1 Bowl Vegan Apple Cake with Cinnamon Custard. Easy Apple Cake that is soft and light. Served with a creamy vegan vanilla custard. Soyfree Recipe. Nut-free Gluten-free Options.
You all love my simple cakes. Here’s another simple Apple cake that is served with a vanilla custard! I like lighter cakes during spring and summer and this lightly sweet custard is perfect accompaniment with the cake. No loads of sugar to make an iciing. The Custard adds the right amount of moisture, flavor and texture combination with this cake.
This Vegan Apple Cake is simple vanilla cake batter with some cinnamon and apples mixed in. The batter is topped with a little coconut sugar mixture to make a caramelized and spiced crust. Serve it warm with the creamy 5 ingredient vegan custard. Just like my popular upside down pear cake, this cake comes together really quickly and is great to serve for breakfast (add some nuts and seeds to the batter) or as dessert.
And the best part is there’s no gummy batter around the apples! The secret to the fluffiest and moist cake without the gummy batter is to toss the apples in some maple syrup before adding to the batter. This adds layer between the moisture that bakes out of the apples and the batter keeping them separate.
Ingredients for Vegan Apple Cake and substitution options
- Non dairy milk, applesauce/yogurt and oil make up the wet ingredients that add moisture to the cake. You can sub the oil with some applesauce or non dairy yogurt, see recipe ingredient list and notes for subs.
- vinegar balances the flavor and helps the baking powder work better for a fluffy result
- light brown sugar or coconut sugar as sweetener adds a nice caramelly flavor.
- vanilla, almond extract and cinnamon add a light spiced flavor to the cake.
- a mix of whole grain and all purpose flour works best for light enough texture with some whole grain. See notes on the recipe for gluten-free. You can also use a mix of almond flour and gf blend of choice, equal amounts. Gluten-free flours tend to dry out much faster, so definitely add some nut flour and top generously with coconut sugar.
- apple is finely chopped and tossed in maple syrup before mixing into the batter. This helps create a barrier between the apple and the cake and helping reduce gummyness around the fruit.
- coconut sugar sprinkled on top melts during baking making a caramel crust which works really well with the apple cake.
More Cakes
- Cinnamon Swirl Cake
- Eggnog Pound Cake
- Easy Coffee Cake – Cinnamon Streusel Cake GF option
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Cake
- Applesauce spice cake GF option
- Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Pumpkin Frosting. GF option
Gluten-free
- GF Cashew Butter Chocolate Marble Cake.
- Gluten-free Cinnamon Roll Bread yeast-free.
- GF Carrot Banana Bread – Also grain-free.
- Sweet Potato Crumb Cake. GF
Step by Step Photos:
Mix all the wet ingredients for the cake in a bowl until well combined. Then add in the dry. When mixing, mix the dry ingredients above the wet for a few seconds and then mix in into the wet.
Toss apple in maple syrup then fold into the batter. Drop the batter into parchment lined pan and spread to even it out. Sprinkle coconut sugar and bake.
To make the custard, bring the non dairy milk to a boil with sweetener and extract/flavors. Once boiling, mix the cornstarch into the reserved cold non dairy milk until mixed and then pour into the boiling milk. Bring to a good boil and the mixture will thicken a bit. Take off heat, the custard wil feel runny, but will continue to thicken as it cools.
Slice the apple cake, drizzle generously with the custard and serve. The recipe looks long as theres custard recipe in there too. Make just the cake or just the custard or both! Takes less than 30 mins of active time.
Tips to make Vegan custard
- Mix the starch in cold milk until completely combined and then add to the boiling milk.
- Mix using a whisk to avoid lumps
- Once the mixture with the starch is boiling, take off heat. Thee custard continues to thicken as it cools
- This custard is a thinner custard for drizzling, for thicker, add 1 teaspoon flour(all purpose of rice flour for glutenfree) with the starch andmix in into the cold milk.
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Vegan Apple Cake with Cinnamon Custard
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1 cup (244 g) non dairy milk such as almond or soy
- 2 tablespoon applesauce or non dairy yogurt or cashew cream or more non dairy milk (applesauce or yogurt work best)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) sugar
- ¼ cup (56 g) neutral oil or use 3 tablespoon applesauce to make oil-free
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- a few drops of almond extract , optional but wonderful
Dry:
- 1.5 to 1.75 cups (187.5 g) of flour (I use a mix of 1 cup Spelt flour and ¾ cup unbleached all purpose or use 1.75 cup all purpose flour). See GF option in notes
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 apple chopped small
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1.5 tablespoon coconut sugar
Custard:
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) + ¼ cup non dairy milk
- 2 tablespoon sugar or sweetener
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 2 drops almond extract
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) cinnamon , ⅛ teaspoon turmeric for color (optional)
Instructions
- Line a pan with parchment with parchment hanging on the sides. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F (176 C). In a bowl, mix in the wet ingredients for the cake, until the sugar is fully combined.
- Add 1 ½ cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Fold into the wet until just about combined. Add more flour if needed 1 tablespoon at a time to make just slightly thick batter.
- In another bowl, drizzle maple over chopped apple and toss to coat. Add the apple to the batter and fold in.
- Pour into the parchment lined pan and even it out. Sprinkle coconut sugar over the batter
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 mins (depends on the pan, cake height etc). Cool for 10 mins, then remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing. Store on the counter for the day, refrigerated for upto 7 days, freeze (slices) for upto a month
- To make cupcakes/muffins: Bake for 22 to 24 mins for regular size muffins.
Custard:
- Heat 1 cup non dairy milk with the sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add cinnamon or other flavoring as needed. Add a pinch of turmeric for color.
- Mix the starch in ¼ cup nondairy milk then add to the boiling milk. Bring to a good boil and take off heat. Custard will thicken as it cools. (See tips in the post if it doesnt thicken). Serve apple cake slices drizzled with custard
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Helen Williams
Just made this recipe. My husband has had to have 2 pieces just make sure he likes it 🤣🤣🤣
This is a definite winner and will be going into the family favourites 😍
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Tommy Judge
I made this delicious cake yesterday I highly recommend it 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
thanks so much, Tommy! don’t forget to rate, it really helps!
Deb
I’m assuming I peel the apple?
Looks yummy 🤤
Richa
Your preference 🙂
Lalita
The recipe looks yummy. Can I use all purpose fully and not add spelt flour.
Richa
Yes!
Han
I made a few tweaks with the sugar using combo of dark muscovado sugar, light brown sugar, and cane sugar. It came out delicious and also froze half of them and they taste just as good heated up microwave. Thanks for sharing this easy delicious recipe and have a great thanksgiving 😀
Richa
Yay!
La Cocinera Novata
Beautiful cake Richa. My custard had a funny colour after adding the cinnamon, like coffee with milk but I tried to fix with my picture editor. But the taste was so goooood 🙂 Thank you very much for sharing.
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!! Do leave a rating too if you feel so!
Rochelle
What size pan are you using?
Richa
9 inch brownie pan.
Brooke
Hi! Going to make this over the weekend. Could I ask, could you add real apple through it so there are some nice chunks? If so what would be the best way of doing it? Sautéing them prior to putting in batter or raw?
Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
In the substitutions options notes: apple is finely chopped and tossed in maple syrup before mixing into the batter. This helps create a barrier between the apple and the cake and helping reduce gummyness around the fruit. (no sautee needed – enjoy!!
Richa
There’s real chopped up apple in the recipe. See under dry ingredients
Brooke
Thank you! Sorry must of missed this
Valerie
I used avocado oil and left out the step to put sugar on top before baking. It wasn’t as sweet of course, but everyone loved it. Had a delicious fresh taste and the custard gave it enough sweetness for my taste. I’ll make this again for sure. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome
Unnati
Hello, can the flour be replaced with Oat or wholewheat? Or does it get very dense?
Thanks!
Richa
Yes it will be dense. Use half and half
Allison Al Smith
Soft & sweet and the custard is amazing.
Vegan Richa Support
so glad that you enjoyed it
Betg
Absolutely delicious.
Vegan Richa Support
thanks for popping in ♡
Julie Sunstein
I was looking for an applesauce cake that would work for breakfast. This Apple cake is absolutely terrific. Moist and feels like home. I used A quick dash cloves and nutmeg to go with my cinnamon and crumbled pecans on top. I also made a flax seed flour Egg. 1 tb. Flour with three water and let it sit 5 minutes. custard used Tapioca. After boil I put it in a cool dish. I can’t wait until I can have a second slice. I put it in a 9” round Thankyou.
Vegan Richa Support
Perfect