Vegan Apple Cake (One Bowl)

Vegan Apple Cake Ingredients

You only need simple ingredients for this vegan apple cake, and most of them are already in your pantry. You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.

• Apples: Use firm, crisp baking apples like Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, or Granny Smith, so the chunks hold their shape. Peel and dice them into small pieces. Two medium apples make about 2½ cups diced.
• Sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps it brown. Readers have also made it with coconut sugar.
• Canola oil: Keeps the cake moist and tender. Any neutral oil works.
• Unsweetened applesauce: Adds moisture and helps bind the cake. Can’t find it at the store? You can make your own, like my homemade strawberry applesauce.
• Plant-based milk: Any unsweetened variety works.
• Vanilla extract: Adds a warm, sweet flavor.
• Flax meal and warm water: Mixed together, they make a flax egg that takes the place of an egg. Readers have also used chia seeds the same way.
• All-purpose flour: Gives the cake its structure. Readers have used a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and spelt flour with good results.
• Cinnamon and nutmeg: The warm spices that make this cake taste like fall.
• Baking powder and salt: Baking powder helps the cake rise, and salt balances the sweetness.
• Powdered sugar (optional): For dusting over the top before serving.

Add-On Ideas

Aside from dusting it with powdered sugar, you can add more goodies and garnishes to keep your vegan apple cake fun and festive:

• Nuts and dried fruit: Stir in chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds, or add raisins or dried cranberries for more texture.
• Streusel topping: I haven’t tested it on this cake yet, but the cinnamon crumble from my vegan apple crumble would be delicious sprinkled over the batter before baking.
• Glaze: Drizzle it with a simple vanilla sugar glaze, my vegan date caramel sauce, or a pumpkin spice glaze.
• Toppings: Serve it with vegan whipped cream, vegan yogurt, or vegan ice cream.
• For Halloween: Top it with my peanut butter spiders for a fun party cake.

How to Make Vegan Apple Cake

Before you start, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and lightly grease an 8-inch pan with oil. You’ll find the full instructions in the recipe card below.

PRO TIP: Try not to overmix the batter! Stirring too much makes the cake tough and dense. A few small lumps are fine.

Toni’s Recipe Tips

• Measure the flour correctly: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife, rather than scooping it straight from the bag. Too much flour makes the cake dry.
• Dice the apples small: Small, even pieces bake through at the same rate and spread evenly through the cake.
• Avoid overmixing: Stir only until no dry flour remains, or the cake can turn out tough and dense. A few lumps are fine.
• Check for doneness: Insert a toothpick or skewer in the center. If it comes out clean, your cake is done. Baking time depends on the size of your pan and your oven, so start checking at 30 minutes.
• Let it cool: Let the cake rest in the pan for at least 10 minutes before moving it to a cooling rack. If you remove it too early, it might fall apart.

Pan Sizes and Variations

• Other pans: You can bake this cake in a loaf pan, square pan, or Bundt pan. Grease the pan well and start checking for doneness a little early, since the baking time changes with the pan. I haven’t tested a 9-inch springform, but the cake will be a little thinner, so start checking it with a toothpick at about 25 minutes.
• A bigger batch: One reader doubled the recipe for a church potluck and baked it in a glass 9×13 dish for about 60 minutes.
• Muffins: I haven’t tested this batter as muffins yet, but it would be fun to try in a greased muffin pan. They’ll bake much faster than the cake, so check them early, and if you give them a try, I’d love to hear how they turn out in the comments!
• Pear and apple: One reader swapped one of the apples for a pear and loved how moist it turned out.
• Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour.

Make Ahead and Storage

• Room temperature: Keep the cake covered at room temperature for up to 1 day.
• Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer: This cake is freezer-friendly. Wrap it well and freeze it whole or in slices for up to 3 months.
• Thaw and reheat: Thaw it in the fridge overnight and serve it cold, or warm it in the oven if you like it warm.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy a slice of this apple cake warm or at room temperature with:

• Vegan ice cream (vanilla, salted caramel, or cinnamon), including banana ice cream
• Vegan custard or vegan whipped cream
• A mug of mulled apple cider, chai, or a vegan pumpkin spice latte
• Your other favorite fall desserts, like my apple pie bars, for a dessert table

Vegan Apple Cake FAQs