Vegan Apple Cake
Perfect for fall, this vegan apple cake is a must for brunch, snack, or dessert. Made with fresh apples, plenty of cinnamon, and a crumbly streusel topping.
This vegan apple cake is my fall version of our vegan coffee cake, featuring fresh apples, simple ingredients and a cinnamon streusel topping.
You can serve this one for both a brunch and a dessert. It’s similar enough to coffee cake to be enjoyed at 10 AM, but sweet enough to have with a dollop of ice cream after dinner.
See below for more details, or head down to the full recipe below.
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh Apples: I used Honeycrisp and Gala apples to test this cake recipe, but any apple will work except for very tart apples, like Granny Smith. Fuji, pink lady or other crisp apples will work.
- Cinnamon: There is a lot of cinnamon in this apple cake! A teaspoon in the filling and another tablespoon in the streusel topping. If you want to add in more warming spices, you can add in ginger or allspice.
- Flour: I prefer all-purpose for this apple cake; I tested it with a mixture of whole wheat and regular, but I find that the cake is much more tender when using all-purpose flour.
- Yogurt: The yogurt helps to make this coffee cake extra moist, and you can use regular or non-dairy yogurt.
- Sugars: Yes, I know I’m using a blend of both brown and regular sugar. The brown sugar adds moisture, but I like the balance of using both. If you just want to use one, I recommend brown sugar.
- Milk: I often use oat milk when baking, and this vegan apple cake recipe was tested with oat milk and soy milk. Almond milk should also work.
How to Make This Vegan Apple Cake (Step-by-Step Photos)
Step 1: Make the Apples
Mix together the apples, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl.
Step 2: Make the batter
Make the buttermilk by mixing together the milk and the vinegar, and let it curdle for a few minutes.
While the buttermilk is mixing, make the batter by mixing together all of the other ingredients: the melted butter, sugars, yogurt, vanilla, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Slowly add in the buttermilk and mix together. The batter will be very thick!
Step 3: Assemble the Cake
Spoon half the batter into the prepared 9×9-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Add a layer of chopped apples with their juice.
Add the remaining batter and top with the rest of the apples and their juices. Then top with the streusel crumble topping. Bake until tender and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Chef Tips for Success
- Chop the Apples: You want the apple chunks to be bite-sized, so they easily bake into the cake, and you don’t have big chunks of apples in your finished cake.
- Measure the Melted Vegan Butter: Measure 1/2 cup of the butter before melting.
- Don’t Overbake: Bake the cake until just tender, making sure not to overbake. Check the cake around 45 minutes.
- Serve Warm or Room Temperature: I think this vegan apple cake tastes best warm or at room temperature. If you store in the fridge, then gently warm before serving.
More Apple Recipes
- Apple Pie Bars
- Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
- Vegan Apple Crisp
- Apple Bread
- Vegan Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
- Classic Vegan Apple Pie
Whatever your plans are for the weekend, I think they should include this vegan apple cake. Take advantage of the abundance of apple season and go for it. Enjoy. xo.
If you try this vegan apple cake recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!
Cinnamon Spice Apple Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Apple Mixture
- 2 cups chopped apples, skin on
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 heaping tablespoon cinnamon
Cake Batter
- 2/3 cup non-dairy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted, regular or non-dairy
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt, regular or dairy-free
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Fritter Topping
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. I like to spray and line 9×9 with parchment for easier clean up!
- Chop the apples and mix with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Make the buttermilk. Mix together milk and vinegar in a measuring cup. Set aside to let curdle, about 3-4 minutes.
- In a large bowl, gently mix together the butter, sugars, yogurt, vanilla, salt, baking powder, soda and flour. Add in the buttermilk at the end. The batter will be thick!
- Spoon half of the batter into your prepared pan, then layer in half of the apples with their juices. Spoon on the remaining batter and top with the remaining apples.
- Crumble together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla to form a mixture similar to wet sand. Crumble on top of the cake.Â
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until toothpick comes out clean from the middle. Remove and let cool before slicing.Â
I like the cinnamon oatmeal recipe pls
It’s here! https://www.delishknowledge.com/baked-apple-cinnamon-oatmeal/
I love the ingredients in this cake. It looks wonderful for fall baking.