Easy Vegan Apple Loaf

Fluffy and moist easy vegan apple loaf. Delicious topped with yoghurt and caramelised apples! Gluten-free and refined sugar free variations.

This loaf is:

• simple and easy
• very moist and melts in your mouth
• FLUFFY
• customisable
• delicious on its own (without any toppings) but amazing topped with yoghurt and caramelised apples!

It’s perfect for lunch boxes, for work afternoon teas or for bringing to gatherings :).

Ingredients you need to make this vegan apple loaf

I didn’t use any weird ingredients for this loaf. You probably already have everything in your pantry! All you need is:

• all-purpose or plain flour
• granulated sugar of choice (I used coconut sugar)
• one apple
• plant-based milk
• oil
• apple cider vinegar which reacts with the milk to create buttermilk and makes the loaf more tender (optional)
• cinnamon, baking powder and salt

What to do with the ingredients?

Like most of my recipes, all you need to do is mix the DRY ingredients with the WET ingredients then BAM!

There’s no beating of aquafaba or egg whites. There’s no separating of certain ingredients.  

I’m always up for simplicity, especially with wholesome loaves like these! Mixing the dry and wet ingredients this way will still create a fluffy and moist loaf :). 

Decorating the vegan apple loaf

Even though the loaf is substantial by itself, you can top it with:

• coconut yoghurt
• vegan buttercream
• simple sugar glaze
• or your choice of frosting

Making caramelised apples for the topping

Caramelised apple pieces adds a lovely crunch and depth of flavour to the loaf. It’s optional but definitely makes the loaf pretty!

To caramelise the apples, chop one apple into cubes and add it to a frypan with 1-2 tablespoons of coconut sugar over medium heat. When the sugar starts to stick to the pan, add a dash of water. 

Cook the apple pieces until they are golden brown or your desired softness. Add more water if you would like the apple to soften more!

The longer you cook it, the softer and more caramelised the apple pieces will be!

Don’t walk away from the stove while you’re doing this… because sugar burns easily! The first picture in this blog post features apple pieces which look like sweet potato because I neglected the hot pan and burnt the sugar – whoops!

Customising the apple loaf

I’ve tested this recipe with varying substitutions. You can make the loaf:

• Gluten free
• Refined sugar free
• Round (less baking time)

To make the loaf gluten free, substitute the plain flour for a blend of almond meal and rice flour. The almond meal helps keep the loaf moist but is denser than regular flour so makes the loaf a little more dense. The below loaf was gluten free and, as you can see, it’s still pretty fluffy!

To make the loaf refined sugar free, simply use coconut sugar instead of regular cane sugar. I used coconut sugar for all the pictured loaves in this blog post.

Liquid sweeteners will NOT work well for this recipe as they tend to weigh down baked goods and make them very dense.

You can also bake this loaf in a round cake tin. My apple tea cake recipe uses the same ratios and is delicious!

Troubleshooting the vegan apple cake

1. My loaf is not baking in the middle

This loaf is very moist and can be affected by the amount of water in your apples, the brand of your ingredients, humidity of your country etc. The fruit makes it more dense than a regular cake.

If your loaf is not baked in the middle by the 50 minute mark or it’s browning too quickly on top, simply cover it with an oven proof bowl or aluminium foil and reduce the heat to 160°C (320°F). Bake it UNTIL it’s fully cooked through. This is a universal tip that you can use for any recipe!

2. My loaf is pale

I used coconut sugar for the loaves in the pictures so mine will be darker than yours. However, if your loaf is unusally pale, check the temperature your oven as it’s likely not hot enough.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

This post was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated several times since.