• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Crowded Kitchen
MENUMENU
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact
×

Home » Cakes and Cupcakes » Apple Walnut Cake with Cinnamon Sugar Glaze (Vegan/GF)

Apple Walnut Cake with Cinnamon Sugar Glaze (Vegan/GF)

Published: Oct 7, 2018 · Modified: Aug 18, 2020 by Lexi

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

No kidding - we've been working on this gluten free/vegan apple cake recipe for over a year! The recipe is a remake of great-grandma's famous apple cake, so we had to be certain it lived up to her standards. We're happy to report that we've finally perfected it, and we're excited to share it with you!

Overhead of an apple walnut cake in a cast iron skillet surrounded by fall flowers and apples

We love revamping old family recipes - it can often be a challenge (as experienced with this recipe), but there's so much nostalgia attached to each recipe, which makes the process really special. The smell alone brings my mom back to grandma's house; this, in our opinion, is the true definition of a comfort food. 

Pouring chopped nuts over an apple cake in a cast iron skillet

One of the key changes we made to this recipes over the course of its very long trial is the addition of gluten free cake flour. We've never actually used gluten free cake flour before this, but we were really happy with the results.

If you're familiar with gluten free baking, you probably know what we mean when we say that the texture of gluten free baked goods can be weirdly dense and lacking in structural integrity. The cake flour we used made this more similar to a crumb cake, and although still dense, it's far more similar to the original glutinous recipe.  

Action shot of pouring flour into a copper stand mixer

Though we haven't tried it, we imagine this recipe would also be great in muffin form. That's our next test, so we'll keep you updated!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Apple Walnut Cake with Cinnamon Sugar Glaze (Vegan/GF)


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Lexi
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 8-12 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

An old family recipe made gluten free and vegan (but still delicious!).


Ingredients

Scale

Cake:

  • 3 flax eggs (One flax egg = 1 tbsp ground flax meal to 2 ½ tbsp water)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ cup coconut oil, softened to room temp
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 1 ½ tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups gluten free cake flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp xanthan gum
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • ¾ tsp nutmeg (freshly grated, if possible)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp allspice
  • Pinch ground cloves
  • ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
  • 2 ½ cups chopped, peeled apples

Cinnamon Sugar Glaze:

  • ⅔ cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cast iron skillet with 1 tsp coconut oil and line bottom with parchment paper.
  2. Make flax eggs by stirring flax meal into water. Let sit to thicken for 10-15 min, stirring a few times.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, spices and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, coconut sugar, coconut oil, apple sauce, flax eggs, and vanilla. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients, mixing well with each addition.
  4. Stir in chopped nuts and apples. Pour into skillet and spread evenly. If desired, top with more apples.
  5. Bake for 45-50 min, or until toothpick comes out dry. Rotate pan once or twice during baking. Once finished, remove from oven and let cool completely before topping with glaze and more chopped nuts.

Glaze:

  1. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Pour over cooled cake.

Notes

Gluten free cake flour can be hard to find - we order ours online here. If you can't find any, you can substitute with regular gluten free all purpose flour, but the texture may be a bit more dense and chewy.

  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Oven

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #crowdedkitchen

Previous Post: « Apple Pear Martini
Next Post: Vegan Butternut Squash Sage Risotto »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Celeste

    October 03, 2020 at 7:49 pm

    This is delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lexi

      October 04, 2020 at 11:07 am

      Thanks, Celeste! So glad you enjoyed!

      Reply

Let us know what you think! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Lexi and Beth toasting with wine.

Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

More about us →

Featured in:

Featured in Buzzfeed, yahoo, Men's Journal, Huffpost, MSN, Food & Wine, Country Living, yummly, and Parade.

Spring recipes

  • Vegan Asparagus Soup
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (Vegan)
  • Vegan Blueberry Muffins
  • Asparagus Potato Salad
  • Spring Vegetable Pasta
  • Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms

Most popular recipes

  • How to make Infused Liquors (5 Ways)
  • Vegan Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Mushrooms
  • Super Green Vegetable Soup
  • Cranberry Orange Whiskey Cocktail
  • Vegan Mushroom Stew over Mashed Potatoes
  • The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese

See more-->

Footer

Back to top ↑

About

  • Learn About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • See our Portfolio

Newsletter

  • Sign up for weekly emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Work With Us
  • As Seen In

Copyright © 2021 Crowded Kitchen