This vegan apple cake gives you an incredibly moist, apple-packed cake with simple pantry ingredients and a gorgeous apple topping—no eggs or butter needed.
If you love baking with apples, try our baked apple oatmeal, apple muffins, or apple bread next. They’re simple, cozy recipes that make the most of fresh apples.
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Why you’ll love our vegan apple cake
If you love apple cake, this is the one to make. 🍎 It’s ridiculously moist, packed with four whole apples, warmly scented with cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon, and finished with a gorgeous layer of caramelized apples on top.
This recipe is inspired by the apple cake my Nonna Lidia made for us growing up. I still remember running up the stairs to her home and smelling it baking. ❤️ Today, Louise and I make it again and again—and it’s every bit as comforting as I remember.
The ingredients couldn’t be simpler: everyday pantry staples, plenty of fresh apples, no eggs, and no butter. It’s naturally low in saturated fat and wonderfully fruit-forward, making it a feel-good treat for everyday baking.
Have it for breakfast, grab a slice with coffee in the afternoon, or serve it for dessert with vanilla ice cream. 🍰 Vegan or not, this is a seriously good apple cake.
P.S: For more simple homemade cakes, try our vegan lemon cake, carrot cake, or easy vanilla cake. They’re easy enough for everyday baking and made with familiar ingredients.
Ingredients
Full ingredients and substitutions are in the recipe box below.
- Apples: firm, sweet-tart apples are ideal. Try Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala, or Granny Smith.
- All-purpose flour: gives the cake a tender, reliable crumb. You can replace half with whole wheat flour for a heartier cake.
- Sugar: regular granulated sugar works perfectly. Cane sugar or light brown sugar are good alternatives.
- Almond milk: use unsweetened almond milk or substitute oat, soy, or another plant milk you enjoy.
- Vegetable oil: keeps the cake soft without butter. Use a neutral oil such as avocado, sunflower, or canola.
- Baking powder: gives the cake its lift. Make sure yours is fresh for the best rise.
- Vanilla extract: adds warmth and brings out the sweetness of the apples. Vanilla paste works too.
- Cinnamon: adds that classic warm apple-cake flavor. Pumpkin pie spice is a delicious alternative.
- Lemon zest: brightens the apples and makes the cake beautifully fragrant. Orange zest works well too.
- Salt: just a pinch makes the other flavors pop.
How to Make Vegan Apple Cake
Step 1. Make the batter
Line your cake pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).
In a large bowl, whisk together the almond milk, vegetable oil, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until the batter is smooth and thick. Don’t overmix.
Pan size: We usually use an 8.5-inch (21 cm) pan. An 8-inch (20 cm) pan makes a taller cake and may need a few extra minutes, while a 9-inch (23 cm) pan makes a shorter cake and may bake a little faster.
Step 2. Add the apples
Core the apples and cut 2½ of them into small pieces. You can leave the peel on.
Fold the apple pieces gently into the batter with a spatula, then pour everything into the prepared pan and spread the top evenly.
This generous amount of fruit is what gives the cake its soft, apple-packed center.
Step 3. Decorate the top
Thinly slice the remaining apples and arrange them over the batter in a circular pattern, slightly overlapping the slices.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle it evenly over the apples.
As it bakes, the topping becomes lightly caramelized and gives the cake its beautiful finish.
Step 4. Bake and cool
Bake on the center rack at 360°F (180°C) for 55 minutes to 1 hour.
Insert a skewer into the center. It should come out mostly dry. If you see wet batter, bake for another 5 minutes and check again.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove it and cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. This helps the soft, fruit-filled center set before you cut into it.
Tips
- Cut the inside apples small: Small pieces distribute evenly through the batter and become tender as the cake bakes.
- Keep the peel on: There’s no need to peel the apples. It saves time, adds texture, and the peel softens as it bakes.
- Sift the flour: This removes lumps and adds a little air, helping the cake bake up lighter.
- Don’t overmix: Once the flour goes in, mix only until the batter is smooth and you no longer see dry flour.
- Expect a thick batter: With all those apple pieces, the batter will look thick and fruit-packed. That’s exactly what you want.
- Slice the topping apples thinly: Thin, overlapping slices soften nicely and make the top look beautiful.
- Don’t open the oven early: Keep the oven door closed for the first 30 minutes to help prevent the cake from deflating.
- Bake on the oven rack, not a baking tray: A hot tray can overcook the base of the cake.
- Watch the cake, not just the timer: Insert a skewer into the center; it should come out mostly dry, without wet batter.
- Don’t rush the cooling: This cake is very moist, so let it cool well before slicing to help the center set.
- Try the yogurt variation: For a slightly richer version, use ⅔ cup (160 g) plant yogurt + ½ cup (120 g) plant milk instead of the 1 cup of plant milk.
- Turn it into muffins: Divide the batter into a 12-muffin tin and bake at 360°F (180°C) for about 25–27 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any apple will work, but we prefer sweet, crisp varieties that hold their shape when baked, such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala, or Golden Delicious.
Our favorites are Honeycrisp and Pink Lady because they’re naturally sweet with just enough tartness to balance the cake.
No. We usually leave the peel on because it saves time and softens as the cake bakes. You can peel them if you prefer a more delicate texture.
Yes. For a richer, slightly creamier cake, replace the 1 cup of plant milk with ⅔ cup (160 g) plant yogurt and ½ cup (120 g) plant milk.
If you’re not vegan, you can use regular yogurt, low-fat Greek yogurt, or Skyr instead.
You can replace half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Using all whole wheat flour will make the cake denser and more rustic.
Absolutely. Divide the batter among a 12-muffin tin and bake at 360°F (180°C) for about 25–27 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly dry.
With four apples, this is naturally a very moist fresh apple cake. If a skewer shows wet batter, continue baking in 5-minute increments. Also, let the finished cake cool for at least 1 hour before slicing so the center can set.
Let the cake cool completely, then keep it covered at room temperature for a short period or refrigerate it for longer storage. Bring refrigerated slices to room temperature before serving if you prefer a softer texture.
You can also freeze individual slices, well wrapped, then thaw them at room temperature when you want one.
Easy desserts & baking
- Vegan Banana Bread
- Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Date Brownies
- Cake Donuts
- Banana Oatmeal Muffins
If you try this Vegan Apple Cake Recipe please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it turned out in the comments—we love hearing from you.
Vegan Apple Cake (Simple Pantry Recipe)
Video
Equipment
- 8, 8.5, or 9-inch (20, 21, or 23 cm) round cake pan
Ingredients
- 4 apples divided, 2½ for the filling and 1½ on top.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons to sprinkle on top
- 1 cup almond milk or another non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extra
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ lemon the grated zest
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Make the batter: Line a cake pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).Whisk 1 cup almond milk, ¼ cup vegetable oil¾ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extra, and the grated zest of ½ lemon in a large bowl.Sift in 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 pinch salt, then mix just until smooth and thick. Don’t overmix.
- Add the apples: Core the apples and cut 2½ into small pieces; peeling is optional. Gently fold them into the batter, then pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Decorate the top: Thinly slice the remaining apples and arrange them on top, slightly overlapping. Mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, then sprinkle over the apples.
- Bake and cool: Bake on the center rack at 360°F (180°C) for 55 minutes to 1 hour. A skewer inserted in the center should come out mostly dry. If you see wet batter, bake for 5 more minutes and check again.Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove and let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Notes
- Apples → Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala, or Granny Smith.
- All-purpose flour → Replace up to half with whole wheat flour.
- Sugar → Cane sugar or light brown sugar.
- Almond milk → Oat, soy, or another plant milk.
- Vegetable oil → Avocado, sunflower, or canola oil.
- Baking powder → No substitution listed.
- Vanilla extract → Vanilla paste.
- Cinnamon → Pumpkin pie spice.
- Lemon zest → Orange zest.
- Salt → No substitution listed.
- Cut apples small: They’ll soften evenly and spread throughout the cake.
- Skip the peeling: The peel softens as it bakes.
- Sift the flour: Fewer lumps, lighter cake.
- Don’t overmix: Stop as soon as the batter is smooth.
- Expect thick batter: Fruit-packed and thick is exactly right.
- Slice topping apples thin: They soften better and look beautiful.
- Keep the oven closed: Don’t peek during the first 30 minutes.
- Use the oven rack: A baking tray can overcook the bottom.
- Check with a skewer: Mostly dry means it’s done.
- Cool before slicing: Give the moist center time to set.
- Try yogurt: Use ⅔ cup yogurt + ½ cup plant milk for a richer variation.
- Make muffins: Bake 12 at 360°F for 25–27 minutes.
- Store well: Cool completely before covering or refrigerating; freeze individual slices for longer storage.
Nutrition
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Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We're here to share easy, healthy, and delicious recipes 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
was the cake in the photo made with all plant milk or with partial soy yogurt as suggested in the substitutions?
Hi Marsha, thank you for your message. The photos of the apple cake is with partial soy yogurt. Although, the last couple of times, I’ve made the cake without yogurt, but with oat milk, it looks exactly the same. I hope you’ll like it! Cheers, Nico
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.
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
Brilliant. Easy and moreish.
A beautiful cake that’s so delicious and easy to make! (I made the version with plant-based yogurt). Will definitely make this again.
Thank you May, we’re so happy you liked the apple cake. Your version of it looked just beautiful on Instagram! Cheers, Nico
A beautiful dessert! A co worker crowd pleaser! Easy to follow,this is a flavorful and delicious dessert and i will be making this over and over! It handles add ins well without affecting the density of the cake (I added shredded carrot). Love love love this new staple:)
Hi Vatana, I’m so delighted you (and your colleagues) like it – nothing better than a crowd-pleasing cake 🙂
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, it means a lot to us! Have a great rest of your week. Cheers, Nico
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!!
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
Just made it for dinner tonight!
My cakes fail more often than not but this one turned out wonderfully! Thank you so much!
Yana, I am delighted to hear that!! Thanks for sharing with us 🥰
Thanks for this recipe. It’s very similar to a family apple cake recipe made with a lot of eggs that we hadn’t found a good plant based replacement for, until now!
Made this twice now as muffins using parchment liners. I like to mix the cinnamon and sprinkling sugar with the apples and use the vanilla in the batter as well. Used soy milk with no additives and US all purpose flour flour. Can also brush top after baking when warm with strained apricot jam or other syrup.
Even made them gluten free today with Bobs Red Mill 1-to-1 flour (sifted before measuring) and they turned out great! The batter was able to sit in the tins (and absorb) for a bit while I prepared and arranged the sliced apples on top. Baked 28 minutes. Perfect little GF cakes – not gritty and not gooey.
Hi Dawn,
Thanks so much for leaving such a helpful comment here – those apple muffins sound amazing!! We’re gonna try them, for sure.
The apricot jam brushing is a great tip 🙂 Thanks again for sharing this valuable information. I wish you a wonderful day.
Cheers, Nico
Thanks so much for letting us know Yana, so happy your cake turned out wonderfully!
Have you tried with gluten free flour? Curious if it would work out…
Hi Sarah, thanks for your message. I haven’t tried with gluten-free flour yet, but I’ve heard from 2 followers on our YouTube channel that made it gluten-free and liked it. I hope that helps a little. Cheers, Nico
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?
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 🙂
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!
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
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!
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
This was a lovely simple recipe! Tasted delicious!
I’m delighted to hear, Stephanie! Thank you for commenting 🙏
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.
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
Just made this cake. It turned out great and was delicious. Thank you for a great recipe.
Hi Brian, I’m happy to hear it turned out well. It’s my pleasure!
Absolutely delicious! I made it with white whole wheat flour and water (actually,, half water and half apple brandy.) This recipe is a keeper!
Wonderful, Patricia! I am very happy to hear that you liked the cake. Thanks for commenting 🙂
Did you sub the water and brandy for milk or the oil? Thank you!
Fab recipe, turned out lovely!
So happy to hear you liked it. Thanks.
Absolutely yummy and easy 🤩
You’re great !! With all the tips about conversion / ingredients and substitutes.
Your page is A1 ❤️
Thanks, Rudy! Ahaha, I’m glad you like the recipe measurements (and our blog). Cheers, Nico
Can you sub applesauce instead of oil?
Hi Meg! Yes you can substitute applesauce! Just follow our recipe and replace the oil with the same amount of water or applesauce. It will work wonderfully.Cheers, Nico