Desi loves himself some apple pie and each time we go grocery shopping together he will stop by the apples and wonder how long it has been since he had some. But the last time I gave in, I was not too sure I wanted to bake a pie. Because I am on a healthy bender right now and flaky, melt-in-the-mouth pie crusts– my favorite part of any pie– are not exactly health food.
So the apples sat around a little longer than I will admit, with Desi dropping broad hints ever so often about how he was going to have to throw them away soon. This past weekend I decided to surprise him. But instead of a pie, I baked up this rather low-on-guilt, delicious cake.
I worked from a recipe I found in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, veganizing it and making it healthier than the original. My vegan Apple Cake is made with whole-wheat pastry flour, one of my favorite baking flours because it virtually eliminates the need to use all-purpose flours in most baked-good recipes, and it is tender and moist with the delicious juiciness of the apples and the crunch of walnuts baked right inside. If you are looking for a kid-friendly and adult-friendly recipe, you couldn’t do better.
This cake contains a cup of sugar, but I found that because my apples were already sweet, I could have used less. If you want to, use 3/4 of a cup and add 1/4 cup of applesauce 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. Applesauce provides a great option when substituting some of the sugar because it adds tenderness and moisture to a recipe. Don’t overdo it, though. Replacing one-fourth of the sugar with applesauce is fine, but replacing three-fourths of it is not and is going to show in your results.
This vegan Apple Cake is going to be one I make again and again. Enjoy, all!
VEGAN APPLE CAKE
Vegan Apple Cake, whole wheat
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (sub with half regular whole-wheat and half all-purpose if you can't find whole-wheat pastry flour)
- 2 1/2 cups very finely chopped apples (about 1 1/2 medium apples. I used Granny Smith which is perfect in this recipe)
- 1 cup sugar (if you want to cut down, substitute a quarter of the sugar with an equal amount of applesauce)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp flaxmeal + 6 tbsp warm water. Mix well.
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp of mixed powdered spices-- I ground up some cinnamon , cloves and nutmeg in my coffee grinder.
- 1 cup walnuts , toasted lightly and chopped
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and powdered spices.
- Beat together the oil, sugar and vanilla for about a minute to aerate.
- Add the flaxmeal mixture, beat for a few more seconds to mix, and then add the flour mixture.
- Stir with a spatula to get the ingredients well-mixed. The dough will be very stiff. Add the apples and the walnuts and mix well.
- Pour the batter into an 8-inch oiled and floured square pan (or use a round cake pan if that's what you have). To make the cake easier to unmold, line the pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and then oil and flour. I didn't, and trust me, unmolding this cake from the pan was a small battle.
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes. Unmold and continue cooling.
Nivedhanams Sowmya says
March 13, 2013 atsuch a moist and delicious cake!!! can we use maple syrup instead of sugar… if yes, then how much can I add? please guide.
Sowmya
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Vaishali says
March 13, 2013 atHi 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
June 7, 2015 atsubstituted 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
June 7, 2015 atForgot 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
June 8, 2015 atHi Renee, a mix of berries and apples sounds delicious! So glad you tried the recipe, and love it. Thanks! 🙂
Usha says
March 13, 2013 atThe cake looks so inviting and delicious !!
Vaishali says
March 15, 2013 atThanks, Usha!
Melina says
March 13, 2013 atThis 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: http://ybertaud9.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/20-ingredients-to-memorize-and-avoid-in-any-food-you-consume/
Vaishali says
March 13, 2013 atHi 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
March 13, 2013 atI’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!
Ashwini Deshpande says
March 13, 2013 atI 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
March 15, 2013 atAsh, apple pie with ice cream is certainly a classic. 🙂 Hope you will like this cake. It would be great with some ice cream too!
Dixya says
March 13, 2013 atI am loving everything about this recipe 🙂 🙂
Vaishali says
March 15, 2013 atThanks!
Renard Moreau says
March 13, 2013 at[ Smiles ] Whole Wheat Apple Cake is a nice vegan pastry to indulge in.
Vaishali says
March 15, 2013 atThanks!
divya says
March 13, 2013 atWow that looks so delicious, luvly clicks.
Vaishali says
March 15, 2013 atDivya, thank you! Clicks credit goes to Desi, of course. 🙂
Pavani says
March 13, 2013 atFor 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
March 15, 2013 atPavani, I am not big on eating apples by themselves. But I do like it in baked goods because the texture’s much softer.
Anonymous says
March 14, 2013 atUsing cooked pumpkin instead of apple sauce might work well too, although it is less liquid. Lovely recipe!
Val
Vaishali says
March 14, 2013 atVal, great suggestion.
Mel says
March 14, 2013 atIt 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
March 15, 2013 atMel, me too!
Gayathri Ramanan says
March 16, 2013 atBeautiful cake.looks delicious and perfect
http://foody-buddy.blogspot.com/
Kumudha says
March 17, 2013 atI 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…
jodye @ chocolate and chou fleur says
March 27, 2013 atThis 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!
Kanak Hagjer says
April 1, 2013 atThis 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.
Rajani says
April 2, 2013 atHaving 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
April 3, 2013 atRajani, 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.
chhaprahiya@yahoo.com says
August 17, 2013 atWe 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.
Vaishali Honawar says
August 19, 2013 atHi, pureeing the apple with water would explain why your batter was more fluid.
Gayatri says
November 28, 2014 atHi 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
Jenn Weekes says
February 10, 2015 atVaishali, 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
beckyjahns says
September 4, 2015 atThis 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
September 4, 2015 atBecky, that sounds delicious– so glad you liked it. And thanks for the tips on substitutions. Great idea to cut down on the oil.
beckyjahns says
September 4, 2015 atForgot to say about the sugar….. I used 3/4 c. And 1/4c. Applesauce….PERFECT!
Rebeca says
May 3, 2016 atMade this for my mom earlier today and my 20mth old wanted to try it.
Need to make more!
Yummy!!!!
Tina says
June 17, 2017 atThanks 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
June 17, 2017 atTina, add it with the flour mixture. I’ve updated above.
Tina says
June 18, 2017 atThank you Vaishali!
Your recipes are the best ones I have found on the Internet! I love your page.
Christine says
December 24, 2017 atThanks, 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.
Patricia says
September 27, 2018 atThis 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.
Ellen says
October 1, 2018 atThank you for the recipe! Does it work to use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil?
Fiona says
October 5, 2018 atIn place of flax meal could flaxseed be or porridge oats be used?
Karen says
October 17, 2018 atMy family loved the apple cake! Thank you!
My husband cannot have oil of any kind but applesauce is an excellent substitute. Substitute 1:1
Sheerja says
June 9, 2019 atHi 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!