This tender vegan apple cake has a sticky caramel sauce glaze that makes it twice as delicious! If you love caramel apples in Fall, you will go head over heels for this amazing vegan cake.
Fall is all about baking delicious, red and gold desserts with apples, like this vegan French apple tart, vegan apple pull apart bread and vegan tarte tatin. Another favorite for me this time of year is this yummy vegan apple cake topped with a sticky, buttery caramel sauce.
This is an incredibly easy dessert to make, and the caramel sauce, although scrumptious and easy too, is optional. The cake itself is a revelation: the apples melt down into juicy little pockets that dot the moist, tender crumb with walnuts adding nutty crunch.
If you are looking to make this dessert healthier, you can easily substitute the flour for whole wheat pastry flour, with amazing results. The cake is relatively lower in fat and it's loaded with one of the healthiest fruits you can eat!
Why you will love this recipe
- Delicious and healthy-ish! The cake has a moist, tender crumb, thanks to the apples, and the sticky caramel makes it incredibly yummy. If you are a health fiend you can make this apple cake with whole wheat pastry flour, which gives a perfect result.
- Easy recipe. The cake is a one-bowl recipe and you can bake it in any cake pan you have. I used a bundt pan to make it pretty, but if you have a regular round cake tin or a square brownie pan you can use those as well!
- Make-ahead friendly. This vegan apple cake can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or it can be frozen for up to three months.
- Soy-free and vegan. You can skip the nuts if you are nut-free.
Ingredients
- Apples. You can use any apple in this cake recipe, with the exception of powdery apples like red delicious. See FAQs below for more on this.
- Flour. Unbleached all purpose flour is what I used but whole wheat pastry flour works beautifully too. You can also use a half-and-half mix of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour.
- Leavening: Baking soda and baking powder
- Corn starch or tapioca starch. You can use either. The starch works as an egg replacement and helps build the cake's structure.
- Ground cinnamon. Apples and cinnamon are a match made in tastebud heaven. You can also add ground cloves, ground nutmeg or ground ginger for more complexity.
- Sugar. I like using an unrefined granulated sugar like turbinado sugar in this recipe. You can also use coconut sugar, brown sugar or vegan cane sugar.
- Oil. I used avocado oil. Use any unflavored oil of your choice.
- Non-dairy milk. I used oat milk. Use any non-dairy milk of your choice, including almond milk, cashew milk or soy milk.
- Pure vanilla extract. This adds more sweetness and yum to the apple cake.
- Walnuts or pecans. I use either depending on what I have on hand. They add a lovely crunch. You can skip the nuts if you are nut-free.
For optional caramel glaze
- Sugar. Use any granulated sugar, I used turbinado sugar.
- Nondairy milk. This helps make the caramel glaze creamier. Use oat milk, soy milk, almond milk or any non-dairy milk of your choice.
- Vegan butter. This gives that amazing buttery flavor to the glaze.
How to make vegan apple cake
Place the flour in a bowl along with the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, corn starch and salt.
Use a whisk to mix all the ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the bowl: sugar, dairy-free milk, oil and pure vanilla extract.
Use a spatula to mix the cake batter. Make sure there is no dry flour at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be very thick, but that's okay.
Add the finely chopped apples to the batter.
Mix them in. Set the batter aside for 15 minutes. This will give the apples some time to express moisture into the batter.
Fold in the chopped nuts, if using, into the batter.
Scoop the cake batter into an oiled and floured bundt cake pan or another cake pan. Smooth the top.
Bake in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit/180-degree Celsius oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a plate. To do this, place the plate over the bundt pan and flip it quickly. Drizzle the glaze over the cake with a spoon. (See recipe card below for glaze ingredients and recipe).
Recipe FAQs
Most apples will work with this recipe, including granny smith, golden delicious, honeycrisp, braeburn, jonagold, pink lady apples are all fine. Don't use a powdery apple like red delicious.
No, you can leave the skin on. Apples are included in the "dirty dozen" of fruits and vegetables, meaning they contain a large amount of pesticide residues, so use organic apples, especially if you want to leave the skin on.
Yes, you can use any cake pan on hand to bake this vegan apple cake. Just be sure to oil and flour the pan, or line it with parchment paper, for easy unmolding.
Yes. Use an all-purpose gluten-free flour baking mix.
Pro tip
- This apple cake contains a cup of sugar, but if the apples you have are very sweet, you can use less. You can use ¾ of a cup of sugar and add ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce or vegan yogurt to add some moisture back in. This is a useful tip for anyone who wants to cut down on sugar in a recipe. Sugar acts as a "wet" ingredient in baked goods, because when it melts it becomes liquid. When you remove sugar from a recipe, you remove moisture and your baked good can turn out dry. Don't overdo it, though. Replacing one-fourth of the sugar with applesauce is fine, but adding more could make your cake so tender, it could fall apart.
Storage suggestions
- Refrigerate: The apple cake can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freeze: Wrap the cake in two layers of freezer wrap or store it in a freezer-safe container.
- Thaw completely to room temperature before serving.
More vegan cake recipes
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and a star rating below. Or tag us on Instagram #HolyCowVegan.
Recipe card
Vegan Apple Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon corn starch (or tapioca starch)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar (if you want to cut down on this, substitute a quarter of the sugar with an equal amount of applesauce)
- ½ cup non-dairy milk (oat milk, almond milk, soy milk are all fine).
- ½ cup avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup pecans (or walnuts. Toast the nuts lightly and chop them).
- 2 ½ cups apples (finely chopped. Measure the apples after chopping. You will need roughly two medium-sized apples).
For optional glaze
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
Instructions
Make the apple cake
- Oil and liberally flour a bundt cake pan or any cake pan you are using. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius.
- Place the flour in a bowl along with the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, corn starch and salt. Whisk to mix all ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients: sugar, non-dairy milk, oil and pure vanilla extract. Mix with a spatula. Scrape the sides and bottom to make sure there is no dry flour in the bowl. The batter will be stiff.
- Add the finely chopped apples to the batter and mix them in. Set the batter aside for 15 minutes. This will give the apples some time to express moisture into the batter.
- Stir the chopped nuts, if using, into the batter. Scoop the prepared batter into an oiled and floured bundt cake pan or another cake pan. Smooth the top.
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit/180-degree Celsius oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a plate. To do this, place the plate over the bundt pan and flip it quickly. Continue to cool on the rack.
Make the caramel glaze
- Place the sugar in a saucepan with the vegan butter and non-dairy milk over medium-low heat. Once the sugar has melted, continue to cook 7-8 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently. Turn off the heat.
- Glaze the cake while the glaze is still hot or warm because the glaze will harden up as it cools. You can drizzle the glaze over the cake with a spoon.
Notes
- Without the glaze, each slice of the apple cake has 228 calories and 12 grams of fat.
- Refrigerate: The apple cake can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freeze: Wrap the cake in two layers of freezer wrap or store it in a freezer-safe container.
- Thaw completely to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Nimitha says
This turned out great! Very flexible recipe. I used 1/3 cup brown sugar and 2 tbsp applesauce since our son likes cakes a little less sweet. Used Shimla apple we get in India. Also added 6 tbsp milk as I used whole-wheat flour. Rest all same as recipe. Cake was soft, moist and fluffy.
Sheerja says
Hi Vaishali,
This is hands down THE BEST VEGAN APPLE CAKE I've tried so far. The recipe calls for easy to find ingredients and works really well.
Thank you!
Ashwini M Shetty says
Hi, I baked this cake a couple of days back and it turned out so delicious. I used the regular whole wheat flour used for making chappatis and substituted the sugar with jaggery powder. It came out just perfect! The applesauce drizzle however was a bit thicker than I wanted , though it paired well with the cake. The entire cake was polished off in one go as many went for a second serving ?
Karen says
My family loved the apple cake! Thank you!
My husband cannot have oil of any kind but applesauce is an excellent substitute. Substitute 1:1
Ruth says
This recipe looks so good! Can I leave out the nuts? Is there anything to substitute for them? Unfortunately my family doesn't like them in baked goods.
Thank you.
Vaishali says
You can just leave the nuts out. You can add chocolate chips if you like!
Fiona says
In place of flax meal could flaxseed be or porridge oats be used?
Ellen says
Thank you for the recipe! Does it work to use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil?
Patricia says
This is one of the best vegan cake recipes ever. I used 1/2 cup applesauce and a bit less than 1/2 cup maple syrup. It was plenty sweet. I also used gingerbread spice instead of the spices listed. It is a dark wonderful gingerbread taste with apples.
Christine says
Thanks, Vaishali, for the lovely recipe. One of the most delicious cakes I ever had and so easy to prepare, too! It came out perfectly moist without being soggy, gooey or heavy.
Since the question ob substituting sugar was raised earlier: I used 3/4 cup of maple syrup instead of the 1 cup sugar and it turned out perfect and added a delicious maple taste.
Since I needed a gluten-free version, I substituted the whole-wheat flour with half buckwheat flour and half rice flour, which I find is the best way to replace whole-wheat flour in any cake recipe and still stay on the healthy side and avoid the refined stuff.
If one is not opposed using a flexible silicon baking form, i can recommend it for this cake, I just slightly oiled it and the cake tumbled out after baking without any problem.
Tina says
Thanks for this great recipe Vaishali.
I just wanted to know at what point do you mix the powdered spices? ... since its not mentioned in the recipe
Vaishali says
Tina, add it with the flour mixture. I've updated above.
Tina says
Thank you Vaishali!
Your recipes are the best ones I have found on the Internet! I love your page.
Rebeca says
Made this for my mom earlier today and my 20mth old wanted to try it.
Need to make more!
Yummy!!!!
beckyjahns says
Forgot to say about the sugar..... I used 3/4 c. And 1/4c. Applesauce....PERFECT!
beckyjahns says
This is the BEST apple cake I have EVER made, and I have made lots of them! I made it for my vegan daughter and her family last week. My 4 year old granddaughter wants it for her next birthday and my daughter asked for another one which I am now making for tomorrow. I used 1t. Vietnamese Cinnamon from Penzey's, 1t. Freshly grated Nutmeg, and 1/4t. Ground cloves. I also used parchment paper in a glass pie pan and sprayed it with organic canola oil. It came out PERFECT! Can't wait to try more of your recipes. I cook everything vegan and organic for her and am not missing eggs at all in baking!
Vaishali Honawar says
Becky, that sounds delicious-- so glad you liked it. And thanks for the tips on substitutions. Great idea to cut down on the oil.
Jenn Weekes says
Vaishali, this is an excellent recipe. I have taken it to work and is one of the most popular baked goods that I have made.
Kindly, Jenn
Gayatri says
Hi Vaishali,
I made this cake last night for a few friends and it was absolutely wonderful! Everyone loved it! Thanks for the wonderful recipe and this fantastic site!
Gayatri
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi, pureeing the apple with water would explain why your batter was more fluid.
chhaprahiya@yahoo.com says
We are actually making this cake right now using 100% whole wheat flour from the grocery store. We used 2 Granny Smith apples -- puréed one with a little water, and finely chopped the other. Our batter turned out more fluid than the recipe specified. Will post how it turns out.
Rajani says
Having apples, apple sauce at home and hubby giving me very similar hints on good fruits going waste - so this is a recipe that is a timely send to me!
Pastry flour same as 'atta' used for making chapati? Noticed baking powder and soda in the recipe too - so atta can be used instead of pastry flour?
Appreciate your help in this clarification!
Vaishali says
Rajani, atta isn't quite the same as whole-wheat pastry flour although it is lighter than regular whole-wheat and can be used as a substitute. For the best texture I'd advise mixing the atta with some all-purpose flour--1 cup of atta and 1/2 cup of all-purpose should work very well.
Kanak Hagjer says
This cake sounds lovely! I've made cakes where the apples were only on the top, more of a decoration than "apple" cake. I'd love to try this out.
jodye @ chocolate and chou fleur says
This cake sounds so wonderful! I've been buying big bags of apples lately and I can't seem to finish them before at least one or two become mealy. This looks like a great way to use them up!
Kumudha says
I made applesauce cake following your recipe, and it was great!
This apple cake also looks so YUM, and I will try sometime...
Thank you so much for inspiring people across the world to try vegan fare...
Gayathri Ramanan says
Beautiful cake.looks delicious and perfect
Mel says
It looks delicious and the recipe sounds great! I'm not much of a sweet tooth but I am rather fond of apples in baked goods.
Vaishali says
Mel, me too!
Anonymous says
Using cooked pumpkin instead of apple sauce might work well too, although it is less liquid. Lovely recipe!
Val
Vaishali says
Val, great suggestion.
Pavani says
For some reason apple is one fruit I'm not a big fan of. But this cake sounds amazing. I'll buy some apples to try this cake. Thanks for sharing this yummy cake!!
Vaishali says
Pavani, I am not big on eating apples by themselves. But I do like it in baked goods because the texture's much softer.
divya says
Wow that looks so delicious, luvly clicks.
Vaishali says
Divya, thank you! Clicks credit goes to Desi, of course. 🙂
Renard Moreau says
[ Smiles ] Whole Wheat Apple Cake is a nice vegan pastry to indulge in.
Vaishali says
Thanks!
Dixya says
I am loving everything about this recipe 🙂 🙂
Vaishali says
Thanks!
Ashwini Deshpande says
I love Applepie with dollop of good old vanilla ice cream. I know not healthy but so worth the guilt trip. I am bookmarking the recipe and will use applesauce as it makes all baked caked taste good. I started baking with applesauce to cut down the eggs but then found that it cuts sugar portions also.
Love Ash.
Vaishali says
Ash, apple pie with ice cream is certainly a classic. 🙂 Hope you will like this cake. It would be great with some ice cream too!
Melina says
This looks great! I've been a vegetarian many years now, but not a 'good' one. I've been trying to eat healthy for months now and was so excited to find your site! I've already tried a couple of recipes, I'll leave comments on those. I just read today a post on the 20 foods we should avoid, and canola oil is in that list. I would have never thought! Just telling you in case you want to look into it. I'll try posting a link but I don't know if that's acceptable here:
Vaishali says
Hi Melina, welcome, and happy you've liked the recipes you tried. Thanks for the canola oil information. I hadn't heard about the health concerns over canola although they seem to be all over the web, and this was very informative. But I also found a number of credible sources that say the fears are unfounded. I have been moving more toward olive and coconut oil-- both of which I already used a lot of in my cooking-- and I guess I will do even more so in the future. Refined coconut oil particularly is a good substitute for canola because it doesn't have the strong coconut flavor which I love in Indian food but might not be great in cakes.
Melina says
I'm glad to hear it- I had just read one article before I saw it in your ingredients but hadn't looked further, just thought I'd let you know to make your own decisions. I'll read up more too! I too have been trying coconut oil. I am already using olive oil wherever I can (I live in Greece so it would be a shame not to!). It works well in cakes also, if the cake can handle the flavor. I will try this recipe too! thank you!
Usha says
The cake looks so inviting and delicious !!
Vaishali says
Thanks, Usha!
Nivedhanams Sowmya says
such a moist and delicious cake!!! can we use maple syrup instead of sugar... if yes, then how much can I add? please guide.
Vaishali says
Hi Sowmya, yes, you can definitely use maple syrup. I'd just substitute cup for cup, although since maple has a richer taste, you should try substituting the 1 cup of sugar for 3/4 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup applesauce.
renee says
substituted maple syrup for the sugar and it is definitely sweet! next time, I will use 3/4 +1/4 apple sauce or banana. I used regular 100% whole grain whole wheat flour.
renee says
Forgot to mention that it is the best whole wheat cake recipe that I've tried so far. 2 granny apples barely made the 2+1/2c so I topped off the apple with some fresh blueberries & raspberries to make the full measurement. AWESOME! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!!
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Renee, a mix of berries and apples sounds delicious! So glad you tried the recipe, and love it. Thanks! 🙂