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Incredibly easy apple custard cake, made with homemade or store bought cake mix (gluten free or not), applesauce and the perfect spices. Fall perfection!
Why we love this gluten free apple custard cake
It's time for gluten free apple recipes that will knock your gluten free apple baking socks off. I present this addictive gluten free apple custard cake. You're welcome, and I'm terribly sorry. But mostly, you're welcome.
If you live within an hour's drive of apple trees this time of year, you're going to be coming in to some apples. Even if you don't go apple-picking. Since I assume you have at least some neighbors, you'll have apples. If nothing else, apples will soon be the least expensive, best-looking fruit at the grocery store. So we'd better get to work putting them to good use!
This apple custard cake is crazy easy to throw together, even if you make your own applesauce (which I do regularly, since I've got to more apples and my neighbors see me coming a mile away).
I don't even add any sugar to my applesauce when the apples are really fresh. I do add ground cinnamon or apple pie spice (which is mostly cinnamon – see the DIY apple pie spice below).
I don't know why this cake works. I do know that it does. And that it is almost pudding-like inside. I don't know much, but I know that. If you don't want to make it, maybe I just don't know you like I thought I did.
This is the sort of recipe that's just so easy that, when you're ready to put it in the oven after less than 5 minutes of prep, you double and triple check the recipe—just to be sure you didn't miss a step.
All you do to make this amazing cake is mix applesauce (store-bought or homemade) with sweetened condensed milk (again, store-bought or homemade), eggs, a bit of sugar, plenty of apple pie spice. Add about 1/3 of a box (store-bought or homemade with my recipe) of vanilla cake mix, mix to combine and pour into a square baking dish. Sprinkle the rest of the dry cake mix in an even layer on top, followed by the melted butter. Pop it in the oven. That's it.
The result is a moist and impossibly tender, custard-like bottom apple cake layer topped with a shortbread style top. And, naturally, a house that smells like heaven and a cheering family!
Easy Gluten Free Apple Custard Cake
Ingredients
- 8 ounces applesauce (homemade or chunky store-bought), plus more for drizzling
- 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons apple pie spice, (plus more for sprinkling) (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 box (16 ounces) gluten-free yellow cake mix
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan, line it with crisscrossed sheets of unbleached parchment paper, greasing in between the papers, and set it aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, place the 8 ounces applesauce, condensed milk, eggs, sugar and apple pie spice, and beat until well-combined. Add about ⅓ of the dry cake mix to the mixture, and mix to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the rest of the dry cake mix on top, and smooth carefully until the cake mix covers the applesauce layer evenly.
- Pour the melted butter evenly on top of the cake.
- Sprinkle on a bit more apple pie spice and scatter a few dollops of applesauce on top of the cake.
- Cover the pan with foil.
- Place the cake in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for 20 minutes.
- Uncover, and bake until the cake has begun to pull away slightly from the side of the pan and is set on top (another 12 minutes for a 9-inch pan, about 15 minutes for an 8-inch pan).
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing into squares and serving.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe looks delicious and so easy.
How do I store the leftovers, please.
Hi, Marilyn, you can store leftover slices wrapped individually and tightly in plastic wrap on the counter for about 3 days. For longer storage, store in the freezer, also wrapped tightly, then defrost at room temperature.
Hi Nicole I want to make this for Easter is there any way to double it?
Hi, Cheryl, I would recommend doubling the yield and making it in 2 separate square pans, rather than baking it in a single large pan. Large pans like that have a tendency to burn in the center on the bottom before they’re baked all the way through.
You may not be able to call it “Apple Crack Cake” but I can! Wow, wow, wow, delish! I served it with homemade vanilla ice cream which made it even more addicting.
LOL Nancy. I love it. I guess I could call it that, but I’m just taking the path of least resistance. ?
This sounds so easy and delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
I’m totally making this for my cheat day!!!!
Is the condensed milk 7oz weight, or 7 fluid oz.because I had a bit of dry cake mix left on the top. But it still tasted fab.
As we discussed on Facebook, Suzey, it was your butter not being totally melted in an even layer on top. :)
Ok, I must have done something wrong because my top layer was 1/2 crispy (on the top) but the middle was all powder still… Not sure what I did wrong…
Most likely your butter wasn’t properly melted in an even layer over the top, Tammy.
Nicole, I was just reading old comments and saw the comment about doubling all the ingredients except the cake mix to make a big pan. Just curious why you not double the cake mix too?
I don’t even remember, Mare, just that I tried it both ways and it was best not to double the rest!
Just a question, in the new pictures it doesn’t look like you added the cake mix to the top of the cake, it looks like it’s all underneath. Did you change the method?
Hi, Nellie,
Nope. I didn’t change the method at all. As the recipe states, one third of the cake mix is mixed into the bottom layer, then the remaining two thirds are spread in an even layer on top, followed by the melted butter. It’s all there!
Apple Crack Cake – a favorite recipe of Nicole’s in my house! (Name was changed because people were offended.) It is seriously delicious! I believe I need to order some Better Batter and get this made! (Staying grain free is just not easy for me!)
I still wish I could call it that, Mare, but it wasn’t worth the headaches!! ?