I love going to apple orchards in the fall. You get to see a variety of different types of apples (most of which I had never heard before) and you come away with a bushel full of fresh apples. Making apple desserts in the fall is a staple in my household. From apple pies, to apple crumbles, and now this gluten free apple cake. Filled with the warm spices of fall and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this gluten free apple cake ticks all the boxes.
Why You’ll Love this Gluten Free Apple Cake
Tastes like fall. I’ve adapted this recipe from Betty Crocker’s homemade apple cake, but I’ve added some additional fall flavors including nutmeg, allspice, and brown sugar (to give it a more molasses taste). It gives the cake a delicious smell and flavor boost. In this recipe, I’ve left the apples in small chunks (vs shredding them) so that you get to feel like you’re biting into a crisp apple.
Eat at any time of the day. This apple cake works for dessert or breakfast. The texture is almost like a coffee cake so it would pair perfectly with your cup of coffee or tea in the morning. Plus, it has apples in it so it’s basically healthy. 😉
Comes together quickly. Peeling the apples is probably the most difficult part of this recipe. This is a great option to put together quickly if you are having guests over or just want a last minute dessert option.
How to Make Gluten Free Apple Cake
As I mentioned, the method for this cake is pretty simple. Combine your wet ingredients in one bowl, your dry ingredients in another and then stir in the apples and walnuts. Spoon into a greased 9-in cake pan and bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Here are some tips for success when making this apple cake recipe:
- Choose your apples. I used Pink Lady or Gala apples for this recipe, but you can use any type of apple you like. If you want a more tart taste, go for a Granny Smith, but if you want a sweeter taste, I’d choose a Gala. The only one I wouldn’t recommend is Red Delicious as they are very sweet.
- Peel and chop apples into small pieces and toss them in flour before adding them to the batter. This will help prevent them the fruit from sticking to the bottom. Granted, this recipe uses a lot of apples, so you shouldn’t have an issue with them sinking if you miss this step.
- Flour. This recipe uses the 1-for-1 gluten free flour. Because it’s gluten free, the cake is a bit crumblier than if you were to use regular flour (because it lacks the gluten to help keep a strong structure). It still tastes delicious and moist, it just may break up on you a little when serving. This recipe also work with all purpose flour if you’d like to make a gluten full version.
- Keep an eye on it in the oven. Because there is brown sugar in the batter, the cake will already look dark. You don’t want to over bake the cake as it can easily dry out. You want to bake it until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Because you will let the cake sit in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing, the cake will continue to bake in the pan so be careful to not over bake.
What do you serve with apple cake?
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how you can add a variety of different toppings to this cake to enhance the flavors. The cake is delicious on its own, however here are a few of my favorite pairings:
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream (the classic)
- Homemade whipped cream
- Drizzle of caramel sauce (with whipped cream and / or ice cream)
- Cream cheese frosting (I know this one sounds strange, but it’s delicious)
- Dusting of powdered sugar
Happy fall baking!
Looking for other fall recipes? Check out some of my favorites below:
Gluten Free Apple Cake
Equipment
- 1 9 inch round cake pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar (or Monkfruit sweetener)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 apples, chopped
- 1/2 cup walnuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes)
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined before adding the next egg. Add vanilla.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and baking soda.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, and add the chopped apples and walnuts. Stir the apples and walnuts in by hand until combined. Mixture will be lumpy.
- Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
- Top with powdered sugar or serve with vanilla ice cream.
