This gluten free apple cinnamon cake is everything I love about Autumn all wrapped up in one delicious and cosy loaf- some spice, some sweetness, lots of golden brown hues and the a wonderful accompany to a hot cup of tea outside.
Boy am I glad to finally off load this recipe on to the blog! Of course I needed to birth it here in Autumn (apple season) but I also needed to get it off my chest after so, so many recipe tests.
An apple loaf that is light and fluffy, moist, spiced, a bit sweet and just with a beautiful crumb BUT made with grains or gluten. Phew- it is here.
Background to the gluten free apple cinnamon cake
Background to the gluten free apple cinnamon cakeI developed a spiced apple cake way back in 2019. At the time I was pregnant with my first daughter and relied on taste testers to get me through- the though of eating anything sweet was truely off putting. Since then, we’ve made the cake countless times and it was always on my blogging to-do list.
Fast forward to 2023 and I decided it was finally time to publish this thing, but did a bit of research first. There were now so many spiced apple cakes that were similar (this was a vegan version) I didn’t really see the point in adding another. I loved the cake so much though, and wanted to tweak it to be a bit more unique.
After so many recipe tests the final result uses almond flour as the main flour, eggs to bind and rise, coconut flour for the perfect light texture and arrowroot flour for a nice chew to the crumb and now, here we are, the 2023 version of my gluten free apple cinnamon cake.
Ingredient notes
Ingredient notes- Almond flour– my go-to for grain free baking, it is widely available and has a great flavour and texture. I have not tested this recipe with any other flour, sorry.
- Tapioca or arrowroot flour– either of these starches work on balance out the almond meal (making it lighter and fluffier) and give a bit of chew to the texture.
- Coconut flour. A little coconut flour goes along way! Coconut flour absorbs ALOT of liquid, which was needed in this recipe to counteract the fruit. I do not recommend any substitutions, though you can omit is (just expect a left fluffy loaf).
- Fresh, room temperature eggs. Eggs are really important in this recipe, and I don’t advise substituting them. They help the loaf rise and be light and airy, but also give structure to our spiced apple loaf.
- Grass-fed butter. Salted or unsalted, you pick. I have teamed up with WESTGOLD butter to create this recipe, because their New Zealand Grass-fed butter is my all time favourite.
- Grated apple. Any apple will do but I prefer to use a juicy, flavoursome red apple variety.
Serving suggestions
Serving suggestionsTruely, this apple cinnamon cake is good enough to eat just as is- its packed full of flavour and I love it plain- but you also might consider;
- The maple cinnamon glaze recommended in the recipe- this is so delicious and perfect for a special occasion
- Warming it up and serving with butter and a cup of tea/coffee
- Topped with labneh frosting (see this recipe here) or sliced and spread with labneh and a sprinkle of chopped nuts
- My favourite way to enjoy this gluten free apple cinnamon cake (or any cake) is with a dollop of double cream (tried and tested- SO good)
- Turn it into cake and top with a simple drizzle or cream cheese frosting
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions-
Can I make a muffin version?
Easy! This recipe works well for a 12 hole muffin tray, and muffins can be baked for 20-25 minutes at 180 C (350F). This has been tried and tested.
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Can I replace coconut sugar for maple syrup.
No, I would not attempt this. As this is a grain free loaf that already has a lot of wet ingredients the maple syrup will most like result in your apple loaf being much less fluffy and light, and it may sink in the middle. If you want to try this recipe with maple syrup I would try it with the muffin version, but note I have not personally tested this.
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What can I use instead of arrowroot flour?
Tapioca flour of corn flour should work interchangeably here. I have not tried either but I think both would work.
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Can I make this into a round cake instead?
Yes, I think that would work fine if you used a 15cm (6 inch ) – 18cm (7 inch) round tin, but baking times may vary.
If you loved this gluten free apple cinnamon cake you might also enjoy;
- The best healthy spiced carrot cake muffins
- Healthy passionfruit bars
- Raw snickers slice
- Paleo lemon curd slice
- Lemon blueberry cheesecake gummies
- Grain free banana muffins
- Almond croissant cookies
We hope you love these gluten free apple cinnamon cake as much as we do! If you make them we would love a review below, as it helps others find this recipe too.
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Gluten free apple cinnamon cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Australian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This gluten free apple cinnamon cake is everything I love about Autumn all wrapped up in one delicious and cosy loaf- some spice, some sweetness, lots of golden brown hues and the a wonderful accompany to a hot cup of tea outside.
Ingredients
- 210g (1 + 3/4 cup) blanched almond flour or meal
- 42g (1/3 cup) tapioca or arrowroot flour
- 2 Tbsp (14g) coconut flour
- 1 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder
- 1/3 tsp fine salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs, at room temp, lightly whisked
- 180g (1 1/2 cups) packed, grated apple
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
- 1/2 cup (125g) grass-fed salted butter
- 3/4 cup (125g) coconut sugar
Maple cinnamon frosting
- 62g (1/4 cup) butter
- 75g (1/4 cup) maple syrup
- 130g (3/4 cup) icing sugar
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160 C (320F). Line a standard loaf tin and line with baking paper. Set aside. As this recipe takes over 1 hour to cook it is best to know your oven temperature- you can test this with a store-bought oven thermometer. If your oven is hotter than 160C (320F) you will have an un-cooked centre.
- Add butter to a small saucepan and melt gently over low heat. Turn off heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- Sift almond meal, arrowroot, coconut flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl and mix until uniform. Set aside.
- In a second bowl, add eggs, grated apple, vanilla, the melted and cooled butter and coconut sugar. Mix well, then pour this wet mix into the dry mix and gently fold to combine. Mix until all the dry pockets of flour have gone then gently transfer to your prepared loaf tin. The batter will be very thick- this is normal- use a clean spoon to even it out. Decorate with sliced apple if leaving off the frosting.
- Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until cooked through when tested with a skewer in the centre. There should be no wet batter when tested, but some moist crumbs are. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before gently transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. DO NOT cut up while still warm. If you MUST HAVE warm cake use a very sharp knife to slice the cake, being careful to avoid squishing it.
- If making the frosting make sure the cake has completely cooled first. Add butter to a saucepan and melt over low heat. Continue to simmer on low heat, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until the butter starts to brown. Turn off heat and immediately transfer to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and whisk together until smooth, then set aside until the frosting has thickened and is a spreadable consistency. Once cake has completely cooled spread on top and serve.
Store your gluten free apple cinnamon cake (uncovered) for up to 3 days, or in an airtight container in the fridge. If you want to freeze this loaf I recommend leaving the apple off of the top for best results.
Notes
To make gluten free apple cinnamon cake into muffins; I have trialled this with muffins. This recipe makes 12 muffins, and you can bake them at 180 C (350 F) for 20-25 minutes.
How much grated apple and when should this be put into the mix please?
I’ve updated that typo, thanks for pointing it out Jane.
I would love to try your original vegan version, if you still have it. I love apple baked goods but eggs don’t sit well with me. This loaf looks delightful!
I’ve not published it, however I recommend the Rainbow Nourishments one.
Absolutely delicious, moist apple cake and so easy to make.
Five stars from my husband and his work colleagues.
Thanks so much Heather- love feedback from hubbys work too x
Im excited to go for this recipe ? What would you do for apple slice when bake in muffin tin?All grated in it? Or chopped dice as not to given much wetness?
Oh sorry ” the slice apple”was optional for topping! This means whole 180g grated apple into muffins ver. Please delete comments from me! I will leave the comment once I bake it;)
This was amazing!! Recipe is so easy to follow and the texture of the loaf perfect!
Thanks Jaimie-Les x
Since discovering this recipe 3 weeks ago I’ve made it 4… ok several times, the only problem is it keeps vanishing and I have to make more. My husband and 2 year old are equally obsessed. So, so delicious! Thanks Jade!
Oh this is just so lovely- thank you Bonny. I love this recipe and am so glad you and your fam do too.
Can I use a gluten free flour blend instead? Not sure if the amount would need to be adjusted, possibly less than the total the original recipe requires?
Hi Erika. I’ve not tried a GF flour blend, but if you try it let me know. I’d love to know which brand you used too. The recipe should be fairly forgiving with a GF blend, but as you mentioned less would probably be needed as GF blends would absorb more liquid than my blend. Hope that helps!
Hi Jade! Would this recipe work if I used oil or vegan block butter instead of dairy butter? My family and I don’t eat dairy 🙁
Heya Olivia,
Yes! I’ve actually made this very successfully with olive oil, but you could use vegan butter too. The version with olive oil is delicious!
The flavor is really good with just the right amount of sweetness. The only issue I had is that it turned into a wet loaf.. not light and fluffy. I baked it at 350 degrees for 1hr 10min.
Hi Maria,
Thanks so much for your feedback, and sorry this loaf didn’t work out as planned. Did you change any of the ingredients, or leave anything out? I’ve never had this feedback before, but would love to help troubleshoot.
Do you know if your oven temp is accurate? Could the loaf have been undercooked?
Warmth,
Jade
Soooo delicious. Perfect amount of warming spice for this time of year and loved that I could use up four apples that were softening in the fruit bowl. My husband has taken to toasting a thick slice in a frypan [it caramelises the apples!] and slathering some butter on it for me… the very best breastfeeding sustenance! YUM
Aww Claire, what a beautiful comment to read- thank you so much! This is such a yummy loaf, I’m looking forward to making it many times this winter.
Hope you and your husband continue to enjoy it, too.
Made it yesterday * it was delicious!
Fantastic news- thanks for leaving a review 🙂
Warmth,
Jade
Hi,
This recipe looks amazing but I wanted to ask if I could substitute yogurt, applesauce or flax eggs for the eggs.
Thank you.
Mimi
I’ve not tried any of those, but please let me know if you do and it works xx
Gorgeous 🩷
Thanks Sandra