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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 along with them. It has a rich, custard-like texture inside, and a buttery browned crust.
“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
Preparing the apples
Here's how I prepare my apples for this cake:
Peel first
Use a classic vegetable peeler to peel them before you core them.
Cut in quarters
Using a large, sharp knife, slice each apple in half on a cutting board, then in half again, so you have 4 quarters.
Core them
Slice the core out of each quarter by placing each on one cut side, then slicing off the core at an angle.
Slice
Slice each cored, peeled, quarter apple into 3 or 4 pieces along the length, then into chunks by cross-section;
Combine
Toss the apples with the cinnamon, optional nutmeg, and lemon juice.
Choosing a gluten free flour blend
I always use Better Batter (or my mock Better Batter gluten free flour blend) in this cake. There isn't a ton of gluten free flour in this cake (it's really mostly apples!), but the flour blend does a lot of work keeping everything together in this moist, custard-like cake. So be sure to choose your all purpose gluten free flour blend wisely!
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).
The cake batter is super chunky
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 in as much batter as you can, and resist the urge to use all the batter. You'll really need to coat the bottom of your prepared baking pan with that remaining 1/3 of the wet mixture.
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.
Sugar free apple cake
You might be able to make this cake with a sugar alternative. My favorite granulated sugar replacement for baking is Lankato brand monkfruit sweetener, but it does tend to be drying, so you may need to add some water to the butter and sugar mixture if it seems really tight.
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.
Tender 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 beat until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
- Add the sugar, then the eggs and vanilla, beating to combine well after each addition.
- Add the dry ingredients, and beat until just combined. The batter will be thick but smooth and fluffy.
- 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, it 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.
- 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. 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.
Do you think I could substitute coconut oil or ghee for butter?
Hi, Daniela, I’m afraid I don’t think that would work well, no. You can try vegan butter, though, if you’d like to make it dairy free.
Made this for my partner on Valentine’s Day and he said it was “on point”! Altered a little to fit in two ceramic heart shaped pans, halved the recipe, used two apples and kept the full spice ration for a full batch the same. Yum!
I was wondering just how bad the cake would be if all I have is King Arthur’s GF flour. This cake looks just like the one my grandmother used to make and would love nothing more than for it to taste great. All I have on hand is that flour and wanted to know your thoughts since I read that you said not to use it. Please advise!!
I’m afraid I can’t recommend that flour blend, no, Lesli. I have tested it in many recipes and have been disappointed in its performance enough to recommend against it. I tried adding things to it to make it perform better without success. So sorry!
This cake is incredibly delicious. I don’t have any experience baking cakes and was thrilled out how it turned out. 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 !
So glad you loved it, Paula. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Should left over cake be refrigerated? Have not made it yet but I am hoping to have some left over, sounds so yummy.
Thanks, Kathryn
Yes, you can refrigerate this very moist cake. For details, please see the text of the post under the heading “Does gluten free apple cake need to be refrigerated?”
So good! Thank you for sharing! I will make this for Christmas dessert!
I made this for Thanksgiving dessert. It is definitely a keeper!! So moist, tender, and tasty. No one could tell it was GF. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear it, Sharon. Thank you for sharing your experience!
This is absolutely one of our favorite cakes. My non gf husband and son love it and needless to say, I do too. We don’t care that it’s gluten free, it’s just awesome and better than other cakes that aren’t gf.
That’s the best thing ever, Nancy, that it’s just a cake you love … that happens to be gluten free. Thank you so much for sharing that!
Hi Nicole, thank you for your help. Is it ok to make two of the cakes at one time in an oven? Thank you, MaLinda
It really depends on the size of the oven, Malinda, and whether or not there will be enough room between the pans for air to circulate all around them during baking. If it is a large enough oven, there will still be uneven baking so I recommend quickly opening up the oven after about 30 minutes of baking time, rotating the pans side to side and back to front, then quickly closing the oven door to allow them to finish baking. That’s the case whenever you are baking multiple things in the same oven at the same time.
I made this apple cake today and it’s absolutely delicious!
I made it to take some in to a coffee morning tomorrow but had a real battle with myself as I really wanted to keep it all!!
Simple to make and easy to follow and aside from prepping the apples it doesn’t take long – well worth the time though.
I’m so glad to hear it, Sally! I think you deserve to make another one to keep. Unfortunately, there’s no way around the time it takes to prep the apples for any apple dessert, but like you said, it’s worth it! Thank you so much for sharing your experience, and enjoy that coffee date!