This moist and fluffy Vegan Apple Cake tastes just like fall, with diced apples, crunchy walnuts, and warm cinnamon in every slice! It’s easy to make in one bowl and served with an optional caramel drizzle on top.
Left with tons of apples after a trip to the orchard? Use them up in this Perfect Vegan Apple Pie, this Apple Baked Oatmeal, and this Apple Upside Down Cake!
This Vegan Apple Cake is almost more apples than cake! Rich, fluffy, and comforting, it only takes one small piece to satisfy your sweet tooth. If your family is anything like mine, they’ll be asking you to make this as soon as the crisp fall weather arrives.
“My family said this is the BEST CAKE they have ever eaten. Whoa! It’s that amazing!” – Meg
From the comforting cinnamon to the tart-sweet apples in every slice, this apple cake is a real winner. Just don’t forget to serve it with the caramel drizzle on top when you want to take the cozy fall flavors up a notch. It seeps into the cake, making it extra moist and scrumptious. Yum!
Why you’ll love this easy vegan apple cake recipe
- Tastes like an apple fritter – If you love soft, fluffy, apple-filled vegan apple fritters, then you’re going to love this apple cake!
- The best vegan apple dessert – This is the dessert to turn to when you need a break from pumpkin recipes. It’s loaded with tart-sweet apples, crunchy walnuts, and cinnamon to make every slice feel like a warm hug.
- An easy one-bowl recipe – Just mix the simple ingredients in one bowl, bake the cake, and enjoy!
How to make a vegan apple cake
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Pour in the oil, applesauce, and vanilla and stir to combine. Fold in the diced apples and nuts (using your hands to incorporate everything if needed).
Press the batter into an even layer in the cake pan and bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
While the cake cools, prepare the caramel drizzle. Heat the vegan butter, brown sugar, and non-dairy milk together in a small pot until the butter melts. Bring to a boil and stir constantly. After 2 minutes, remove the pot from the heat.
Drizzle the caramel sauce over the cooled cake. Let it cool for 10 more minutes, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
I recommend using firm apples with a mix of sweet and tart flavors. There are plenty of apples that are ideal for baking, but my favorites are Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, and Braeburn (I’ll usually use 2 to 3 varieties). Just avoid soft apples, like McIntosh apples, since they tend to turn to mush.
The cake batter in this recipe is much stiffer and heavier than other cake batters, so it may not work as a layer cake. If you’d still like to try it, split the batter into two round 8-inch cake pans and decorate the cooled cake layers with vegan buttercream frosting and the caramel drizzle.
Sure! A few readers have tested this and had good results. Divide the batter into a muffin tin and bake at 350ºF for 28 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the top before serving or decorate them with vegan maple buttercream frosting.
Sure! For a less-sweet cake, cut the sugar back to 1 1/2 cups or 1 cup.
A quality gluten-free flour mix will work pretty well as a substitute for the all-purpose flour.
The leftover cooled cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
1 Bowl Vegan Apple Cake
Ingredients
Apple Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup canola oil or melted coconut oil*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups peeled and diced apples
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Optional Caramel Drizzle
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Now pour in the oil, applesauce and vanilla and stir until combined. The dough will be very stiff, not like most cake batters. This is because the fresh apples will provide a lot of moisture as the cake bakes.
- Fold in the diced apples and nuts. Use your hands if needed to get them incorporated.
- Press the cake batter into the pan, evenly. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool while you prepare the caramel drizzle.
- Make the caramel drizzle: In a small pot on the stove, add the vegan butter, brown sugar and non-dairy milk. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts. Bring to a boil and stir constantly, being careful not to let the mixture overflow. Continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring, then remove from heat.
- After the cake has cooled for about 20 minutes, drizzle the caramel sauce over it. Let cool for 10 more minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- You may use canola oil or melted coconut oil. Or use any neutral flavored oil you like, such as avocado oil.
- Substitute a gluten-free flour mix to make the cake gluten free.
- You can use walnuts or pecans, or leave the nuts out entirely.
- Serve with a dollop of vegan whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Husband and I foraged late season wild heirloom apples from a managed forest so I could make apple fritters, and they were great. We were left with three cups of diced apples (in water to which I added lemon juice) so I decided to make a cake. I used two cups of einkorn all purpose flour and one cup of whole wheat flour, cut the sugar down to 1-1/4 cup (1/2 brown, I knew how sweet the apples were so I used less), and used only half a cup of oil (safflower, because we had it on hand; lots of the moisture comes from the applesauce). Instead of a teaspoon of cinnamon, I used two teaspoons of my sweet spice mix (grind together the seeds from two cardamom pods, 12 allspice berries, six cloves, add 1/2 t. ground ginger, 2 T. Sri Lanka cinnamon, 1 T. cassia cinnamon, 1/4 t. vanilla bean powder). We’re finishing the cake joyfully. Thanks, Nora.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe experience and ideas! It sounds delicious! I’m so glad that you guys are enjoying the apple cake! I appreciate you taking time to share your review with me! Wishing you happy cooking!
We just had this and it was great! I did love the caramel topping. However, we did prefer the upside down apple cake. Another keeper though.
Hi Tina. I’m glad that you enjoyed the apple cake! It’s always fun to experiment with different recipes and find out which is your favorite! Thank you for taking time to share your recipe experience, as well as your awesome review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Bringing this to thanksgiving dinner tonight. I already know it won’t disappoint. You rock!
This cake is so delicious. My husband gobbled up half the pan so no complaints from him. I had everything in my pantry except apple sauce so I used a banana which led to a hint of banana flavor to it but it was still so so good.
Hi Jenna. I am thrilled that you guys loved the apple cake! I’ve never tried it with bananas! Thanks for your awesome review and recipe feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Nora this cake is a keeper. I made it reducing the sugar to 1.5 cups and also cutting the oil to 3/4 cup while increasing the apple sauce by 1/4 cup. The caramel takes it over the top delicious. My family loved it. Thank you.
You are welcome, Darlene! I’m so glad you and your family loved the cake! Thanks for sharing your recipe experience and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
This was incredible. Like an Apple crumble cake. I used gluten free flour, added coconut flakes into the batter, used walnut oil instead of canola or coconut oil, cut the sugar by 1/2 cup, and added chocolate chips on top. You can’t go wrong !! All of us couldn’t stop eating it!!! We will be making this again and again !
Hi Ayla. I enjoyed reading about your recipe variation and ingredient additions! Yum! I’m so glad the cake was a hit! Thanks for taking time to share your recipe ideas and fantastic review! I’m glad you will be making the cake again! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Is there anything that can be used in place of oil? more applesauce?
You could try more applesauce, or try vegan yogurt instead.
This recipe is absolutely amazing. I don’t know this Nora but she’s sent to this earth as a recipe god! I’ve never made a bad recipe with her and I’m a terrible cook! Thanks Nora!
Adding that mine was done about 13 minutes early. My oven doesn’t seem to do that so I’d say watch those last 10 if you’re a sketchy cook like me!
Hi Stacy. I am humbled by your very kind words! Thank you for taking time to let me know how much you are loving the apple cake recipe! This is my mother-in-law’s favorite cake recipe! Thank you for your recipe support! You are correct and that ovens vary, and I’m glad you figured out how yours bakes differently. I appreciate your fantastic review, and wish you lots of happy cooking!
Made this recipe for dessert last night and my family rated it a 12 out of 10. Absolutely phenomenal! 🍎
This was an instant classic at our Rosh Hashana meal this weekend!
Made this for Rosh HaShana today and several of my (non-vegan) family members really enjoyed it. I did not eat any because I don’t like cooked fruit, but it certainly smelled great. Also toasted the walnuts, used one granny smith and one honeycrisp apple, and added a little nutmeg.
Hi Eli. I’m glad the cake was a hit with your family members! Thank you for sharing your recipe experience, as well as your fantastic review! Happy cooking!
This cake is delicious. Made it this past weekend and couldn’t believe how incredibly easy and delicious it is. Thanks Nora for sharing your incredibly delicious vegan recipes!
You are welcome, Jennifer! I am thrilled that you love the cake! This is my mother-in-law’s favorite cake ever! Thank you for sharing your Stella review and recipe feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Excited to make this cake for a church function tomorrow… do I make the carmel sauce as cake cools..its ok that it sits while cake cools? Ty so very much!
Hi Valerie. Make the caramel sauce while the cake is cooling. After the cake has cooled for about 20 minutes, drizzle the caramel sauce over it. Let cool for 10 more minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Just made this and already planning when I’m going to make again. So delicious!
I LOVE this recipe and have made it multiple times. Wondering if you think I could sub peaches as they are so yummy right now!
Yes, I think you could! The cake may be more moist, since peaches are much juicier than apples, but I think it will work. Enjoy!