs 

More apple recipes to love

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