This vegan apple cake is soft, moist, and packed with fresh apple chunks. It’s an easy one-bowl recipe made with just seven simple ingredients—no fancy vegan substitutes needed!
For more easy and delicious vegan cakes, check out our vegan carrot cake, vegan lemon cake, easy vanilla cake, and lemon blueberry cake.
Why you’ll love this recipe…
Inspired by Italian apple cake, this family recipe is perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert with ice cream or vegan custard.
We think you’ll love it because it’s:
- Quick to prepare in just 10 minutes and in one bowl.
- Packed with apples to give it flavor and keep it moist.
- Made with pantry staples.
- Affordable. Did you see the price of eggs these days?
- The layer of apple slices on top keeps it extra moist and adds a beautiful finish.
Louise and I love it so much we also turned it into a healthy apple bread, made vegan apple muffins, and filled one with vegan custard for extra richness 🤤.
Ingredients
Full ingredients and substitutions are in the recipe box below.
- Apples: You can make this cake with any apple variety. We recommend sweeter varieties such as fuji, golden delicious, and pink ladies for a sweeter cake.
- All-purpose flour: Substitute whole wheat flour, spelt flour, or mix half all-purpose and half whole-wheat. Use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour mix for cakes to make it without gluten.
- Sugar: You can use white or brown sugar.
- Almond milk: Substitute another non-dairy milk like oat or soy milk.
- Olive oil: Substitute another vegetable oil such as avocado, canola, and sunflower oil. For oil-free use apple sauce in the same amount.
- Cinnamon
- Baking powder: essential to help the cake rise in the oven.
- Vanilla extract & lemon zest: optional for more aroma.
Notes on Baking Pans
You can use different cake pans to make this cake. Here are some ideas:
- 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan for a tall cake (it takes a few minutes longer to bake)
- 8.5-inch (21 cm) cake pan. That’s what we usually use.
- 9-inch pan (23 cm) for a shorter cake (it takes a few minutes less to bake)
You can also make apple muffins with the same batter by using a 12-muffin tin and baking for 25 -27 minutes.
Variations
- ADD YOGURT: For a moister cake, swap some plant milk for yogurt. Use 2/3 cup (160g) plant yogurt and 1/2 cup (120g) plant milk.
- ADD CUSTARD: Have you ever tried apple cake with custard inside? Make vegan custard, then pour ¾ of it over the batter in the pan. Swirl gently with a knife. Top with thin apple slices in a circular pattern, sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar, and bake at 360°F (180°C) for 55–60 minutes. It’s so good!
- SWAP PEARS: You can substitute slices of pears for the apples.
How to make vegan apple cake
Line cake pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 360°F or 180°C.
To a mixing bowl, add almond milk, olive oil, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk until well combined.
With a fine-mesh sieve, sift in the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
Whisk or mix with a hand mixer for a few seconds till you have a smooth and thick cake batter. Do not over-mix, or the cake will turn out gummy.
Cinnamon note: You can add 1 – 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to the batter, but it will color your cake brown. We prefer adding vanilla and lemon zest to the batter and cinnamon on top.
Add small pieces from 2.5 apples. The apples should be cored and the seeds removed, but you can keep the peel on.
Fold them with a spatula until then pour batter into the cake tin.
Cover the top with thin apple slices arranged in a circular pattern, overlapping the slices a bit.
Finally, sprinkle the apples with 2 tbsp of sugar mixed with a teaspoon of cinnamon.
Bake on the center rack of the oven at 360°F (180°C) for 55 minutes to 1 hour.
A skewer inserted in the center should come out mostly dry. If it doesn’t, keep baking in 5-minute increments.
Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan and cooling it for at least 1 hour.
Tips
- Cinnamon: for more cinnamon flavor, add 2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter. Keep in mind that the cake will have a brown color if you do so.
- Don’t overmix to avoid a dense, gummy texture. Stop once the ingredients are combined.
- Work quickly after adding baking powder, as it starts activating immediately.
- Sift the flour to remove lumps and add air for a lighter cake.
- Don’t open the oven for the first 30 minutes to prevent deflation.
- When baking, place the cake pan on a baking rack, not a baking tray, because the tray will get too hot and will overcook the base of the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baking time varies by oven, milk, and flour type. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center—if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If wet, bake a few more minutes and recheck.
All plant-based milks work well. We use almond because we like the flavor. Soy milk gives and excellent structure and has a more neutral flavor. Oat milk and rice milk work well too.
Absolutely! Keep in mind that the cake will be denser and brown. Not everyone likes that! Our advice would be to use half whole-wheat and half all-purpose flour for a more balanced cake.
You can substitute water or apple sauce for olive oil. Same quantities.
Room temp: 4 days under a cake dome or in a plastic bag.
Refrigerator: up to one week.
Freezer: up to three months. Let it cool down completely before freezing.
Reheat: if it gets dry after storage, reheat for 1 minute in the microwave to make moist again
More easy apple recipes
Breakfast
Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Desserts
Baked apples
Desserts
Apple Crumble
Breakfast
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
If you tried this Vegan Apple Cake recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Vegan Apple Cake
Video
Equipment
- cake pan We use 8.5 inch /21 cm in the video. 8 or 9 inches also works.
Ingredients
- 4 apples divided, 2½ for the filling and 1½ on top.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar plus 2 tbsp to sprinkle on top
- 1 cup almond milk
- ¼ cup olive oil or another vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extra
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ lemon the grated zest (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Line cake pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 360°F (180°C).To a mixing bowl, add 1 cup almond milk, ¼ cup olive oil, ¾ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extra and the grated zest of ½ lemon. Whisk until well combined.With a fine-mesh sieve, sift in 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt.Whisk or mix with a hand mixer for a few seconds until you have a smooth and thick cake batter. Don't over-mix.
- Add small pieces from 2½ apples. The apples should be cored and the seeds removed, but you can keep the peel on.Fold them with a spatula, then pour batter into the cake pan.
- Cover the top with thin apple slices from the remaining apples, arranged in a circular pattern, overlapping the slices a bit.Finally, sprinkle the apples with 2 tbsp of sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Bake on the center rack of the oven at 360°F (180°C) for 55 minutes to 1 hour.A skewer inserted in the center should come out mostly dry. If it doesn’t, keep baking in 5-minute increments.Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan and cooling it for at least 1 hour.
Notes
- Apples: You can use any apple variety. We recommend sweet varieties like fuji, pink ladies, and golden delicious.
- Almond milk: Substitute another plant-based milk.
- Olive oil: Substitute another vegetable oil like canola or sunflower oil.
- All-purpose flour: You can also use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose. Substitute gluten-free flour to make the cake GF.
- Cinnamon: for more cinnamon flavor, add 2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter. Keep in mind that the cake will have a brown color if you do so
- Don’t overmix to avoid a dense, gummy texture. Stop once the ingredients are combined.
- Work quickly after adding baking powder, as it starts activating immediately.
- Sift the flour to remove lumps and add air for a lighter cake.
- Don’t open the oven for the first 30 minutes to prevent deflation.
- When baking, place the cake pan on a baking rack, not a baking tray, because the tray will get too hot and will overcook the base of the cake.
- Room temp: 4 days under a cake dome or in a plastic bag.
- Refrigerator: up to one week.
- Freezer: up to three months. Let it cool down completely before freezing.
- Reheat: if it gets dry after storage, reheat for 1 minute in the microwave to make moist again
Nutrition
Don’t Lose This Recipe
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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.
Hi – do you think I could times this by 1.5 and make it in a 9” x 13” cake pan or would it be best to double it?
Hi Cathy, I think it would be best to double it to fill a 9×13 cake pan, and bake it a few minutes longer. If you want to be more precise, multiply all ingredients by 1.85 (easier to do with metric system and a digital scale than cups).
Hope this helps 🙂
Nico
I just 1.5’d it for two smaller loaf pans and it turned out perfect. I also added Vanilla extract to the mix which increased the flavor a bit, too.
Hello. I noticed when toggling between the US/Metric tabs in the recipe, the conversion for the flour is 2 cups US, but 300g Metric. I thought 2 cups of flour equals 240g. Which one is accurate? Thanks, I’m going to make this for my wife’s birthday… not too much pressure!
Hi Dan 🙂 Thanks for your message. 300 grams is correct (2 cups is also correct for most casual bakers).
Note: we find that for MOST people, including myself, 1 cup US of all-purpose flour equals 150 grams. To make 1 cup = 120 grams, you would have to sift the flour multiple times before sprinkling it into a cup and leveling it off.
Anyways, for best results, use a kitchen scale. I hope your wife is going to LOVE this cake as much as mine does:-)
Thanks,
Nico
Hi, this recipe seems great… But before I make it, I would like to ask a few questions:
1) Can I substitute whole milk(cow’s milk) for nondairy milk. If so, can I substitute cows milk for plant based milk in the custard as well?
2) If I substitute water for oil, will the cake still be fluffy and moist? Or is the cake taste and texture better off with oil?
Thank you!
Hi Aleena,
Thanks so much for your comment! So,
1: We have never tried making it with cow’s milk, but since the protein content is very similar to that of soy milk, I’d say yes, it would work. The same is true for the vegan custard.
2: Yes you can substitute water (and unsweetened applesauce) for oil. The flavor of the cake is better with oil, but many of our readers make it with water instead and still get a cake they like.
I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions!
Happy Friday. Cheers, Louise
Can this be frozen?
Hi Katie! Yes, you can freeze the apple cake! Make sure to freeze it in a freezer-friendly plastic bag (just like you would with bread). Then thaw the cake in the fridge, and warm it up slightly in the oven. I hope that helps – enjoy!! Cheers, Nico
My (vegan) mum convinced me last minute to make the apple cake I planned to bake vegan, this was the first recipe I saw and so glad I tried it. I usuallg detest vegan cakes, always stodgy, turn to glue in your mouth, and I’ve tried many recipes. But this one is absolutely perfect. Light, springy sponge, I have no idea how it works so well but it’s the only vegan cake I’ll make henceforth. The only modification I made the the recipe was to reduce the sugar by 50g. Thank you!
I’m delighted to hear that you liked this cake – maybe you wanna try our other cakes too? (haha)! Thanks so much for coming back to leave such a nice comment! Have a great weekend, cheers Nico
I made the version of your recipe with half plant based milk, half plant based yoghurt, vegetable oil, and Cinnamon. It baked well: not too sweet, not too dense, and just a hint of apple tartness. Finally, it looked beautiful. I’ll be making this again for my next dinner party.
Hi Dianne, I’m delighted to hear – thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment. Have a great Monday! Cheers, Nico
Mine didn’t raise at all, any tips on what I could have done wrong? The flavour was amazing though
Hi Katie! I’m so sorry that the cake didn’t rise.
Typically, when a cake doesn’t rise, it comes down to 4 elements:
1. The leavening agent used – baking soda and baking powder cannot be interchanged, we highly recommend baking powder for this cake
2. Oven temperature – the oven temperature is necessary to allow the cake to rise before the structure sets. For example, if the oven is too hot, the cake will set too fast before the air bubbles have formed and it will not rise.
3. Potential overmixing – we advise just to whisk for a few seconds till you have a smooth and thick apple cake batter. If over-mixed, the cake will turn out gummy and compact.
4. Leaving the batter without baking – 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 lose some of its leavening power.
I hope this might help, Katie. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Kindest, Nico
Hi Nico,
I made your Vegan Apple Cake, and it was absolutely delicious! Just a great all around moist Apple Cake. Mine took a about 15 minutes longer to bake, but I just put a bit of foil on top and it came out perfect.
I’d like to try the custard recipe attached, but was wondering if the custard can be made and reheated when ready to use? Thanks again.
Maria
Hi Maria,
I am so happy the cake turned out well. It’s such a great tip to cover it with foil to extend the cooking time.
Yes, you can make the custard ahead and reheat it. To reheat it, you might need to add a touch of milk.
If it lumps up, you can either whisk it vigorously with a hand whisk or you can give it a quick blend with an immersion blender.
I hope this help.
Happy cooking 🙂
Nico
What a lovely recipe! We enjoyed this at our Thanksgiving dinner last night. I made the custard version. I used half of the custard from your custard recipe; stirring in part and adding a layer under the apple decoration. I used coconut cream in the custard and oat milk as my plant based milk. The only trick was making sure it was cooked in the center this took about 10 minutes extra at 375. Thanks for this recipe!!
Hi Hayden! I’m so happy to hear that, thanks for sharing. Good idea to add the custard, that is a delicious addition. Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy! Many cheers, Nico
My 4 year old helped make this recipe today, and it turned out so delicious that we actually made a second one to share !
I love that everything was easily put together in one bowl and all of the ingredients were simple! Fantastic recipe!
Oh I’m so happy you all liked the cake, Paula!! Thanks so much for sharing, the greatest compliment we can get, is when families cook and share our recipes. Cheers, Louise
Thank you Nico & Louise
I made this cake for the first time yesterday and it came out great. I did as you suggested and substituted a little plant milk for coconut yoghurt. I especially love that the ingredients were all basic things I had in the cupboard anyway and are not overly expensive. I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes 😋.
Hi Anna, thanks so much for your kind comment, we’re so happy you liked the cake!! Welcome, and I hope you’re gonna like more of our recipes. Cheers, Nico
Hi Chef Nico, thanks for an amazing recipe! Easy to follow and absolutely delicious. I added 1/3c yoghurt and a little ground ginger. This is definitely one to make again!
Amazing Alice, we never tried with ground ginger – that sounds just perfect. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Hello chef Nico! I’m looking forward to making this cake for a family holiday next week. I’m wondering if I can make it in advance and freeze it, then warm it in the oven to serve? Or will it not freeze well? Trying to do as much ahead of time as possible. Thank you!
Hi Liat, yes you can freeze the apple cake! Make sure to freeze in a freezer-friendly plastic bag (just like you would with bread). Then thaw the cake in the fridge, and warm it up slightly in the oven. I hope that helps, enjoy your family holidays!! Cheers, Nico
Hi what sugar do you use?
Hi Helen,
We made this with both white sugar and with brown sugar. It works perfectly with both!
Hope this helps,
Nico