Apple Cake is Vegan, Gluten-Free, Full of Health Benefits and Yummy

This apple cake is vegan, gluten-free, and not filled with all that white sugar that lots of baking have in them.  This is my kind of cake. The only sweeteners in it are a little rice syrup and stevia which is actually food for us.  It is also egg-free and dairy-free too which is important as eggs and milk are not good for me. And it is delicious.

Practice Makes Perfect!

It took me FIVE TIMES to get this ‘Apple Cake Gluten-Free’ just right!

All my happy taste testers liked it right away but I knew it could be even better and the following recipe is my last fine-tuning recipe.

This is a deeply satisfying cake filled with healthy ingredients. Apples being one of them! All the ingredients are very healthy.

Apple Cake Recipe Vegan & Gluten-Free Ingredients:

Apples

Apples – Your mom didn’t use the term superfood but she knew about apples. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” was the first nutritional advice I and many children heard from their moms.  For this reason, we call them “the first superfood,” and they are the main attraction in this apple cake.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is actually very good for us and it lends a nice flavor and healthy fat to this apple cake. In tropical climates like Polynesia, Sri Lanka, and the Yucatan where they have a diet high in coconut oil, the people are healthier, have less heart disease, cancer, and colon problems than unsaturated fat eaters. It is now accepted that there is good cholesterol and there are good saturated fats. Learn the 12 benefits of  Coconut Oil, this newly declared an Amazing SuperFood.

This is the coconut oil I recommend purchasing online.

Kirkland Signature Cold Pressed Unrefined Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 84 Ounce

It is organic, virgin, cold-pressed, unrefined, and chemical-free, and a good price for a large container.

Stevia

As I don’t use sugar for my baking I often use stevia for this apple cake which is a healthy option.  The stevia plant is incredibly sweet and also incredibly good for you.  The leaf is 30 times sweeter than sugar while extracts are 300-400 times sweeter.  The best stevia will, therefore, be the one that retains some whole food value and is water-based.  Liquid forms will be less processed.  Go here to learn How to Get the Best Stevia Without the Bitterness.

It is a great way to make this apple cake gluten-free and sugar-free.

Cinnamon

When we think of cinnamon we usually imagine delicious pastries or a hot drink but cinnamon is also full of health benefits.  These benefits are backed by valid scientific research. It is helpful from lowering “bad” HDL cholesterol levels to lowering blood sugar levels. This is for sure a valuable superfood to be included in our diet, and what better way than in this apple cake. At the bottom of this recipe, there are many recipe links for you. All of them are favorites of mine created in my kitchen.

Arrowroot

Arrowroot is well tolerated by food-allergic people, even those with multiple allergies.  High nutritional properties enhance baking performance in this apple cake.  It has a chewy texture and increased browning capabilities.  It is one of the few healthy starches- read my article  Arrowroot Flour for Healthy Gluten-Free Baking

Brown Rice Syrup

The brown rice syrup also helps keep the apple cake stuck together. Brown rice syrup is made from cooked brown rice, which is fermented by adding enzymes to turn the starches in the rice into sugars. Brown rice syrup is absorbed easily into our system, leaving less fat accumulation in contrast with regular sugar.

Lundberg Syrup Brown Rice Syrup is a favorite of mine.

• Lightly sweet, amber-colored, and smooth
• A nutritive sweetener that is about half as sweet as sugar
• A tasty alternative for those who watch their sugar intake.

Brown Rice Flour

The other thing I like about this shortbread is that they are wheat-free. Brown rice flour is actually good for us as it has the nutrients that you will find in brown rice. This helps this apple cake be wheat-free.
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Brown Rice Flour is

• An absolute staple in gluten-free baking, brown rice flour is incredibly versatile
• The 100-Percent stone ground on a very fine setting
• Not gritty to prevent a common complaint about many brown rice flours

Potato Flour

The potato flour helps hold the mixture together in this apple cake.

Naturevibe Botanicals Potato Flour (1lbs)

It is also a great thickener in gravies, sauces, and even in custards and puddings, which typically use cornflour.

Potato Flour is high in fiber and protein and is a fine creamy white-yellow powder.  It is made from dehydrated whole potatoes and is a healthy substitute for xanthan gum or guar gum. Cautions: Don’t confuse with potato starch. Use much less.

Salt

For this apple cake recipe and all my recipes, I use Himalayan salt which is actually good for you!

Time to make your Apple Cake Gluten-Free Vegan Recipe 

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Apple Cake Gluten-Free Vegan Recipe

This apple cake is gluten-free, vegan, and is not filled with all that white sugar that lot’s of baking has.  This is my kind of cake. The only sweeteners in it are a little rice syrup and stevia which is actually food for us.  It is also egg free and dairy-free too which is important as eggs and milk are not good for me. And it is delicious.

Course Dessert

Cuisine gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian

Keyword apple cake, cake, cinnamon, Dessert, Gluten-free

Author Diana Herrington

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups fresh apples Use 1/2 cup of sliced apples for the top
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or coconut oil
• 1/2 cup rice syrup
• 1 tsp Stevia
• 4 Tbsp chickpea or soy flour
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup potato flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot starch
• 5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2/3 cup water or 1/2 cup if you like a drier cake.
• 3 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375º F.
• Oil and lightly flour an 8” X 8” cake pan.
• Chop 2 cups of apples into one-inch pieces.
• Sprinkle the apples with 2 tsp of cinnamon.
• Slice 1/2 a cup of apples into slices to decorate the top of the cake.
• Blend the vegetable oil or coconut oil, rice syrup, and water in a blender.
• Mix flours, baking powder, and sea salt in a separate bowl.
• Add the chopped apples to the dry flour mixture.
• Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients.
• Mix quickly.
• Immediately pour the batter into a cake pan.
• Decorate the top of the cake with apples.
• Sprinkle 1 tsp cinnamon on top of the apples.
• Bake at 375º F. oven for 35 To 40 minutes.
• Let cool and put the icing on if you want.
• Cut and serve your vegan gluten-free Apple Cake.

Notes

Find out more about the ingredients that I used for this recipe:  apples, coconut oil, rice syrup, stevia, arrowroot, sea salt, cinnamon

Top this Apple Cake Vegan, Gluten-Free cake off with Coconut Butter Icing

* This is for an egg-free vegan recipe, learn more about Eggs Substitutes.

Here are a few more of my favorite cake recipes: 

Sweet Plum Cake – I love this healthy sweet plum cake that is gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free cake. For me, it is also important that there are no unhealthy sugars and any healthy sugars be in small quantities. Being vegan is important to me.

Pear Upside Down Cake -This pear upside-down cake is so yummy and it is gluten-free, dairy & egg-free too. It is made with very healthy ingredients. Pears grow in Edmonton! They are small but they are tasty and juicy.  A friend lets me pick bags full of pears from his big tree. Thus, I get to make this very yummy gluten-free cake made with healthy ingredients.

 Delicious Gingerbread Cake is Gluten-free – This gingerbread cake is gluten-free, vegan and simply delicious! The heat of the ginger balances off the sweeter elements so it doesn’t feel heavy. This was only recently perfected with some experimentation.

Being a big fan of ginger, I put lots in this cake but you can see from the ingredient list that you can put in less.

Note: If you are considering going gluten-free

1. Read: Can a Gluten-Free Diet Help You Lose Weight?
2. Listen to a Healthy & Gluten-Free Baking Radio Interview with Diana
3. Learn how to make sinfully delicious gluten-free treats and desserts that are still healthy for you. Health GF Baking Training
4. Read 11 Gluten-Free Grains to learn some of the alternatives and their many benefits.
5. Check out: Diana’s Gluten-Free Recipes Make sure you are subscribed to the newsletters for the latest recipes.
6. Consider doing one of my Healthy Online Courses. All of the recipes for the courses are gluten-free.

Healthy Baking Class Online – Gluten-Free, Vegan, Soy & Sugar-Free

• Learn to Bake Healthy Sweets
• Gluten-Free Healthy Baking that is Soy-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-Free, & Wheat-free
• Sinfully Delicious and Healthy Too!
• Wouldn’t it be great to eat cookies and tarts as you did as a child, innocently enjoying the sweetness and textures without worrying about the downside?

Get the skills and knowledge to create healthy baking with the Healthy Baking Course. Go here Healthy Baking Course to check it out.

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