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Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!

Anjali Shah

Gluten-Free Apple Cake

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This gluten-free apple cake makes an excellent breakfast bake or dessert! It’s topped with a cinnamon oat crumble, and packed with warm spices and sweet apples. A super easy apple cake recipe, that’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser. It is also a healthier dessert option, with only 4 grams of added sugar per serving!

Gluten free apple cake on a plate with maple syrup, garnished with apple slices.

Apple crumble cakes are one of my favorite desserts! They’re seasonal and juicy, and I can’t get enough of that crumbly, crisp, spiced oat topping. Traditionally they’re pretty rich and high in sugar so I created this twist on the traditional apple crumble with all of the flavors of the original recipe, but slightly lightened up and free of refined sugar.

This delicious gluten-free apple cake recipe is made with a gluten-free flour blend and lightly sweetened with coconut sugar. This dish is cozy, comforting, and one of the best healthy desserts I’ve ever had. The whole family will love it and the apples and raisins deliver plenty of natural sweetness.

The sweet apple flavor works so well with the spiced warmth of the cinnamon and the crisp oat topping is so satisfying. It’s a great holiday dessert option or treat to enjoy with your morning coffee or tea. At just 236 calories per serving, you can enjoy a slice guilt-free too!

👩‍🍳 Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Apple Cake

  • Refined Sugar-Free: This gluten-free apple recipe is lower in sugar than many apple cake or crisp recipes because it is refined sugar-free and does not use apple pie filling. Fresh crisp and tart apples provide natural sweetness along with coconut sugar.
  • Simple Ingredients: Easy gluten-free apple cake comes together quickly with pantry staples and needs just a few apples, so you can make this cake whenever you need a quick and simple cake.
  • Moist: Almond milk, eggs, and fresh apples give this cake moisture while still being gluten-free. I love how the apples bake together with the cake layer and the streusel gives just the right crunch for a light apple cake that doesn’t fall apart but still melts in your mouth.
  • Great Holiday Dessert: Gluten-free apple pie cake is versatile and wonderful for any holiday. Serve for Rosh Hashanah, Thanksgiving, baby showers, or a family gathering. 

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🥘 Ingredients

This gluten-free apple spice cake calls for basic ingredients easily found at most grocery stores or in your pantry! See the recipe card below for detailed instructions and nutrition information.

Ingredients for gluten free apple cake recipe on a white background.

Cake Batter Ingredients

  • Apples: The best apples to use for this gluten free spiced apple cake are honey crisp, fuji, granny smith, braeburn, or pink lady apples. Peeled, cored, and sliced.
  • Flour: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that has xanthan gum added, such as Bob’s Red Mill, for texture that mimics all-purpose flour.
  • Baking Powder: Gives lift to this simple gluten-free apple cake.
  • Coconut Sugar: An unrefined sugar that is less processed than cane sugar, or brown sugar. Use for both the egg mixture and the apple mixture.
  • Eggs: Eggs create a very fluffy texture, and make this moist cake almost like a breakfast bake!
  • Almond Milk: Unsweetened almond milk offers a neutral taste and adds moisture and creaminess to the egg mixture.
  • Vanilla Extract: High-quality vanilla extract gives warm vanilla notes that blend deliciously with apples.
  • Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice gives the best flavor to this gluten free apple tea cake.
  • Raisins: Added sweetness and texture that pairs well with apples.
  • Cinnamon & Nutmeg: For classic apple pie taste.
  • Melted Butter: Unsalted butter adds richness to the apples as they cook and helps the cake batter have a smooth texture that melts in your mouth.

Streusel Topping Ingredients

  • Coconut Sugar & Cinnamon: For sweetness & a warm spice flavor, and beautiful rich caramel color.
  • Gluten-Free Oats: Oats are the perfect ingredient for a crumbly topping on this easy recipe.

🍲 Ingredient Substitutions

  • Brown Sugar: Brown sugar can be used instead of coconut sugar if preferred and will give this gluten free apple cider donut cake a deeper flavor with richer molasses notes.
  • Milk: Use your favorite dairy milk or non-dairy milk in place of almond milk.
  • Flour: If you don’t need to make this gluten-free, you can use whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour instead of gluten-free flour. You can also try oat flour instead of gluten free 1:1 baking flour, but your gluten free apple cinnamon cake might be a little more dense.
  • Apple Pie Spice: Use apple pie or pumpkin pie spice in place of cinnamon and nutmeg.

🔪 How To Make Gluten-Free Apple Cake

Here’s how to make this gluten-free apple dessert:

Preheat and Peel: Preheat the oven to 356 degrees F / 180 C. Peel, core, and slice the apples into thin slices. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.

Sliced apples in a mixing bowl.

Whisk Egg Mixture: In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, 4 tbsp coconut sugar, eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract.

Wet ingredients for gluten-free apple cake in a mixing bowl.

Cook The Apples: Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the apple slices, lemon juice, raisins, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ¼ cup coconut sugar, and butter. Stir until the butter and sugar have melted and started to bubble. Continue to stir and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Raisins and apples cooking on the stovetop.

Prep the Baking Dish: Spray a 10-inch x 7-inch baking dish, cake pan, or springform pan with cooking spray. Add the apple mixture to the prepared pan and spread evenly over the base of the baking dish. Top with the egg mixture to create a cake batter.

The gluten-free apple cake in the pan before baking.

Make Streusel Topping: In a separate mixing bowl, mix all of the streusel topping ingredients. Evenly sprinkle over the top of the cake.

oat crumble added to top of the gluten-free apple cake.

Bake this gluten free apple cider cake for 25 minutes or until cooked through. When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with additional toppings, if desired.

Baked gluten-free apple cake in a casserole dish.

💭 Expert Tips

  • Make Ahead And Freeze: This sliced apple cake is great baked ahead of time, is easily frozen, and defrosts well. Ideal for busy holidays!
  • Bake In A Fun Pan: A springform or bundt cake pan will make this recipe for gluten-free apple cake even more beautiful to serve. Make sure to grease your pan well with non-stick cooking spray or butter .
  • Use An Apple Slicer Or Corer: An apple slicer or corer will make preparing the apples quick and easy. These tools are inexpensive and save time anytime you need sliced or cored apples.
  • Layer Ingredients: For best results, resist the temptation to stir the layers together in this cake, instead layer the ingredients in the baking pan as listed: apples, cake, then streusel topping. This will make for the best gluten free apple cake with a crisp and sweet oat and coconut sugar crunch on top.

📖 Variations

  • Lower Sugar: For an even lower-sugar cake, cut the amount of coconut sugar and raisins used in half.
  • Vanilla Almond: Add ½ teaspoon almond extract to the cake batter and ½ cup of slivered almond to the streusel topping mixture for vanilla almond apple cake.
  • Chocolate Apple Cake: While this apple chunk cake is still warm, sprinkle the top with ½ cup of mini chocolate chips, shreds of your favorite white chocolate bar, or drizzle with warm vegan nutella.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

This gluten-free apple spiced cake is great served plain but is delicious topped with unsweetened whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce or maple syrup. If you decide to go the whipped cream route, top the cake while it’s still slightly warm so that some of the whipped cream melts into the cake – yum! 

I love serving gf apple cake with a small glass of hot apple cider or a cup of coffee, especially during cooler weather. It is also the perfect sweet treat for warmer months when paired with frozen yogurt, ice cream, or a dollop of coconut yogurt.

🙌 Dietary Adaptations

  • Dairy-Free Option: For a gluten-free dairy-free apple cake, use vegan butter.
  • Nut-Free: To make this recipe nut-free, substitute the almond milk with soy milk, low-fat, or whole milk.
  • Vegan: To make gluten-free vegan apple cake use a vegan egg replacement and vegan butter.

🫙 Storage Directions

  • Storing: Leftover apple cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • Freezing: Cut this gluten free apple coffee cake into individual-sized pieces, wrap each one in aluminum foil, and place in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To enjoy from frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight, then heat in the microwave or the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through.

❓Recipe FAQs

Do apples have gluten?

Apples are naturally gluten-free, making them a delicious choice to include in a cake or other gluten-free dessert. Fruits like apples provide natural sweetness, texture, and lots of flavor to gluten-free or vegan dishes.

Can celiacs eat gluten-free cake?

This gluten free apple crumble cake is suitable for those with celiac. When preparing and serving gluten-free cake to anyone with celiac or a serious food allergy, be careful that there is no cross-contamination and that all bowls, spoons, measuring cups, and serving utensils are used for only gluten-free baking. It can be helpful to have gluten-free cooking items stored in a designated drawer or cabinet and use a designated color for these items.

Why is gluten-free cake chewy?

A gluten-free cake could develop a chewy or gummy texture when certain flours are used, the batter is undermixed, or the cake is overbaked. Unlike traditional baking, many gluten-free cake batters need additional mixing time to develop structure.

Additionally, some flours used in gluten-free baking need additional time to absorb the wet ingredients by either mixing or resting after mixing. This moist gluten free apple cake recipe is written to be made gluten-free so it’s been created and tested to have excellent texture.

How do you add moisture to a gluten-free cake?

For moist gluten-free cake, look for a recipe that includes non-dairy milk, eggs and fruit. Fruit in particular offers moisture, flavor, and natural sweetness. Gluten-free flours may need a bit of extra stirring to fully absorb the wet ingredients.

Easy gluten free apple cake on a plate with maple syrup, garnished with apple slices.

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🎥 Watch How to Make It

Gluten free apple cake on a plate with maple syrup, garnished with apple slices.
Print Recipe
5 from 10 votes

Gluten-Free Apple Cake

This gluten-free apple cake makes an excellent breakfast bake or dessert! It’s topped with a cinnamon oat crumble, and packed with warm spices and sweet apples. A super easy apple cake recipe, that’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser. It is also a healthier dessert option, with only 4 grams of added sugar per serving!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Vegan
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 236kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

For The Cake

  • 4 large apples I used Fuji Apples
  • 1 cup gluten-free flour blend
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 4 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 6 eggs or vegan egg replacer
  • cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ lemon juiced
  • ½ cup raisins
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ cup butter or vegan butter

For The Topping

  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 4 tbsp gluten free oats

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F / 180 degrees C.
  • Peel, remove the core and slice the apples. Set aside.
  • In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, 4 tbsp coconut sugar, eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract.
  • Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced apples, lemon juice, raisins, 1 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, ¼ cup coconut sugar, and butter. Stir until the butter and sugar have melted and started to bubble. Continue to stir and cook for another 3 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat.
  • Spray a 10 inch x 7 inch baking dish with spray oil. Add the apple mixture and spread evenly over the base of the baking dish. Top with the egg mixture.
  • In a small bowl mix together all of the topping ingredients. Evenly sprinkle over the apple bake.
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
  • When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving. Serve topped with maple syrup, whipped cream, coconut yogurt, or even your favorite nut butter.

Notes

Storage Directions
  • Storing: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 
  • Freezing: Cut the cake into individual-sized pieces, wrap each one in foil, and place in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To enjoy from frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight, then heat in the microwave or in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through.
Expert Tips
  • Dairy-Free: For dairy-free apple cake, use vegan butter.
  • Nut-Free: To make this recipe nut-free, substitute the almond milk with soy milk, low-fat, or whole milk.
  • Vegan: To make gluten-free vegan apple cake use a vegan egg replacement and vegan butter.
  • This cake is great baked ahead of time, is easily frozen, and defrosts well. 
  • An apple slicer or corer will make preparing the apples quick and easy.  These tools are inexpensive and save time anytime you need sliced or cored apples.
  • Don’t stir the layers together in this cake and layer the ingredients in the baking pan as listed: apples, cake, then streusel topping.  This will make for the best cake with a crisp and sweet oat and coconut sugar crunch on top.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 15g

22 responses to “Gluten-Free Apple Cake”

  1. I was so happy to find this recipe when searching for a gluten-free cake. It was amazing and the cinnamon smelled amazing!5 stars

  2. This cake is delicious, it puts other healthy desserts to shame. I can’t wait to make some for one of my best friends who is gluten-free.5 stars

  3. LOVE this gluten-free option as I recently went gluten-free but do not want to miss out on all the fall treats!5 stars

  4. My sister-in-law recently went gluten-free and I have been looking for some yummy treats to make her. This is perfect!5 stars

  5. Always looking for healthier alternatives to delicious desserts and this one did not disappoint! Very tasty and easy to make! Will definitely be making again.5 stars

  6. Hi Anjali I’m super excited to try this recipe! I’m not much of a baker, but I love trying new things! May I ask what the purpose of the apple juice is? Is it to create moisture, so the exterior of the apples don’t burn/ dry out? Thanks in advance!

    • Hi Jes! I can’t wait for you to try this! To your question – yup that’s exactly right — to create moisture when baking! And to add a little bit of sweetness to the dish!

      • Hi Anjali I don’t see anywhere you added apple juice in the ingredients or instructions. I’m a little confused.

      • Hi Anne! Sorry for the confusion! I actually updated and modified this recipe recently and removed the apple juice from the ingredients list. The comment you’re responding to is an old one associated with the old recipe! Hope that clears things up!

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