Vegan Apple Cake

Vegan Apple Crumble Tea Cake on plate with slice coming out

This vegan apple cake is moist and fluffy and is topped with a pecan cinnamon streusel! It comes together in just 1 bowl with less than 10 ingredients.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Vegan

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Servings

Calories 327

Author Anthea

Ingredients

Dry ingredients for the cake

2 ½ cups (315g) all-purpose plain flour (spooned and leveled, see note 1 for gluten-free option)
1 cup (190g) packed brown sugar coconut sugar or regular sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon salt optional

Wet ingredients for the cake

1 cup (240g) dairy-free milk
1 x (180g) medium-sized apple grated very coarsely or chopped finely (note 2)
½ cup (120g) neutral flavored oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional

Crumb topping (note 3)

⅓ cup (35g) pecans chopped
¼ cup (30g) all-purpose plain flour or gluten-free all purpose flour
2 tablespoons (30g) vegan butter spreadable butter or coconut oil, softened
2 tablespoons (25g) packed brown sugar coconut sugar or regular sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 x (180g) medium-size apple sliced thinly

To serve (optional)

powdered sugar / icing sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease or line an 8-inch (20 cm) springform or loose-bottom cake pan with parchment paper.

Make the vegan apple cake:

Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix until everything is well combined.
Add all of the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix until just combined. The batter should be thick. Scoop or pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth the top with a spoon or spatula.

Prepare the crumb topping:

Using the same bowl (or a smaller clean bowl), add all the ingredients for the topping. Mix with a spoon or your fingertips until combined. There shouldn't be any chunks of butter or flour.

Assemble and bake the cake:

Arrange the thinly sliced apple on the top of the cake in 'fan' shapes or as desired. Sprinkle the crumble in the gaps on top of the cake.
Bake the cake for 55-60 minutes or until done. If the crumble topping is browning too quickly, tent the cake pan with aluminum foil or cover the pan with an oven-safe plate. The cake is ready when you insert a toothpick in the middle and there is no batter on it, though a few crumbs are fine. If you gently press the middle of the cake, it should feel firm. (note 4)
Rest the cake in the cake pan for 10-15 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and allow it cool entirely on a cooling rack.
If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar or drizzle with a simple glaze (note 5). Enjoy with dairy-free yogurt, vegan ice cream or/and a cup of coffee.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Video

Notes

Please measure the flour accurately, otherwise your cake will be dry and dense. If you're using measuring cups, use the spoon and level method where you fluff up the flour in the bag, use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Please son't use the measuring cup to scoop flour out of your container, as it will pack in too much flour. Alternatively, use the grams measurements.
To make a gluten-free vegan apple cake, use 1 1/2 cups (150g) almond flour and 1 cup (160g) gluten-free all-purpose flour. Readers have said that Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour provides inconsistent results so I suggest using another flour. Alternatively, this cake works well if you use only King Arthur's gluten-free measure for measure flour (and no almond flour). The batter will be thicker and the cake will be slightly denser than the almond flour version. I recommend baking the latter one for a few extra minutes.
This cake will be too moist if you grate the apples too finely. Ideally, the grated apple shouldn't leak any juice. If your apple is extra juicy, use an extra 3 tablespoons (25g) of flour in the recipe.
For a healthier crumble, use the same amount of pecans, flour and cinnamon but combine it with 1 tbsp of maple syrup (instead of the sugar and butter). Mix all ingredients until there are no pockets of flour or syrup then crumble the mixture on the cake.
This is a tall cake with a lot of fruit, so please don't be alarmed if your cake takes longer than 60 minutes to bake. Some ovens run cool, and some apples are extra juicy and these will affect the bake time.
To make a simple glaze, mix 1 cup (100g) of powdered/icing sugar with 2-4 tablespoons of dairy-free milk until smooth. Add more sugar for a thicker glaze or more milk for a thinner glaze. Wait until the cake cools then drizzle the glaze on top.

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