There’s just something magical about the smell of apples and cinnamon baking in the oven – it feels like a hug for your whole house. This Cozy Vegan Apple Cake is the kind of treat that makes you slow down, pour a cup of tea or coffee, and savor each bite.
Made with simple, wholesome ingredients and naturally sweet apples, it’s soft, moist, and perfectly spiced. Whether you’re sharing it at a fall gathering, bringing it to a holiday table, or enjoying a quiet afternoon snack, this cake is comfort food at its finest – with no dairy, no eggs, and no fuss.
Packed with tender diced sweet apples and just the right touch of warm spices, this cake has a rustic charm that always feels right for the moment.
It’s the kind of dessert you could serve after a holiday meal or an everyday weeknight dinner.
In fact, you could just as easily serve it in the morning and call it breakfast! There’s no need to save this one for a special occasion; it’s the cake you bake when you want something that hugs back.
Other whole food plant-based recipes you might like:
- Vegan Strawberries and Cream Sheet Pancakes
- Healthy Vegan Lemon Bliss Bars
- Vegan Stuffed Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
- 4-Ingredient Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Date Caramel Sauce
Cozy Vegan Apple Cake
Ingredients
Apple Cake
- 1 1/4 cups sweet apples cored and finely diced (about 3 medium apples)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cashew Icing
- 3/4 cup raw cashews soaked for 6 – 8 hours and thoroughly drained
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt optional
- unsweetened non-dairy milk as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ degrees.
- In a medium bowl, toss the diced apples with lemon juice, making sure they’re thoroughly coated, to prevent browning.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, flaxseeds, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well, then add the apples, stirring tossing to make cover all the pieces with flour. This will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the batter while baking.
- Add the non-dairy milk, applesauce, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla, stirring gently to combine. Don’t worry if there are a few lumps; it’s more important not to over-mix.
- Transfer the batter to a silicone 9-inch round cake pan with at least 3-inch high sides, or a standard metal pan lined with foil. Spread it out into an even layer and smooth out the top with your spatula.
- Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 60 – 75 minutes, until golden brown all over and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before adding icing.
- To make the icing, combine the cashews, maple syrup, vanilla, and a tiny pinch of salt, if using. Blend on high speed for 8 – 10 minutes, until completely silky smooth. Add non-dairy milk just a few teaspoons at time if needed to thin it out to a more pourable consistency.
- Remove the cooled cake from the pan and place it on a serving plate. Drizzle generously with icing and enjoy right away!
Notes
Nutrition
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Can I use other flour? Chick pea? Sweet potatoe ?
Yes, you can use another flour to make it gluten free. See the previous notes.
Can you use another flour to make it gluten-free?
Yes, you can. Replace the white whole wheat flour:
Use 1 1/2 cups of a gluten-free flour blend instead. Look for one that’s:
Specifically labeled “1:1 gluten-free baking flour” (such as Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur), and
Includes binders like xanthan gum or guar gum (these help mimic the structure of gluten).
If your blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of it separately.
Two quick questions:
Can we sub oat flour
Can we sub Apple sauce
Yes, you can use oat flour in this apple cake recipe, but with a few notes:
Texture: Oat flour is more absorbent and has less structure than wheat flour, so the cake will be denser and softer, more like a moist banana bread than a fluffy cake.
Measurement: Use the same amount (1½ cups) of oat flour by volume, but if the batter seems too thick, add 1–2 extra tablespoons of non-dairy milk to loosen it slightly.
Binding: Since oat flour doesn’t have gluten, the flaxseed in the recipe helps bind it — keep that in. You can even add an extra teaspoon of flaxseed for more structure.
So yes, it works fine with oat flour, just expect a slightly different texture — tender and hearty rather than light and airy.
The recipe already has apple sauce.
Do you offer gluten free alternatives on your recipes that include gluten containing ingredients? I suspect that many of us who have experienced gut and/or inflammatory conditions necessitating a gluten free diet are very open to experiencing the positive changes that transitioning to a plant based diet might provide.
Some of our recipes have options to make them gluten free in the notes. To make this recipe gluten free.
1. Replace the white whole wheat flour:
Use 1 1/2 cups of a gluten-free flour blend instead. Look for one that’s:
Specifically labeled “1:1 gluten-free baking flour” (such as Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur), and
Includes binders like xanthan gum or guar gum (these help mimic the structure of gluten).
If your blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of it separately.
2. Keep everything else the same:
The rest of the ingredients in the recipe are naturally gluten-free, so no changes are needed for:
Flaxseed
Spices
Apple
Applesauce
Plant-based milk
Cashew icing
Extra Baking Tip:
Gluten-free cakes can be a bit more delicate. To avoid crumbling:
Let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan or slicing.
Bake closer to 70–75 minutes if needed—gluten-free cakes often take a bit longer to fully set.
The texture may be slightly different (a little more moist or tender), but the flavor will still be just as comforting and delicious.
The flavor was good, but the texture was awful. It was gummy, will not make again. Sadly, it went in the trash can. I am an experienced cook and followed the recipe exactly as written.
If yours came out gummy, here are the most common reasons why that can happen (and how to fix it next time):
Too much moisture – The combination of apples, applesauce, and maple syrup adds a lot of liquid. If your apples were extra juicy, the batter may have been too wet. Next time, lightly pat the diced apples dry or reduce the non-dairy milk to ¾ cup.
Overmixing the batter – Stir just until everything is combined. Overmixing activates the gluten and makes the cake dense or gummy.
Undercooking – This cake has a lot of moisture and needs the full 60–75 minutes of baking time. Make sure a toothpick comes out clean (not just moist) before removing it from the oven.
Not cooling long enough – If sliced while still warm, it can seem gummy. Let it cool completely before cutting.
Baking pan type – Metal pans bake more evenly than silicone, which can make the center softer. If you used silicone, try adding 5–10 minutes of bake time next round.
When baked correctly, the cake should be tender and lightly spongy — more like a soft quick bread than a gummy bar.
Melissa, With all that milk, I would imagine it would turn out gummy. That does seem like a lot. I think I would make one or two Chia seed eggs to add to that instead of the milk along with with maybe a quarter cup of a plant based milk.
It should turn out fine as long as the right flour is used and its cooked long enough.