This vegan apple cake recipe is one of my favorite fall dessert recipes. Made with apples, vegan yogurt, and cinnamon, it's moist, tender and delicious. You won't believe that it's vegan, eggless and dairy free!
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If you've made my apple turnovers or my healthy apple crisp, you'll know that I love to cook with apples. In fact, I have a huge apple tree in garden, and every year it produces a bumper crop of apples. This apple cake is my new favorite way to use them up. Not only is it moist and delicious, it's an elegant dessert centerpiece for any dinner party.
This vegan apple cake will convince you that you don't need eggs, milk and butter to make a tender cake with a delicate crumb. Plus, this cake only requires one bowl. It's that simple!
Lightly spiced with cinnamon and filled with juicy apples, this cake is the perfect dessert, or decadent breakfast. It would be perfect with a big scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream, or drizzled with a bit of vegan dulce de leche.
Related Posts: You might also like this vegan pumpkin cake.
💚Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
💚This cake makes a beautiful centerpiece for a holiday dinner, but it's simple enough to make for a weekday treat.
💚This vegan apple cake is super moist with caramelized edges and cinnamon spiced apples. It's over the top delicious.
💚 This is a one bowl cake recipe...it's so easy to make!
💚If you're feeling decadent, this makes a great breakfast cake. Or, you could make these amazing vegan apple muffins!
💚 This apple cake is eggless, dairy free and 100% vegan, but you'd never know it.
👨🍳How To Make Vegan Apple Cake
- Heat your oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease a spring form cake tin and line it with parchment paper.
- Sift your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Add your soy milk, lemon juice, vegan yogurt, apple sauce and vegetable oil. Mix until there are no lumps and all the dry ingredients have been incorporated. The applesauce will act as a surprisingly good egg substitute.
- Peel and finely chop one apple and gently fold it into the batter.
- Pour the batter into your prepared tin.
- Peel the remaining two apples and cut them into thin wedges. Arrange them in a circular pattern, overlapping them slightly until the cake is covered in fresh apples.
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with with a bit of caster sugar and bake it in the oven for 50-60 minutes. Your cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for at least one hour before you take it out of the pan.
💡Cooking Tips
- I always recommend using a digital scale for baking, especially for vegan baking. Cups are just not accurate enough. I've provided you with both cups and metric measurements in the recipe card below. I also have an easy cup to grams downloadable graphic you can print and keep as a handy reference on your fridge.
- It's tempting not to sift your dry ingredients, but don't skip this step. Sifting ensures that your leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda) are evenly distributed throughout the cake.
- Be sure to let your cake cool fully in the pan. This is essential! If you release it from the pan too soon, it's likely to not hold together.
🍽️How To Serve Vegan Apple Cake
- Vegan Whipped Cream: Top each slice of apple cake with a dollop of vegan whipped cream. The light and airy texture of the whipped cream pairs wonderfully with the moistness of the cake.
- Dairy-Free Ice Cream: Serve the cake with a scoop of dairy-free vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. The contrast between the warm cake and the cold ice cream is a delightful combination.
- Caramel Sauce: Drizzle a vegan caramel sauce over the cake slices before serving. The sweetness and richness of the caramel complement the apple flavors.
- Nut Butter: Spread a thin layer of almond butter, peanut butter, or cashew butter on the cake slices for an added nutty richness.
- Fresh Berries: Serve the cake with a handful of fresh berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries. The tartness of the berries balances the sweetness of the cake.
- Chopped Nuts: Sprinkle chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds, over the cake slices for added crunch and texture.
- Spiced Chai or Herbal Tea: Pair the cake with a warm cup of spiced chai tea or a soothing herbal tea. The aromatic flavors of the tea complement the spices in the cake.
- Vegan Yogurt: Serve the cake with a side of dairy-free yogurt, which adds creaminess and tanginess to each bite.
- Fruit Compote: Create a quick fruit compote using berries or stone fruits, and spoon it over the cake slices. The fruity sauce adds a burst of flavor.
- Citrus Zest: Grate a bit of lemon or orange zest over the cake slices before serving to add a bright and zesty note.
❄️Storage Instructions
At Room Temperature
If you plan to consume the cake within a day or two, you can store it at room temperature. Follow these steps:
- Allow the cake to cool completely before storing it.
- Wrap the cake in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out.
- Keep the cake in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and heat sources.
Refrigerator
For longer storage, consider refrigerating the cake. Follow these steps:
- Allow the cake to cool completely.
- Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent moisture loss and absorption of odors from the refrigerator.
- Place the wrapped cake in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag to further protect it.
- Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Freezer
If you want to store the cake for an extended period, freezing is an option. Follow these steps:
- Allow the cake to cool completely.
- Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn and moisture loss.
- Place the wrapped cake in an airtight container or resealable freezer bag for extra protection.
- Label the container with the date to keep track of storage time.
- Freeze the cake for up to 2-3 months.
Thawing
When you're ready to enjoy the stored cake, follow these steps to thaw it:
- If the cake was refrigerated, transfer it to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw slowly overnight.
- If the cake was frozen, transfer it to the refrigerator and let it thaw for several hours to overnight.
- Once thawed, you can bring the cake to room temperature before serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @thisdailydish. Or, leave me a comment below. It makes my day, and your feedback helps other readers!
🙋Frequently Asked Questions About This Recipe
Eggless cakes can sometimes crumble due to a lack of structure-building proteins found in eggs. Eggs contribute to the binding and moisture retention in cakes, which helps hold the cake together. In eggless recipes, this binding and moisture can be compromised, leading to a crumbly texture. Using binding agents like applesauce, yogurt, or flaxseed meal, and ensuring proper mixing techniques can help mitigate the crumbly texture in eggless cakes
Vegan cakes can collapse due to reasons like inaccurate leavening measurements, overmixing, underbaking, and fluctuations in oven temperature. Properly balanced binding agents and wet-to-dry ingredient ratios are crucial. Ensuring accurate baking times, pan sizes, and avoiding altitude-related issues can help prevent cake collapse.
Absolutely! Allow the cake to cool fully. Cut it into individual pieces and freeze for two hours on a parchment lined baking sheet. Transfer the frozen cake pieces to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (for topping) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup soy milk *or any plant based milk you prefer
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup vegan yogurt
- ½ cup apple sauce
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large apples peeled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (180 C). Grease an 8 inch cake tin ( a spring form pan is best). Line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Add the soy milk, lemon juice, yogurt, apple sauce and vegetable oil and mix until no lumps remain. *see note 1
- Peel and finely chop one apple and fold the pieces into the batter.
- Transfer the batter to the cake tin. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Peel and cut the remaining two apples into wedges. Arrange them in an overlapping circular pattern over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- Allow the cake to fully cool before removing it from the pan. *see note 2
Notes
- Be careful not to over mix the cake batter, or your cake will come out too dense. Only mix until the lumps have disappeared from the batter.
- It's important to allow the cake to cool fully in the pan, before removing it and cutting it into pieces. If you take it out of the pan too soon, it may not hold together.
- For a gluten free eggless apple cake, simply substitute your favorite gluten free flour blend for the all purpose flour in a 1:1 ratio.
Rahul
To the wonderful creator of this recipe, thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing this culinary gem. It has brought so much happiness and joy to my kitchen, and I'm sure it will continue to be a staple in my baking adventures for years to come.
https://webokay.in/
Keri Bevan
Thank you Rahul! That's such lovely feedback. x
Des
I have to thank you for the inspiration! We subbed organic vanilla Greek yogurt and half & half for the vegan milk. My entire family loved it.
Keri Bevan
Hi Des, I'm so pleased you enjoyed the recipe. We have a giant apple tree, and love to make this cake!