Gluten-Free Apple Cake
This gluten-free apple cake is fluffy, moist and studded with tender apple pieces. Perfectly spiced with a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, this cake is a must-bake this Fall season. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce for an extra treat!
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Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon butter - shortening or vegetable oil for coating pan, roughly 5g
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar - for coating pan, 25g
- 1 3/4 cups gluten-free flour blend - 250g
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum - if your flour blend does not already contain it
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce - 135g
- 1/2 cup sour cream - 120g
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil - 60mL
- 1 cup brown sugar - 200g
- 2 large eggs - 126g in shell
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract - 6g
- 2 cups apples - granny smith, gala, or honeycrisp (peeled, cored, diced in 1/2 inch chunks; 220g from 2 medium sized apples)
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Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan with butter and then add the granulated sugar and turn the springform pan moving the sugar around the pan until it is coated. Dispose of extra granulated sugar. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the apple sauce, sour cream, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Beat with a mixer until combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until no more streaks of flour remain.
- Fold in the diced apples.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is cooked through and when a toothpick is inserted into the middle it comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Video
Notes
- If you have celiac disease or are on a gluten-free diet, be sure to double check all of your ingredients to make sure they are gluten-free. Manufacturing practices change from time-to-time.
- I have tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (in the blue bag) and King Arthur Baking Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Both of these blends already contain xanthan gum, so you will NOT need to add it to the recipe. I can only recommend these two flour blends as it is all I have tested this recipe with. I cannot guarantee that other gluten-free flour blends will work in this recipe.
- For best results, use the metric ingredients, especially for the flour blend. The way that you scoop flour into a measuring cup can greatly affect the recipe. This is why I provide the measurements in grams, as you should have 250g of gluten-free flour for this recipe. A food scale is an inexpensive investment and will give more precise baking results.
- I use a crisp apple in this recipe so that it helps its shape well while baking, but remains tender enough to bite into after baking. Honeycrisp, gala, and granny smith apples are my favorite apple varieties in this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 188IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 2mg
