This site uses affiliate links and I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
This moist and delicious Vegan Apple Cake is the best way to enjoy sweet and juicy fall produce! A delightfully spiced cake crammed with crisp apple chunks, that you can make using one bowl in just 45 minutes. Enjoy it as a sweet afternoon snack with your favorite hot drink or as a dessert with a scoop of vegan ice cream on top.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & get this sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Apple Cake Recipe!
Apples and cinnamon are an irresistible combination! In this classic cake recipe that stands the test of time, they create a tender and flavorful treat that’s perfect for brunch, girl’s night, or any fall pot luck (or let’s be honest, an afternoon pick-me-up for yourself!).
This cake comes together quickly and easily with simple, mostly shelf-stable ingredients. This makes it great for a last minute dessert-call or craving. Plus, it’s customizable to keep it fresh all fall (or year!) long. Don’t sleep on this crowd-pleaser!
Here for more apples and cinnamon? You’ll love these Baked Apple Chips, Apple Cinnamon Bread, and Vegan Apple Cinnamon Waffles. Looking for more vegan cakes to try? Try this butternut squash cake and vegan red velvet cake.
Ingredients
Add-on ideas!
Aside from dusting with powdered sugar, you can add more goodies and garnishes to keep your vegan apple cake fun and festive!
- Add some nuts and dried berries to give the cake more texture and flavor! Pecans, almonds, walnuts, raisins, or dried cranberries are great options.
- Serve with vegan whipped cream, vegan yogurt or vegan ice cream on top!
- Drizzle with vanilla sugar glaze, this vegan date caramel sauce, or even pumpkin spice glaze!
- Top with some Halloween Peanut Butter Spiders to make a great Halloween special cake!
How to Make Vegan Apple Cake
Step 1: First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Meanwhile, lightly grease an 8-inch pan with oil and peel and dice the apples. Then, mix the flax egg by mixing the flax meal in 3 tablespoons of water until thick.
Step 2: Next, in a medium bowl, whisk all the wet ingredients plus sugar briskly until the mixture is consistent.
Step 3: Then, add the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix until there are no dry lumps visible before folding the apples in.
Step 4: Next, transfer the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Step 5: Finally, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve!
Toni’s Recipe Tips for Making Vegan Apple Cake
- Measure the flour correctly: The key to a perfectly baked cake is to measure your ingredients correctly. When measuring in cups, do not use them to scoop the dry ingredients directly. Instead, use a spoon to transfer the dry goods into the measuring cups. Then run the spoon’s handle on top to level it out.
- Avoid over-mixing the batter: Do not overmix your batter, or you will end up with a tough and dense cake. Don’t worry if you see a few lumps.
- Check for doneness: Check by inserting a toothpick or skewer at the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is done. Take note that your baking time depends on the size of the pan and the type of oven used.
- Optionally, use other pan sizes: You can also make this using a loaf, square, or Bundt pan. You can also make individual-sized muffins with this recipe by using a muffin pan. Make sure to grease them properly before pouring the batter.
- Leave it to cool: Always let the cake rest on the pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. If you try to remove the cake early, it might fall apart.
Can I freeze Apple Cake?
This cake is freezer-friendly so you can make a batch and keep them frozen for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight and serve cold the day after. Or reheat in the oven if you prefer it warm.
Storage Instructions:
You can keep the cake at room temperature for 1 day. If there are still slices remaining after, you can refrigerate them and keep them fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy a slice of this cozy apple cake, warm or at room temperature with:
- Vegan ice cream (vanilla, salted caramel, cinnamon, etc.), including banana ice cream
- Vegan custard or vegan whipped cream
- A mug of warm apple cider, chai, or a vegan pumpkin spice latte
- Contrasted with an apple cider slushie!
- Alongside some chai spiced popcorn for sweet & salty
More Vegan Baked Desserts
![completed Pumpkin Coffee Cake [+ Optional Streusel] on a white surface](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Pumpkin-Coffee-cake-PBOAB-10-378x378.jpg)
Vegan Desserts
Pumpkin Coffee Cake [+ Optional Streusel]
Vegan Desserts
Vegan Persimmon Bread
Vegan Desserts
Apple Cranberry Crisp
Vegan Desserts
Orange Olive Oil Cake
If you tried this vegan apple cake recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
If you’re loving my recipes and would like a more comprehensive resource, check out my cookbooks!
Vegan Apple Cake
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & get this sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup of sugar
- ⅓ cup of canola oil
- ¼ cup of applesauce
- 3 tablespoons of plant-based milk
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla
- 1 tablespoon flax meal, plus 3 tablespoons of warm water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 2 apples peeled and diced
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch pan with oil.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, oil, applesauce, plant-based milk, vanilla, flax meal, and water. Whisk briskly until all ingredients are fully incorporated and the mixture is consistent.
- Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Stir until just combined. Fold in chopped apples.
- Spread mixture into baking pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cake is pulling away from sides and a fork comes out clean.
- Serve with powdered sugar, warm or cool.
Notes
- Measure the flour correctly: The key to a perfectly baked cake is to measure your ingredients correctly. When measuring in cups, do not use them to scoop the dry ingredients directly. Instead, use a spoon to transfer the dry goods into the measuring cups. Then run the spoon’s handle on top to level it out.
- Avoid over-mixing the batter: Do not overmix your batter, or you will end up with a tough and dense cake. Don’t worry if you see a few lumps.
- Check for doneness: Check by inserting a toothpick or skewer at the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is done. Take note that your baking time depends on the size of the pan and the type of oven used.
- Optionally, use other pan sizes: You can also make this using a loaf, square, or Bundt pan. You can also make individual-sized muffins with this recipe by using a muffin pan. Make sure to grease them properly before pouring the batter.
- Leave it to cool: Always let the cake rest on the pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. If you try to remove the cake early, it might fall apart.
![completed EASY Chocolate Depression Cake [Wacky Cake] sliced against a white surface](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/36-Crazy-Cake-Plant-Based-on-a-Budget-1-2-378x378.jpg)
Delicious recipe
I used chia seeds as I had no Flax……..worked out well. I cooked mine a bit longer in a fan oven
I think I may try it the recipe in a muffin bun tin next
Many thanks for the recipe
Love that! Thanks for letting us know a chia seed mixture worked well to sub for flax! Hope you enjoy it the next time you make it too 🙂
So good and the house smells amazing!
I love it when the house is full of yummy baking smells! So glad you enjoyed this easy apple cake 🙂
do all your recipes contain canola oil ?…not a wise choice & all purpose flour….can a person substitute coconut or almond flour??
Not all of them and you can always sub in your preference for oil 🙂 As for the sub flour, we at PBOAB haven’t tried out those subs yet so can’t guarantee the results for this apple cake. Let us know if you give it a try and how it turns out for you! 🙂
I made this for our church potluck and it was a big hit. I doubled the recipe and baked it in a glass 9×13 dish for 60 minutes. I will be making this part of my fall baking list.
Love that everyone enjoyed this apple cake! It’s the best!
So delicious! I used what I had on hand: one apple and one pear. Then 1/2 cup all purpose wheat and 1/2 cup whole grain spelt flour. Refined coconut oil for the fat, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, added 1/2 cup pecans. It’s so moist from the fruit it almost tastes like a pudding. I had to bake it 50 min before a bamboo skewer came out clean.
Love that! So glad you enjoyed it!
So good!! I try to not eat a lot of oil so I changed recipe to use 1/4 cup canola and 1/3 cup applesauce. Also I had some Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1to 1 baking flour and used that instead of reg flour. The replacements worked great. Such good flavor and consistency. Next time I’ll even replace more of the oil with applesauce and I’ll report back.
Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
can i use almond flour?
We at Plant-Based on a Budget haven’t tried out almond flour yet so can’t guarantee the results. Let us know how it turns out if you do!
Questions: Could I make this cake oil free by substituting more applesauce? And can this be make gluten free by using 1:1 gluten free flour such as Bob’s Red Mill?
Thanks in advance!
You can sub in gluten free flour if you’d like. We haven’t tried out subbing in more apple sauce to make the cake oil free though. Please let us know how it turns out if you give it a go!
Can I use a gluten free all purpose flour mix for this recipe?
Yes! You can use a gluten-free flour brand 1:1. Please let us know how it turns out! 🙂
I have never seen Flax meal in my country. What could I use instead. And we have smooth and chunky apple sauce in the supermarkets … what would be best?
If you are able to access chia seeds, they work similarly as flaxseeds as an egg substitute. You could also use unsweetened applesauce. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Can I double the recipe for a bunt cake
We at Plant-Based on a Budget haven’t tried that out yet but I don’t see why not 🙂 Let us know how it turns out!
I baked this cake today and it turned out really good.
So glad you gave it a go! It’s such a great apple cake!
Love the apple cake. Can I replace the oil with more applesauce
Hi Tina! Hi! We at Plant-Based on a Budget haven’t tried out that sub yet so can’t guarantee the results but if you try it out, please let us know how it comes out! 🙂
I will definitely try this looks yummy
Hope you enjoy it! It’s a yummy one!
hi, In my country we don’t have applesauce available at supermarkets . How can I make it at home? Thanks
Hi! You can try making your own homemade apple sauce 🙂
Hello! Can melted coconut oil be used instead on canola?
Hi! We at Plant-Based on a Budget haven’t tried out that sub yet so can’t guarantee the results but if you try it out, please let us know how it comes out! 🙂
Thank you, I made this cake yesterday and it was absolutely delicious! The whole family loved it. I used spelt flour and coconut sugar and it turned out perfectly.
Love it! It’s definitely a delicious one!
Easy recipe and it came out just perfect!
Gotta love the easy ones!!
Hello! I was craving a juicy vegan apple cake and this one really delivers! I followed the recipe exactly (using coconut sugar and spelt flour). Very easy! I added a handful of raisins to the batter, and sprinkled chopped walnuts on top. It turned out great! Firm yet tender crumb, just sweet enough, with lovely warm spices and yummy pops of Fuji apple. I will definitely make this again. Thank you, Honor and Toni! 💖 Franny
Love to hear it! So glad you enjoyed it!