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 🌿✨.
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Just perfect!!!!
really yummy, I’ve made it with apples and pears.
I have already made two of these cakes within a week. I love the diced apples within the cake and how moist it is. The cake was a big hit with my family. I am grateful for the apple weight I found in the comments, as my apples were so large, I only needed two. I used a 9-inch pan because my cake pans are 1 1/2 inches high and I wanted to make sure I didn’t get any overflow. I will definitely making this easy, delicious recipe again and again.
Thank you for your helpful feedback, Marilyn! I’m so glad the weight measurement helped and that the cake worked well in your pan.
Love that you’ve already made it twice – thank you so much for trusting our recipes ❤️.
Kindest, Louise
You are very welcome and thanks to you once more, for providing me with so many delicious, healthy and easy to make recipes. I look forward to each new one that I try. ❤️
AMAZING!! Even though I stirred tooo long with my small whisk, still delicious! I just added a bit more soy milk. Difficult finding dairy free desserts that actually taste good. So THANK YOU!! 😊 🙏
That makes me so happy to hear, Melanie 😊
You did exactly the right thing by adding a splash more soy milk — this cake is very forgiving.
I’m glad it hit the mark for a dairy-free dessert that still tastes great. Thanks so much for trusting the recipe. Kindest,
Louise
I’m trying to find recipes that don’t taste like nothing; and wow! This is the first recipe that actually tastes really perfect! Thank you so much! There was nothing left 2 hours after 😛
I’ll certainly try more recipes from you!
Hii just wondering, can you measure the weight of the apples please? Because 4 apples seems a lot for me, it’s just maybe my apples are on the big size:)
Thanks 🙂
Hi Michaela, that’s a brilliant question and a great point about apple sizes!
The 4 apples we use (2.5 for the filling and 1.5 on top) should weigh around 4-500 grams (1 lbs) in total.
Thanks for the helpful question and have a great weekend!
Hi! I want to try this recipe for my daughter’s kindergarten Christmas market 🙂 but I have a 26cm mold. How much should I adjust the servings for this size? Thanks so much in advance!!
Hi Alejandra,
What a lovely idea for the Christmas market! 🎄
A 26 cm pan is a bit larger than the one we use (21 cm), so the cake will spread out more and bake a little thinner. You don’t need to double the recipe — instead, I’d increase the batter by 30%.
So if you’re using the ingredient list as written, you can multiply each ingredient by 1.3.
(Example: 2 cups flour → about 2.6 cups.)
I know this is difficult, so my recommendation is to bake the recipe as-in a 26 cm pan — just know the cake will be shorter and will likely bake 10–15 minutes faster. Start checking early with a toothpick.
I hope it turns out beautifully for your daughter’s market.
Warmest,
Louise
Dear Louise,
Whenever I am converting recipes in round tins, in order to keep the same height as the origin recipe, I multiply by the square of the larger radius (26 cm) and divide by the square of the radius used in the recipe (21 cm). Numerically, this would give (26*26)/(21*21) or around 1.5. All this to say: just multiply by a factor of 1.5. For the time needed to bake, I would start checking at the one hour mark, but I suspect you would need 10 more minutes or so.
Realized I didn’t have a lemon so I swapped with lime zest and it came out pretty good! I also used mini cake pans for three mini cakes. They almost doubled in height with a cute dome shape. To finish, I brushed with kumquat jam and a tiny bit of lime zest. They came out beautiful and taste great! Not too sweet. Next time, I’ll try adding fall spices to the batter.
Hey just wanted to give you a heads up that it’s vanilla EXTRACT, not vanilla extra.
I made it and it tastes so good I love it! I just have one question: I baked it for one hour, but the cake turned out quite watery (still delicious, though!). I replaced the sugar with 1/4 cup of maple syrup.. do you think that might be the reason? Or could it be because the apple I used had a lot of moisture?
Do you have any recommendations for sugar alternatives and tips to avoid a watery texture? Anyway thank you for the wonderful recipes I’ll definitely try this again 🙂
Hi Jane,
Thank you for your comment. And yes, the watery texture very likely comes from the maple syrup substitution.
When you swap it 1:1 for sugar, you introduce more liquid and less structure because sugar not only sweetens but also helps cakes set and caramelize.
The batter therefore (as you describe) stay wetter and take longer to bake through. Next time, you could try other sugar substitutes – for example:
Coconut sugar: a 1:1 swap for cane sugar; adds caramel flavor and keeps the texture balanced.
Brown sugar: gives moisture but still provides structure.
Date sugar: works well in dense cakes; not liquid, so it won’t make it watery.
I hope this helps. Happy baking 😉