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This gluten free apple cake is positively packed with fork-tender apple chunks, the cake delicate and tender from being baked alongside them. It has a rich, custard-like texture inside, and a buttery browned crust.
A true apple-lover’s cake — more fruit than batter!
“This cake is incredibly delicious… The outside crust was a little crispy yet it was moist and tender inside. Perfect balance of flavors and the cinnamon and apple aroma filled the house. Easy to make!”— Paula
Why this recipe works
Unlike most apple cakes out there—light on apples and heavy on topping—this gluten free apple cake shines with nothing on top at all, or just a simple dollop of whipped cream. Every slice is packed with big, fragrant pieces of apple that bake until they’re soft, juicy, and perfectly tender inside.
It took plenty of testing to get here. I started with just a modest amount of diced fruit, even grated some for moisture. But the more apple I added, the better it got—until there was just enough batter to hold together a cake that with the texture of chunky, jammy applesauce if it also had a tender, golden crumb.
Key ingredients explained
Here's what you'll need to make this apple cake, and what role each plays in the final result:
- Apples – This recipe calls for “baking apples,” which are apples that have good, balanced flavor (not too sweet), and have firm enough flesh to hold their shape during baking. My favorites to use here are a combination of Granny Smith, for the sweet-tart flavor and super-firm flesh, and Cortland or Gala (for more sweetness and a little less firmness). You'll need to peel and core them, since only the flesh will have time to soften in the oven.
- Spices – A combination of mostly ground cinnamon and a touch of freshly-grated dried nutmeg adds tons of appley flavor and aroma.
- Lemon juice – Helps keep the apples from turning brown after they're exposed to the air, and adds some brightening flavor. You can use a mild-tasting vinegar in its place.
- Gluten free flour – The relatively small amount of flour in this cake does the heavy-lifting to provide the whole cake's structure and help it bake evenly without falling as it cools. Try Better Batter’s classic blend, Nicole's Best with added xanthan gum as directed in the recipe or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 (blue bag) with an extra 1/8 teaspoon extra xanthan gum (the blend has too little).
- Baking powder – Provides rise in the oven, giving the cake volume and a more delicate crumb.
- Salt – Balances sweetness and brightens the other flavors.
- Butter – Adds moisture which makes the cake tender and creates steam during baking, buttery flavor, some rise when creamed with the sugar.
- Sugar – Adds sweetness, locks in moisture for a tender crumb, and helps the cake brown in the oven.
- Eggs – Help bind the cake batter together, create structure that holds as the cake cools.
- Vanilla – Adds depth of flavor and enhances sweetness.
How to make gluten free apple cake (with step by step photos)
Here are some photos to guide you in your home kitchen, and explanations of why the recipe instructions call for the steps they do. See the recipe card for precise amounts:
1. Prepare the apples
Prepare the apples by peeling them with a sharp vegetable peeler, to expose as much of the flesh as possible, or the apples won't soften during baking. Remove the center core with an apple corer or sharp knife to get rid of the toxic seeds and the toughest part of the apple.
For the right size dice, cut the apple flesh in half, then into quarters; slice each quarter into 3 or 4 pieces along the length, then into chunks by cross-section. Toss the apples to coat them fully in the cinnamon and nutmeg for flavoring, and lemon juice to prevent browning.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt to ensure even combining.
3. Make the cake batter
Beat the butter and sugar together for about 4 minutes or until the sugar is mostly dissolved (it will become less grainy) and the butter becomes more pale in color. That means the mixture has trapped air, which helps lighten the cake.
Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth, then the whisked dry ingredients and beat until fully combined. There's no gluten to overwork, so make sure the flours are fully hydrated in the wet ingredients.
4. Assemble the cake
Combine the prepared diced apple mixture with about 2/3 of the total raw cake batter, mixing to coat all of the apple chunks with fluffy cake batter. The apple chunks will always remain visible, but the batter between the pieces will hold the apples in suspension.
Line the bottom of a greased and lined round cake pan with the rest of the batter to create an apple-free crust that the rest of the apple-studded cake batter will bake on top of. Pile the apple cake batter on top and spread evenly.
If you're using a classic 8-inch round cake pan that's 2-inches tall, the pan will be almost full. It won't overflow, though, since this isn't a very high-rising cake.
5. Bake and cool
Bake covered in foil for about 20 minutes, then uncovered until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (usually another 50 minutes for an 8-inch pan). Covering the pan in foil first gives the cake a chance to start creating structure before there's much of any browning so it never burns.
Expert tips
Get 3 mixing bowls ready
You'll need 3 separate bowls for the different ingredients in this apple cake, but it's worth it. You'll need one for the apples, to which you'll add most of the prepared cake batter, one for whisking together the few dry ingredients (gf flour blend, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and/or nutmeg), and one for creaming together the wet ingredients (butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla).
Expect a chunky batter
You'll combine about 2/3 of the butter and egg mixture with the chopped apples, and the batter will be almost impossibly chunky. Just make sure to coat all the apples as evenly as possible in the raw batter.
Line the pan with plain batter
Coating the bottom of the baking pan with 1/3 of the plain raw cake batter, then topping with the chunky apple-studded batter, creates a solid base for the cake so you can get it out of the pan.
Ingredient substitutions
Dairy free
The only dairy in this recipe is the butter, and you should be able to replace it successfully with vegan butter. My favorite brands are Melt and Miyoko's Kitchen. Earth's Balance Buttery Sticks might work here, but they're really salty and have more moisture, so reduce the salt and expect that the batter might leak from the pan. Line it with a rimmed baking sheet during baking.
Egg free
There are two eggs in this cake, and you should be able to replace each of them with one “chia egg.” To make 2 chia eggs, place 2 tablespoons ground white chia seeds and 2 tablespoons lukewarm water in a small bowl, mix to combine, and allow to gel.
Variation suggestions
- Serve your apple cake warm, with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream;
- Drizzle the cake very lightly with a really simple confectioners' sugar glaze;
- Replace half the apples with firm pears, prepared the same way, for a gf apple pear cake;
- Add a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a light sprinkle of ground cinnamon on top.
Gluten Free Apple Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment or handheld mixer
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds baking apples, peeled, cored and diced (a mix of Cortland, Gala, and/or Granny Smith apples works really well) (about 3 large apples)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, (optional)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ⅛ cups (158 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes)
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease well an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan, and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the diced apples, and toss with the ground cinnamon, nutmeg (if using), and the lemon juice. Set the bowl aside.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
- In another separate, large bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes). The mixture will lighten in color and the sugar shouldn't be as grainy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients, and beat until just combined. The batter will be thick, but smooth and fluffy (not stiff).
- Scrape about two-thirds of the cake batter into the large bowl with the apple mixture. Mix to coat all of the apples in the batter. The mixture will be very chunky.
- Transfer the remaining one-third of the cake batter to the prepared cake pan. With a moistened, small offset spatula, spread into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Scrape the chunky apple-packed cake batter into the pan on top of the base layer of batter, and spread again into an even layer with an offset spatula. If you’ve used an 8-inch pan, the pan will be quite full.
- Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and remove the foil cover from the pan. Return the pan to the oven to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs attached (about another 40 minutes, or about 50 minutes for an 8-inch pan).
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes. The cake will begin to shrink away from the sides of the pan a bit.
- Run a thin spatula along the edge of the pan to ensure that the sides aren’t sticking before carefully transferring the cake to a wire rack, top-side up.
- Allow the cake to cool for about another 15 minutes. Using a very sharp knife, slice and serve the cake, ideally while it’s still warm.
Video
Notes
My favorite gluten free flour blends are Better Batter's original blend, Nicole's Best Multipurpose Gluten Free Flour blend (with added xanthan gum), and Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 in the blue bag, with an additional 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum so the cake isn't crumbly. VitaCost's multi-blend gluten free flour blend, with added xanthan gum, should also work well. For information on how to DIY your own blend, please see the gluten free flour blends page.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Storage instructions
Short term:
This gluten free apple cake is super moist and will keep on the counter, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for at least 1 day at room temperature. Place it in a sealed container in the refrigerator and it will last for at least 3 days.
Longer term:
For longer storage, freeze this cake whole, or in slices in a container with a tight-fitting lid. If you're freezing the cake whole, you can wrap it tightly in plastic wrap on all sides, and place it on a quarter sheet pan in the freezer until it's frozen. Then, remove it from the pan.
Defrosting:
Defrost a frozen cake or slices at room temperature uncovered, since condensation will gather on the container or plastic wrap as it defrosts, which could make it soggy.
Make ahead:
You can prepare the apples ahead of time, then, spread them on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the freezer. Once they're frozen, transfer them to a zip-top bag and return them to the freezer. Then use them in the cake without defrosting them.
FAQs
Granny Smith are the apples that are typically recommended for baking, since they’re quite tart, hold up very well in baking, and are easy to find.
For flavor, try using a combination of Granny Smith, Empire, Macintosh, Gala and Cortland.
Yes, you have to peel and core apples when they're being baked into a cake. The apple skins have a lot of fiber, and won't break down in the oven like the flesh does.
Yes, you can increase the amount of cinnamon, but increase it slowly each time you make it since too much can make the cake taste bitter. I wouldn't go beyond 2 teaspoons.
No, this cake is too soft and has too many apples to hold its shape coming out of a bundt pan.
A greased 8-inch round cast aluminum baking pan works best to create a slightly thicker cake that makes the slices seem more generous.
Yes! There's no milk or yogurt in this cake, since the apples add so much moisture. If you replace the butter with vegan butter in stick form, like Melt brand, it will also be dairy free.
Has this recipe been made in a 9” x 13” pan. I am sure the ingredients would need to be doubled, but not sure of the baking time. Thank you, MaLinda
Hi, MaLinda, I don’t recommend doubling the recipe and baking it in a 9×13 inch pan because it’s a very, very moist batter and there is a high likelihood that you’d end up burning it on the bottom in the center before it was baked all the way to the edges. I don’t like baking many cakes in a 9×13 pan for that reason, in general. Instead, I’d recommend doubling the yield to 16 “slices” and then baking 2 cakes, each in an 8 inch pan as directed, with half the batter. If you’d like to try, an 8 inch pan holds about 8 cups of batter and a 9×13 inch pan holds about 14 cups batter, which is not fully double. You’d need to increase the yield from 8 slices to 14 slices to make enough batter, and you’ll have to experiment with bake time.
Is GF Jules flour similar to Better Batter flour?
Hi, Vickie, I’m afraid not. It can be useful for bread, but the first ingredient is Expandex, which is very strong modified starch that tends to make baked goods tough if it’s not compensated for. Unfortunately, I don’t recommend it.
I made this recipe yesterday . Absolutely delicious for a gluten free cake. Tasted like apple pie , very moist , all you needed was a scoop of vanilla ice cream to complete it♥️
Love to hear it, Chris! Yes, it’s like a sneaky apple pie without much of the fuss. Thanks for sharing your experience.
This cake is wonderful, flavor amazing! Way easier to make than a traditional apple pie. My husband asked me today if this was an easier cake and got so excited when I said yes. We are not gluten free but had some flour I was trying to use up. You will not regret making this cake at all, if you are wondering if you should make it or not.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing that, Courtney. That is-this-hard-to-make question only means one thing: please make it again!
When making this dairy free and using a vegan butter like Melt, would you reduce the amount of salt since Melt is slightly salted? Or do you think it would be fine as is. Thanks!!
Good question, Kyla! Yes, I would definitely reduce the salt if you’re using a salted version of vegan butter. There’s no way to know how much salt is already in the butter (which is the main reason to use unsalted), so I can’t say for sure if you should eliminate or reduce the salt, though. You’ll have to experiment.
I’ve been trying every recipe I could find online, but this one definitely owned my heart ❤️. I genuinely can’t believe the texture and taste of this apple cake, I’m in love! Thank you Nicole!
You’re so welcome, Flor! I’m so glad you love this cake as much as I do!
so the GF flour blends you mention do not have raising agents in them. Here in the UK there are only two or three brands, MArks and Spencer, Freee and Dove’s Farm, and most of them are self- raising. Do I leave out the raising agents altogether, or adjust the amount?
I’ve just made the apple cake, it’s in the oven as I write!
I have a recipe for courgette (zucchini) and lime cake GF. AA bit like lemon drizzle, but more moist.
I have made a number of your recipes, and they have been mostly successful! Thank you.
I’m afraid I don’t have any experience with most of the UK brands, as they are difficult to get in the U.S., but I have tried Dove’s and I know that they sell a “plain flour” that doesn’t have any rising agents in it. I’m afraid there is no way for me to know how much leavening is in those flours for me to tell you how to use them as all purpose gluten free flour blends. My best recommendation is that you click through to the all purpose gluten free flour blends page on the blog and buy the component flours to create a “mock” version of Better Batter according to my instructions. I created those blends initially to allow readers outside the U.S. who can’t buy one of my recommended blends to approximate them using components.
Yum! Do you have any experience making this without eggs/vegan?our children w celiac is also egg Ana
Hi, Sarena, please see the text of the post under the heading “Gluten free egg free apple cake” for my suggestion on how you might replace the eggs.
So impressed with how my apple cake turned out! So fluffy and tasty, and easy for me to make (and I never bake!). My mum is vegan and I’m coeliac so perfect for us, and used up the apples from our apple tree :)
That’s so great to hear, Emma! I’m so jealous that you were able to make it with apples from your apple tree, and so glad you and your mom enjoyed the cake.
Hi Nicole!
I really love your recipes – especially this one :)
My mother and younger brother are coeliac so when I discovered this recipe I was very pleased.
However now I (not a coeliac) am going to university and was wondering if you had any advice on how to convert this cake to a gluten cake (since the flour is cheaper). I know it’s a funny request but this is literally my favourite cake in the world and the only one I’d ever eat if it was an option.
Lots of Love,
Luna
I’m afraid it’s not simple do that, Luna, and like good gluten free baking calls for gluten free recipes, good conventional baking calls for good conventional recipes. There’s no easy conversion in either direction, so you’d need a separate recipe, developed specifically to be made with conventional flour. So sorry!