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Vegan Apple Cake

A delicious gluten-free apple cake with baked cinnamon apples. It's perfectly sweet, vegan, moist and fluffy.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 9 pieces

Ingredients

wet ingredients

  • 3/4 cup plantbased milk
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
  • 3/4 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
  • 1 tsp vanilla

dry ingredients

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup oat flour
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar (or monk fruit sugar)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

apple topping

  • 1 heaping cup of chopped apple (peeled and chopped to 1/2" cubes- roughly 1 apple)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

pecan crumble topping

  • 3 tbsp vegan butter
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup pecan pieces (finely chopped, or pulsed in the food processor to make small pieces)
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Cake Batter

  • Preheat your oven to 375ºF and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Combine the milk and apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes to slightly curdle.
  • Melt the coconut oil. You will need 1/3 cup of coconut oil in melted form. Set aside to cool.
  • Combine all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
  • After ten minutes, add the oil, apple sauce, and vanilla to the milk. Whisk slightly and then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient bowl. Stir until combined. Then place the cake batter in the 8x8 pan. Spread the batter out evenly with a spatula. Set aside while you prepare the apple topping.

Apple Topping

  • Chop and peel the apple. I used an Ambrosia apple but any apple should work here. Cut the peeled apple into 1/2" cubes and toss the apple in 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Set aside while you prepare the pecan crumble topping.

Pecan Crumble Topping

  • Chop the pecans finely. Option to use a food processor to do it for you. Place the pecans in the food processor and pulse until fine pieces have formed. Measure out 1/2 cup and add to a bowl.
  • Add the vegan butter, almond flour, cinnamon, and sugar to the pecans. Use your hands to thoroughly combine the ingredients. The topping should clump together.

Assembling

  • Add the apple topping on top of the cake batter (already in the pan). Add the pecan sugar topping on top of the apple topping. Spread it out as evenly as possible.
  • Bake the cake in the oven at 375ºF for 10 minutes. Then without opening the oven door, after 10 minutes, turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for another 20-25 minutes.
  • The cake should look golden on top after baking, and it should have puffed up.
  • IMPORTANT: Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.
  • Cut the cake into 9 pieces and enjoy. The cake can be stored in a sealed container for 5 days but it is best when fresh.