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    Home » Desserts » Vegan Apple Cake

    Vegan Apple Cake

    Published: Nov 22, 2021 · by Nico

    Jump to Recipe

    This vegan apple cake is soft, moist, and packed with apple pieces. It's an easy, 1-bowl recipe, made with 7 simple ingredients.

    You won't believe how soft, moist and easy this cake is. We love it so much that we even made a whole-wheat one and one filled with our mouthwatering vegan custard.

    vegan apple cake
    On this page:
    • What to expect
    • Ingredients & Substitutions
    • How to make a vegan apple cake
    • How to scale this recipe
    • Tips
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Storage
    • Serving suggestions
    • Variations
    • Similar Recipes
    • Recipe

    What to expect

    whole wheat apple cake

    There are many ways to make vegan apple cake, and each country has its own style and recipe. Here, we make one inspired by my favorite Italian apple cake.

    This recipe is easy, soft, moist, made with fresh apple slices. It'll take you 10 minutes to prepare.

    We add a layer of apple slices on top to prevent the moisture from escaping the cake while it bakes. The apples on top also look beautiful and taste delicious.

    We love this apple cake so much that we even made a version that is filled with our vegan custard, and one made with whole-wheat flour so that we can even eat it for breakfast.

    vegan apple cake with custard
    this one is filled with custard

    Ingredients & Substitutions

    • Flour: we tested all-purpose flour, wholewheat flour, spelt flour, and even 50% all-purpose and 50% wholewheat. In all cases the cake turned out delicious. You can also make it with a gluten-free flour mix for cakes.
    • Sugar: white or brown sugar, both work. You can even use coconut sugar.
    • Plant-milk: we use soy milk. You can replace soy milk with any other plant milk like almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk, etc.
    • Oil: we use sunflower oil. You can replace it with any neutral vegetable oil such as canola oil. You can also use melted vegan butter.
    • Baking powder: to help the cake rise.
    • Apples: any apples you have at hand.
    • Cinnamon: you can replace cinnamon with vanilla extract.
    • Powdered sugar: this is totally optional and we usually don't use it if we are eating the cake for breakfast. However, if you are serving it to guests and want to make the cake look prettier, you can sprinkle some powdered sugar on top.
    whole grain vegan apple cake
    this one is whole-grain

    How to make a vegan apple cake

    For this cake, you can use a springform pan - the one that opens on the side - or a cake pan with a diameter from 8.5 to 9 inches / 21 to 23 cm. We use 8.5 inches/21 cm in the video.

    If you have a different size pan check out the chapter below "how to scale this recipe".

    springform pan

    As a first step, oil your pan and dust it with flour. This will prevent the cake from sticking. Then preheat the oven to 360F or 180C.

    oiling the springform pan

    In a bowl, add plant milk, oil, and sugar. Whisk till the ingredients are well mixed together.

    wet ingredients in a bowl

    Now sift the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon and add them to the bowl with the liquid.

    sifting the flour

    Whisk with a hand mixer for a few seconds till you have a smooth but thick cake batter. Do not over-mix or the cake will turn out gummy.

    You can also mix the batter by hand with a whisk or with a silicon spatula.

    mixing the batter with a hand mixer

    When the ingredients are well incorporated add small apple pieces from 1.5 to 2 apples. Apples should be peeled and core and seeds removed.

    Mix with a spatula until the apple pieces are well incorporated into the batter.

    adding apple pieces to the batter

    Pour the cake batter into the cake pan. Cover the top of the cake with thin apple slices in a circular pattern, overlapping the slices a bit.

    Finally, sprinkle the apples with 1 to 2 tablespoon of sugar.

    thin apple slices
    covering the vegan apple cake with apple slices and sugar

    Bake the cake at 360F or 180C for 1 hour in the center rack of the oven. Take out of the oven and let cool for at least 1 hour. Then sprinkle with some powdered sugar if you want.

    TIP: bake on a baking rack, not on a baking tray, because the tray will get too hot and might overcook the base of the cake.

    freshly baked apple cake

    How to scale this recipe

    How to scale the ingredients

    Easy! We calculated the scaling number for you. Pick the pan size that you want to use for your cake, then multiply all the ingredients in our recipe box at the bottom of the page by the scaling number in this table.

    Pan sizeScaling Number
    4-inch pan (10 cm)0.22
    5-inch pan (13 cm)0.31
    6-inch pan (15 cm)0.44
    7-inch pan (18 cm)0.60
    8-inch pan (20 cm)0.79
    9-inch pan (23 cm)1
    10-inch pan (25 cm)1.23
    pan size and scaling number
    sliced vegan apple cake

    How do I know if my cake is fully baked?

    Depending on the type of oven, type of milk, and type of flour, your cake will take more or less time to cook than our cake.

    For this reason, when baking any cake, you should always check the core of the cake with a clean toothpick or skewer before you take your cake out of the oven.

    To do that, just insert the toothpick or the skewer in the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean and dry it means that your cake is ready. If the toothpick comes out wet, then bake for a few minutes longer, then check again.

    whole-wheat apple cake

    Tips

    • Do not over-mix. Over-mixing will result in a heavy, gummy cake. If you want your vegan apple cake light and fluffy then just mix till the ingredients are incorporated and no more.
    • Try to be fast. From the moment you add baking powder to the cake batter, try to finish the cake and bake it as fast as you can. This is because the baking powder starts working as soon as it touches the cake batter and if you leave it out for too long without baking, you'll loose some of its leavening power.
    • Sift the flour while adding it to the mix. This will break down any lumps and will help you incorporate air into the cake. In turn your cake will be lighter and fluffier. You can sift with a regular kitchen sieve.
    • Do not open the oven. At least during the first 30 minutes of baking or your cake might deflate.
    Apple cake ready to be served

    Frequently asked questions

    Can I make apple cake gluten-free?

    Yes, replace all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour mix, like a gluten-free all-purpose baking mix.

    Is vegan apple cake healthy?

    If you want a healthy vegan apple cake then we suggest you replace all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour and reduce the sugar amount. Vegan cakes are already healthier than regular cakes as they don't contain eggs, butter, or dairy milk.

    whole-wheat apple cake

    Can I make an apple cake with no oil?

    Yes. Just follow our recipe and replace the oil with the same amount of water. It will work wonderfully.

    Why don't you use an egg replacement, as a flax egg?

    I do not like to use egg replacements in my baking if it's not necessary, because 1) they are expensive, 2) they are most often not needed, 3) they alter the texture and flavor of the cake and non-vegans might not like them.

    a slice of vegan apple cake with custard
    custard filling

    Storage

    This vegan apple cake keeps for 2-3 days out of the fridge, covered in a cake container or you can even store it in a plastic bag to keep it soft and moist.

    It is important to limit airflow to the cake in order to preserve its softness.

    If you want to re-heat the cake, you can do so in a preheated oven for 5-7 minutes in order to make it softer.

    Even after several days, when you reheat the cake, it will still be as soft and warm as when you prepared it.

    Serving suggestions

    drizzling vegan custard on top of the vegan apple cake

    If you are eating this for breakfast, then serve it as is.

    If you are eating it after a meal as a dessert, then you could serve it alongside a light vegan custard that you can make in 5 minutes following our vegan custard recipe.

    vegan apple cake served with vegan custard

    Variations

    Extra moist apple cake with plant-based yogurt

    If you'd like an even more moist apple cake, then you can replace some of the plant milk with plant-based yogurt (like soy yogurt, or coconut yogurt).

    In this case, I would recommend adding ⅔ cups (160 grams) of plant yogurt and ½ cups (120 grams) of plant milk.

    Apple Cake with Custard Filling

    We use our vegan custard recipe to fill this cake with even more deliciousness.

    You get all the comfort of a traditional apple cake and the surprise effect of a mouthwatering custard filling.

    First, make the custard following our recipe for vegan custard. Then after you poured the cake batter into the cake pan, pour the custard into the batter.

    pouring the custard into the cake batter

    With a knife or a skewer, swirl the custard around the batter. Don't mix it too much.

    Then cover the top of the cake with thin apple slices in a circular pattern, overlapping the slices a bit.

    swirling the custard around the cake batter

    Sprinkle the apples with 1 to 2 tablespoon of sugar, and bake the cake at 360F or 180C for about 1 hour.

    vegan apple cake filled with custard

    Similar Recipes

    • vegan vanilla cake
    • double sheet chocolate strawberry cake
    • ricotta pie with homemade vegan ricotta
    • lemon tart
    • vegan coffee cake
    • no-bake vegan cheese cake (no-nuts)
    • orange cake

    Recipe

    freshly baked apple cake

    Vegan apple cake

    Author: Nico
    This vegan apple cake is soft, moist, and packed with apple pieces. It's an easy, 1-bowl recipe, made with 7 simple ingredients. You won't believe how soft, moist and easy this cake is.
    We love it so much that we even made a whole-wheat one and one filled with our mouthwatering vegan custard.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe
    4.88 from 25 votes
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
    Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 10 slices
    Calories 244 kcal

    Equipment

    • Springform pan or cake pan (diameter from 8.5 to 9 inches or from 21 cm to 23cm). We use 8.5 inch /21 cm in the video.

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 cup plant milk soy, almond, oats
    • ¾ cup sugar plus 2 tablespoon to sprinkle on top
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil sunflower oil, canola oil, or melted vegan butter
    • 2 cups flour all-purpose, wholewheat, or 50% all-purpose and 50% wholewheat (see notes below for more info)
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
    • 3 apples

    Instructions
     

    • Oil your cake pan and dust it with flour. Preheat the oven to 360F or 180C.
      In a bowl, add plant milk, oil, and sugar. Whisk to combine.
      wet ingredients in a bowl
    • Sift in flour, cinnamon and baking powder. Whisk with a hand mixer for a few seconds to combine. You should have a smooth but thick batter.
      Important: Do not over-mix or it will turn out gummy.
      mixing the batter with a hand mixer
    • Add small apple pieces from 1½ apples. If you apple is small you can add up to 2 apples.
      Apples should be peeled. Mix with a spatula to combine.
      adding apple pieces to the batter
    • Pour the cake batter into the cake pan and cover the top of the cake with thin apple slices arranged in a circular pattern, overlapping the slices a bit.
      Sprinkle the apples with 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar.
      covering the vegan apple cake with apple slices and sugar
    • Bake at 360F or 180C for 1 hour in the center rack of your oven.
      Let cool down for at least 1 hour then sprinkle with some powdered sugar if you like.
      TIP: bake on a baking rack, not on a baking tray, because the tray will get too hot and might overcook the base of the cake.
      whole-wheat apple cake

    Video Recipe

    VEGAN APPLE CAKE with just 7 ingredients you already have at home

    Notes

    Note: depending on your flours you might need to add a little more milk (2 to 4 tablespoons more) to reach the right batter consistency. You should get to a thick batter in the end. You can have a look at our video recipe below to see the right batter consistency.

    Nutritional Values

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan apple cake
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 244 Calories from Fat 63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7g11%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Potassium 243mg7%
    Carbohydrates 43g14%
    Dietary Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 21g23%
    Protein 3g6%
    Vitamin A 124IU2%
    Vitamin B6 1mg50%
    Vitamin C 4mg5%
    Vitamin E 1mg7%
    Vitamin K 12µg11%
    Calcium 98mg10%
    Folate 55µg14%
    Iron 1mg6%
    Manganese 1mg50%
    Magnesium 9mg2%
    Zinc 1mg7%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Did you like this recipe?Leave us a comment below or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. It would mean the world to us 🙂

    If you liked this recipe, you might also like:

    • Best Vegan Brunch Recipes
    • 65 Amazing Vegan Italian Recipes
    • Best Plant-Based Desserts | 43 recipes for any occasion
    « Castagnaccio: Italian chestnut flour cake
    Vegan custard (pastry cream) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anne

      May 05, 2022 at 3:16 pm

      5 stars
      It was delicious, but I added less sugar. Regarding leaving the cake in the oven for an hour, mine was ready in 50 minutes. So keep an eye out just in case. It was browner than your picture, but was still moist.

      Reply
      • Nico

        May 05, 2022 at 5:16 pm

        Hi Anne, thanks so much for letting me know! I'm delighted that you like the cake - also with less sugar. Cheers, and have a great day. Nico

        Reply
    2. May

      April 26, 2022 at 6:13 pm

      5 stars
      A beautiful cake that’s so delicious and easy to make! (I made the version with plant-based yogurt). Will definitely make this again.

      Reply
      • Nico

        April 26, 2022 at 6:45 pm

        Thank you May, we're so happy you liked the apple cake. Your version of it looked just beautiful on Instagram! Cheers, Nico

        Reply
    3. Sue

      February 18, 2022 at 7:28 am

      5 stars
      Hello Nico
      This cake is so AWESOME!! I made it so many times already and always meant to but forgot to comment 🙁
      I think it is the simplest, easiest and most delicious apple cake I ever made :)). It is my go-to recipe now 🙂
      Thank you for the other simple and great recipes and keep up the great work!!

      Reply
      • Chef Nico

        February 24, 2022 at 8:49 am

        Hi Sue! That is amazing, I am so happy you liked the cake. And especially, that it's a recipe you feel like re-making.
        Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
        Cheers,
        Sue

        Reply
    4. Yana

      January 01, 2022 at 12:10 am

      5 stars
      Just made it for dinner tonight!
      My cakes fail more often than not but this one turned out wonderfully! Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Nico

        January 02, 2022 at 4:09 pm

        Yana, I am delighted to hear that!! Thanks for sharing with us 🥰

        Reply
      • Nico

        January 09, 2022 at 7:22 am

        Thanks so much for letting us know Yana, so happy your cake turned out wonderfully!

        Reply
    5. Ellen

      December 20, 2021 at 6:22 pm

      Made this over the weekend it looked beautiful but not very flavorful, I am not vegan but both my daughters are and they felt like it was missing something; needs more flavor any suggestions?

      Reply
      • Nico

        January 09, 2022 at 7:39 am

        Hi Ellen, it might be that the apples were not the sweetest? I'd say you can add more sugar if you want to boost flavour. We usually don't use a lot of sugar and the taste might suffer a bit. Other than that, you could use a vegan butter that tastes more like regular butter instead of the vegetable oil, and add more aromas, like vanilla extract. Hope this helps 🙂

        Reply
        • Priyanka Gupta Sarvaiya

          April 14, 2022 at 6:16 am

          5 stars
          We are vegans for the animals and planet and I am so happy I found your website... I wanted to whip up something quick for my husband's birthday and made this apple cake in our tiny 4 inch springform pan... the idea of scaling numbers is brilliant and made it super easy for even a super lazy occasional baker like me. The recipe was perfect and we simply loved the flavor... I am gonna be making this more often now.
          Thank you so much!

          Reply
          • Louise Valentin

            April 14, 2022 at 6:27 am

            Wow Priynka, I am delighted you made our apple cake for such a special occasion - even better: you liked it, YAY! Thanks so much for your feedback, glad to know the scaling table is helpful!
            Kindest, Nico

            Reply
    6. Sara

      November 28, 2021 at 10:40 pm

      5 stars
      Ciao da NYC 🙂 Appena fatta e mangiata: e' venuta molto bene ma....1) The batter was super dense. It didn't look like yours. How much almond milk should I add next time? 2) On which oven rack do you place the pan? Grazie mille!

      Reply
      • Nico

        December 07, 2021 at 8:14 am

        Ciao Sara, grazie per il feedback. Allora, I just made it again with the exact same recipe both in US cups and Grams, using Italian whole wheat flour and oat milk and the consistency was perfect. So, I'd say there could be two reasons why yours turned out denser than the one you see in the video:

        1) your flour is different than mine - it's possible that flours milled in the US or other parts of the world require more liquid than Italian flour. If this is the case, just add 2 to 4 US tablespoons (30 to 60 ml) of milk extra, until you reach the right consistency.

        2) you whisked the dough too much. It really just needs to be mixed for like 30 seconds, or else the gluten will develop and the batter will be more like a dough.

        For baking, use the central rack of the oven with this kind of cake.

        Hope this helps 🙂
        Nico

        Reply
    7. Stephanie

      November 15, 2021 at 7:27 pm

      5 stars
      This was a lovely simple recipe! Tasted delicious!

      Reply
      • Nico

        November 22, 2021 at 7:17 am

        I’m delighted to hear, Stephanie! Thank you for commenting 🙏

        Reply
      • Cheryl

        November 30, 2021 at 11:10 am

        Hi Nico,
        I followed your recipe exactly.
        Your mixture was a thick liquid after mixing in the flour.
        Mine was a thick dough.
        Any suggestions please as to why mine was different? I used half all-purpose flour and half wholewheat flour.

        Reply
        • Nico

          December 07, 2021 at 8:23 am

          Hi Cheryl, thanks for your feedback 🙂 I just made it again with the exact same recipe both in US cups and Grams, using Italian whole wheat flour and oat milk and the consistency was like in the video. So, I'd say there could be two reasons why yours turned out denser than the one you see in the video:

          1) your flour is different than mine - it's possible that flours milled in the US or other parts of the world require a little more liquid than Italian flour. If this is the case, just add 2 to 4 US tablespoons (30 to 60 ml) of milk extra, until you reach the right consistency.

          2) you whisked the dough too much. It really just needs to be mixed for like 30 seconds, or else the gluten will develop and the batter will be more like a dough.

          One last thing, if you use US cups as I do, make sure to level off the flour in the cup with a knife.

          Hope this helps,
          Nico

          Reply
    8. Brian

      October 20, 2021 at 4:53 am

      5 stars
      Just made this cake. It turned out great and was delicious. Thank you for a great recipe.

      Reply
      • Nico

        October 25, 2021 at 6:08 am

        Hi Brian, I’m happy to hear it turned out well. It’s my pleasure!

        Reply
      • Patricia

        November 10, 2021 at 12:29 am

        5 stars
        Absolutely delicious! I made it with white whole wheat flour and water (actually,, half water and half apple brandy.) This recipe is a keeper!

        Reply
        • Nico

          November 10, 2021 at 8:36 am

          Wonderful, Patricia! I am very happy to hear that you liked the cake. Thanks for commenting 🙂

          Reply
        • Ann

          February 02, 2022 at 3:40 pm

          Did you sub the water and brandy for milk or the oil? Thank you!

          Reply
    9. Anonymous

      August 19, 2021 at 11:24 pm

      5 stars

      Fab recipe, turned out lovely!

      Reply
      • Nico

        August 21, 2021 at 7:27 pm

        So happy to hear you liked it. Thanks.

        Reply
        • Rudy Sierra

          February 05, 2022 at 2:52 pm

          Absolutely yummy and easy 🤩
          You’re great !! With all the tips about conversion / ingredients and substitutes.
          Your page is A1 ❤️

          Reply
          • Chef Nico

            February 12, 2022 at 8:15 am

            Thanks, Rudy! Ahaha, I'm glad you like the recipe measurements (and our blog). Cheers, Nico

            Reply

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