Made with oat flour, this moist gluten-free Spiced Applesauce Cake is flavoured with warm spices! It's topped with apple slices and has optional additions of dried cranberries and pecans. Serve this as a coffee cake for brunch or top with whipped cream or whipped coconut milk and enjoy for dessert.
This gluten-free Spiced Applesauce Cake is bound to improve your mood and lift your spirits, even if you're perfectly happy! Who doesn't love the smell of warm apples and cinnamon wafting through the house?
Whether you serve it as an applesauce coffee cake or as an apple dessert cake, you'll love the flavour and texture of this healthy cake. Serve it plain or top slices with whipped cream or whipped coconut milk for a spectacular dessert!
This gluten-free Spiced Applesauce Cake recipe is a favourite of ours year-round. It's easy to make and we love the texture.
🛒 Ingredients
This Spiced Applesauce Cake is made with
- butter (or melted and cooled coconut oil)
- unsweetened applesauce (homemade or store-bought)
- eggs
- oat flour (certified gluten-free, if necessary)
- warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice
- sweetener: coconut sugar, brown sugar or keep it sugar-free by using Golden Monkfruit sweetener with erythritol.
🥄 Instructions
Here's an overview of what you'll do to make this gluten-free apple cake. You'll find complete instructions in the recipe card below.
- Combine the wet ingredients in one bowl and whisk the dry ingredients in another.
- Combine the two, then add the cranberries and chopped pecans.
- Spread the batter in a lined springform pan, then arrange thin slices of apple in a concentric pattern on top.
- Bake, cool, then enjoy plain or with whipped cream or whipped coconut milk.
🔁 Possible variations
Keep this spiced applesauce cake nut-free by leaving out the pecans.
Substitute raisins for the dried cranberries.
Keep it dairy-free by using coconut oil instead of butter. Make sure you have cooled the melted coconut oil. It works best when the other ingredients are at room temperature. If the eggs are cold, for example, the coconut oil tends to harden quickly. If this happens, stir vigorously to combine it.
🥶 Storage and freezing instructions
Store leftovers in a covered container on the counter or in the fridge. For longer storage, I like to wrap individual slices in plastic wrap, place in a covered container and freeze for up to 3 months. For more information, see The Best Way to Store Any Cake.
Gluten-free Spiced Applesauce Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, melted or coconut oil, melted and cooled
- ¾ cup Golden Monkfruit sweetener or coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Optional Additions
- ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
- ⅔ cup dried cranberries
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced for decorating the top of the cake
- 1 - 2 tsp lemon juice
- whipped cream or whipped coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Oil the sides of the pan.
- Peel and core an apple. Slice into very thin slices, about ⅛th inch thick. Toss with a teaspoon or two of lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar together, then add eggs, vanilla and applesauce.
- In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients.
- Combine the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients. Stir in chopped pecans and cranberries until no spots of flour remain.
- Transfer to the prepared springform pan, smoothing the batter to the edges.
- Drain the lemon juice from the apple slices. Arrange them in a concentric pattern on top of the batter.
- Bake at 350°F. for 40 - 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let stand for 15 minutes, then carefully release the spring from the pan. Remove and transfer cake to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- When completely cool, garnish with a sprinkle of confectioner's sugar and serve with whipped cream or whipped coconut milk.
Elise says
We LOVED this cake! I subbed raisins for the cranberries because my hubby loves anything with raisins and it was so good. It turned out perfectly. Thanks.
Flavour & Savour says
My hubby is a raisin-fan too. I've made this cake with raisins before and we really liked it. Thanks for the 5 stars!
Dierdre says
I made this cake yesterday and I was very happy with the way it turned out. I left out the pecans to keep it nut-free. It has just the right amount of spice. Will make it again for sure.
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks so much for letting me know! So glad you liked this apple cake.
Laura says
Gorgeous cake and beautiful presentation. This is perfect for the fall. I’m gluten free so this is right up my alley. Can’t wait to try it😊
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks Laura! I'm sure you'll love this one!
nancy says
I loving all these apple recipes. This will be another one i'll pin to make later!
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks, Nancy! I hope you get a chance soon!
Shailaja says
This is an amazing gluten free bake Elaine! I usually use truvia as a sweetener for my sugar free baking! I see that you have used Monk fruit..I'm curious how this tastes and will perhaps try some out! Wonderful share!!
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks Shailaja! I use Monkfruit as it's a natural sweetener derived from fruit, and it has 0 calories. It tastes very similar to sugar and has no cooling aftertaste like you'll find with Swerve. I substitute it cup for cup with granulated sugar.
Leanne says
Love your presentation Elaine! This cake is the perfect fall baking project. I bet the kitchen smells amazing as this one bakes up in the oven!
Lisa says
This looks so good, Elaine...perfect on a chilly day with a hot cuppa tea. I would definitely want to try this as a cupcake variation!
Terri says
This cake looks stunning and sounds amazing! Cant' wait to make it for my gluten-free friends!
Kristen says
Loving all the apple recipes lately. This cake sounds delicious. I will be adding to our list to make next week.