This Vegan Apple Cake can be eaten hot or cold, either way it has the softest texture and the added maple syrup 🍁 really takes it to another level.
It is one of my favourite cakes to bake.
Before I started baking vegan cakes I knew NOTHING of how FANTASTIC they are! The texture is so soft and so smooth, quite different to a cake made with dairy and I'd even go so far as to say BETTER than a cake made with dairy.
The reason for concocting a Vegan Apple Cake was mostly down to my son's vegan friend requested another vegan recipe on the blog. Quite rightly so as currently I only have The Very Best Vegan Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes and Marbled Vegan Chocolate Bundt Cakes, so it was high time the vegan segment of the blog had a new recruit.
As luck would have it, I had some cooking apples left over from my Rhubarb and Apple Jam which needed using up. Son Number One was sent out to purchase some dairy-free milk but all the other ingredients were store cupboard items so I had those aplenty.
We got immediately to work And Vegan Apple Cake was born and I have to say, it is…for want of better description… a stonkingly good cake. The apples retain a little give and the maple syrup and mild cinnamon throughout is mouth watering.
I just about got the photos in for the blog before the brood gobbled it up.
Don't forget to try my
Vegan Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes
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Why make this Vegan Apple Cake?
Apple + maple syrup + cinnamon...‘nuff said ✔️
A uniquely soft texture ✔️
Perfect either as a cake or a pudding ✔️
Great for using up left over apples ✔️
Really easy to make ✔️
Ingredients and Substitutions
Vegan butter: just a knob of vegan butter is used to sauté our cooking apples.
Bramley Apples: two apples are cut into slices. We use Bramley apples in this Vegan Apple Cake as they hold their shape and structure when cooked. Any firm green apple will however work fine as a substitute.
Almond milk and Cider Vinegar: a great do-it-yourself-vegan-buttermilk combo this one. The acid tenderises the gluten in your baking and produces a real softness in the cake.
All Purpose (Plain) flour: you can use self-raising flour as a substitute, if so only add ½ a teaspoon of baking powder.
Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and baking powder: both are needed as we have acid in the vegan buttermilk and so they work hand-in-hand to make sure our Vegan Apple Cake rises nicely.
Ground cinnamon and vanilla extract: these two add a beautiful mix of subtle flavours to this Vegan Apple Cake that really enhance the topping and cake itself.
Light brown sugar and golden caster sugar: We use a combination of sugars. Both give flavour and of course sweetness, but the brown sugar also adds depth of flavour.
Muscovado dark brown sugar: is used when sautéing our apples to help create a sweet, gooey, dark syrup. You can just use dark brown sugar instead.
Maple syrup: this is the hidden gem of this Vegan Apple Cake, the flavour it gives the topping and the cake itself it just sublime.
Equipment
20cm deep, loose bottom cake tin
Frying pan
Apple peeler
Wooden spoon
Bowl
Balloon whisk
Spatula
Fine mesh sieve
Cooling rack
Skewer or cocktail stick
Instructions
See end of post RECIPE CARD for precise quantities and instructions.
Caramelised apple topping
- Melt your vegan butter in your frying pan.
- Whilst the butter melts peel, core and slice your apples and mix them with your muscovado sugar.
- Sauté your apples in your butter and then add your vanilla extract and cinnamon.
- Turn the heat up high and add your maple syrup. Continue cooking, stirring continuously, until a syrup forms.
- Remove from the heat and tip into your oiled baking tin, spreading out to form a single layer.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes until cold.
Vegan Apple Cake filling
- Mix your almond milk and cider vinegar together and set aside for 5-10 minutes to curdle.
- Sift your flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), baking powder and cinnamon into your large bowl.
- Re-sift again.
- Add your oil and vanilla extract to your almond milk mixture and beat together just to combine.
- Make a well in the centre of your flour mixture and pour in your wet ingredients.
- Beat until mixed using your balloon whisk.
- Beat in your maple syrup.
- Pour your Vegan Apple Cake batter onto your cooled apples.
- Bake in the centre of your oven for 40-45 minutes until risen, golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
- Leave on a cooling rack in the tin for about 10 minutes to set.
- Level the cake off with a knife if it is has risen in the centre.
- Remove from the tin and allow to continue cooling.
Top Tips
- Don't overcook your apples you need them to have a little resistance when you add them to your tin, as they will continue cooking in the oven.
- Make sure your diary free milk is at room temperature, it will help the cake rise.
Variations
You can use the base recipe of this Vegan Apple Cake for a variety of other cakes such as:
- using pears for the topping instead of apples:
- baking the cake without the topping and icing with a maple syrup flavoured buttercream, or other buttercream of your choice.
Did you try this recipe?
Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the Recipe Card below.
Storage
This cake will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in a cool place.
You will find the apples do go browner, but they still taste absolutely lovely.
FAQ
Does Vegan Apple Cake taste different to a traditional cake?
Can you use any oil to caramelise the apples?
Linked Recipes
Vegan Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes
Marbled Vegan Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes
Biscoff Apple Crumble
Apple Pie
📖 Recipe
Vegan Apple Cake
Here's what you'll need...
- 20cm deep loose bottomed cake tin
- Frying pan
- Apple/vegetable peeler
- Wooden spoon
- Cooling rack
Ingredients you'll need...
Caramelised Vegan Apple Topping
- 15 g vegan butter (a knob of vegan butter)
- 250 g sliced Bramley cooking apples (2 medium Bramley apples)
- 20 g muscovado sugar (2 tbsp)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Vegan Apple Cake Filling
- 200 ml almond milk or other dairy free milk, at room temperature (US = ¾ Cup plus 1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 210 g Plain flour (All Purpose Flour) (US = 1½ Cups)
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) must be level
- 1 teaspoon baking powder must be level
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon must be level
- 100 g light brown sugar (US = ½ Cup, packed)
- 50 g golden caster sugar (super fine sugar) (US = ¼ Cup)
- 65 ml vegetable oil (or other flavourless oil) (US = ⅓ Cup)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
Here's what we do...
Caramelised Apple Topping
- Grease your baking tin with a little oil.
- Add your vegan butter to your frying pan and melt over a medium-high heat, remove from the heat as soon as melted, do not burn.
- Whilst your butter is melting, peel, core and slice your apples into to 1 cm slices and then mix with your muscovado sugar.
- Turning the heat down to medium, add your apples and then sauté for 1½ minutes.
- Add your vanilla extract and cinnamon and continue cooking for about 20 seconds.
- Add your maple syrup and turn the heat up to high. Keep stirring your apples constantly and if the liquid begins to burn turn the heat down.
- After about 2 minutes you should find that your apples are quite soft when tested with a skewer and that the liquid has become syrupy.
- Tip the apples into your oiled tin and spread them out evenly into a single layer, then place into your refrigerator to cool for 15 minutes (place on top of a plate if the tin base is hot).
Vegan Apple Cake
- Heat your over to 160°C Fan/ 180°C/Gas mark 4/355°F and set the oven shelf in the centre.
- Mix together your almond milk and cider vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes to curdle.
- Sift your flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), baking powder and cinnamon into your large bowl.
- Then tip it out and sift it a second time.
- Add both of your sugars and mix around with your balloon whisk until evenly combined.
- Add your oil and vanilla extract to your milk mixture and give it a quick beat with a small whisk until combined.
- Make a well in the centre of your flour and tip the wet mixture in.
- Beat with your balloon whisk until just combined.
- Add your maple syrup and beat again for a minute or so until fully mixed together.
- Pour your cake batter onto your cooled apples and bang the tin on the counter to release any large air bubbles.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden, risen and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.
- Leave to cool in the tin on your cooling rack for 10 minutes.
- If the cake has risen in the centre level it off with a sharp knife.
- Then place the cooling rack on top of the cake tin and invert the cake onto it.
- Leave to cool if having as cake, or serve warm with custard or ice cream.
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