This moist and fluffy Vegan Apple Cake tastes just like fall, with diced apples, crunchy walnuts, and warm cinnamon in every slice! It’s easy to make in one bowl and served with an optional caramel drizzle on top.
Left with tons of apples after a trip to the orchard? Use them up in this Perfect Vegan Apple Pie, this Apple Baked Oatmeal, and this Apple Upside Down Cake!
This Vegan Apple Cake is almost more apples than cake! Rich, fluffy, and comforting, it only takes one small piece to satisfy your sweet tooth. If your family is anything like mine, they’ll be asking you to make this as soon as the crisp fall weather arrives.
“My family said this is the BEST CAKE they have ever eaten. Whoa! It’s that amazing!” – Meg
From the comforting cinnamon to the tart-sweet apples in every slice, this apple cake is a real winner. Just don’t forget to serve it with the caramel drizzle on top when you want to take the cozy fall flavors up a notch. It seeps into the cake, making it extra moist and scrumptious. Yum!
Why you’ll love this easy vegan apple cake recipe
- Tastes like an apple fritter – If you love soft, fluffy, apple-filled vegan apple fritters, then you’re going to love this apple cake!
- The best vegan apple dessert – This is the dessert to turn to when you need a break from pumpkin recipes. It’s loaded with tart-sweet apples, crunchy walnuts, and cinnamon to make every slice feel like a warm hug.
- An easy one-bowl recipe – Just mix the simple ingredients in one bowl, bake the cake, and enjoy!
How to make a vegan apple cake
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Pour in the oil, applesauce, and vanilla and stir to combine. Fold in the diced apples and nuts (using your hands to incorporate everything if needed).
Press the batter into an even layer in the cake pan and bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
While the cake cools, prepare the caramel drizzle. Heat the vegan butter, brown sugar, and non-dairy milk together in a small pot until the butter melts. Bring to a boil and stir constantly. After 2 minutes, remove the pot from the heat.
Drizzle the caramel sauce over the cooled cake. Let it cool for 10 more minutes, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
I recommend using firm apples with a mix of sweet and tart flavors. There are plenty of apples that are ideal for baking, but my favorites are Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, and Braeburn (I’ll usually use 2 to 3 varieties). Just avoid soft apples, like McIntosh apples, since they tend to turn to mush.
The cake batter in this recipe is much stiffer and heavier than other cake batters, so it may not work as a layer cake. If you’d still like to try it, split the batter into two round 8-inch cake pans and decorate the cooled cake layers with vegan buttercream frosting and the caramel drizzle.
Sure! A few readers have tested this and had good results. Divide the batter into a muffin tin and bake at 350ºF for 28 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the top before serving or decorate them with vegan maple buttercream frosting.
Sure! For a less-sweet cake, cut the sugar back to 1 1/2 cups or 1 cup.
A quality gluten-free flour mix will work pretty well as a substitute for the all-purpose flour.
The leftover cooled cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
1 Bowl Vegan Apple Cake
Ingredients
Apple Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup canola oil or melted coconut oil*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups peeled and diced apples
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Optional Caramel Drizzle
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Now pour in the oil, applesauce and vanilla and stir until combined. The dough will be very stiff, not like most cake batters. This is because the fresh apples will provide a lot of moisture as the cake bakes.
- Fold in the diced apples and nuts. Use your hands if needed to get them incorporated.
- Press the cake batter into the pan, evenly. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool while you prepare the caramel drizzle.
- Make the caramel drizzle: In a small pot on the stove, add the vegan butter, brown sugar and non-dairy milk. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts. Bring to a boil and stir constantly, being careful not to let the mixture overflow. Continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring, then remove from heat.
- After the cake has cooled for about 20 minutes, drizzle the caramel sauce over it. Let cool for 10 more minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- You may use canola oil or melted coconut oil. Or use any neutral flavored oil you like, such as avocado oil.
- Substitute a gluten-free flour mix to make the cake gluten free.
- You can use walnuts or pecans, or leave the nuts out entirely.
- Serve with a dollop of vegan whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
This is our favorite apple cake and my husband’s favorite cake of all time! I love that it’s vegan and love to make when hosting. I’ve used gluten free 1 to 1 flour and that worked well. Truly a winning recipe!
This is an outstanding recipe. With or without the caramel drizzle. Every time I serve it I get asked for recipe. I want to experiment with other fruits, pears, peaches, even kiwi’s,
Hi Roger. I’m so glad that you are loving the apple cake recipe! It is definitely one of my fall favorites! I think it would be delicious with other fruits as well! Thank you for taking time to share your incredible review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
This was probably the best cake I’ve ever made. Thank you! I made it in a Bundt pan and it took a bit longer to bake (65 min) but holy moly, it was worth the wait. The Bundt pan created this hard, streusel-like crust on the outside (complemented by the must-use caramel drizzle)—and super moist and fluffy on the inside. Exquisite.
I am so thrilled that you discovered one of my favorite cakes, and that you loved it! Oh, your cake sounds delicious! Thank you very much for your glowing review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I just made this and it is delicious! I will definitely make this again. Thank you for this awesome recipe.
I am so glad that you loved the apple cake, Sherry! Thank YOU for sharing your terrific review and for loving my recipes! Happy cooking!
I want to make the cake and freeze it. Should I freeze it with the glaze on or wait until before I serve it to put the glaze on?
It would be better to freeze it without the caramel glaze, and then add the glaze before serving. But you can freeze it with the glaze if needed.
Wish I could give this 10 stars. It was fantastic. I froze the cake and then upon defrosting I put the glaze on. My only issue is that I wish I had made 2 as there were no leftovers. Thank you for a great recipe.
Delish! Excellent recipe. Freezes well too. Thanks much. You’re my fave!!
You are welcome, Chris! This is one of my favorite cakes! I’m so happy that you loved it! Yes, I love having this in the freezer for that wonderful, fresh baked cake treat on a fall morning with coffee! Thank you for sharing your glowing review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!
Hi Nora! If omitting the nuts entirely, do I need to adjust any other ingredients? Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Hi Daria! Nope, you can simply leave them out, no other adjustments needed. I hope you love the apple cake!
I have made this apple cake several times, and shame on you!! It’s SO GOOD! Every time my husband walks by the pan, he cuts a small slice off of it-he seems to be in the kitchen more often than usual whenever I make this…..hmmmm…..? LOL-Try this recipe, and you will be hooked!
This is a delicious cake- I made it for my family, including my vegan daughter-in-law and it received such a positive response. It is so moist and tasty. I will be making this again. Thank you.
You are welcome, Delma. This cake is a favorite in my family! I’m thrilled that you guys loved it! Thanks for sharing your awesome review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I used only 1 cup of sugar, and it was perfect!
My family loves this cake, it’s the only cake they ask for by name!.Thank you for sharing. I don’t you the drizzle and did reduce sugar but it’s still delicious! 😋
Hi Joyce. I’m so glad the cake is a hit with your family! It is perfect for so many occasions! Thank you for your wonderful words! Happy Cooking!
Wowee! This was so good. I didn’t have any applesauce and I saw the comment about yogurt so I used that instead. It was delicious. Also, I found this to be plenty sweet without the drizzle. My daughter asked me to make it again as her birthday cake. A++
Hi Remi. This is one of my FAVORITE cakes! I’m so glad you and your daughter loved it! Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
My family said this is the BEST CAKE they have ever eaten. Whoa! It’s that amazing! Thank you, Nora, for helping me to become proficient in the kitchen! <3
Hi Meg! How wonderful that you are feeling confident in your kitchen making good food! That is always fun! I appreciate you using my recipes, and am so glad they are helpful to you! I’m thrilled that your family loved the apple cake! It really is a favorite of mine! Thank you for your stellar review! Happy cooking to you!
Amazing. Moist. Easy. Appely. This is a keeper. I was worried about the fairly dry paste but the end result was just an amazingly delicious apple cake.
Hi Frank. I’m thrilled you loved the cake! It’s one of my favorites for flavor and simplicity to bake! Thanks for your stellar review! Happy cooking to you!
This is the best cake I’ve ever made. Literally every time I make it, people ask for the recipe. I do have a question: I’m snowed in a the moment and can’t get out to buy applesauce. Do you think I could use yogurt instead?
Hi Ian. I’m so glad you are enjoying the cake! Yes, I think using yogurt would be fine. Be safe in the snow!
I made this cake for the second time today. I used some whole wheat flour and added an extra cup of frozen blueberries because I was trying to use them. It came out great! I love this recipe because only using one bowl is something I strive for thank you Nora so much for your recipes.
Delicious! Do you think this could be made in mini loaf pans? If so, how many?
This came out amazing, everyone loved it! Do you think it would work okay to refrigerate the batter overnight and bake it the next day?
I think so! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
I’m wondering if applesauce would work well here as an oil replacement. I’ve used it before to good effect though I welcome your thoughts.
I love your apple cake recipe! It easily adapts to gluten free flour.
We use the Artisinal flour mix from the Bronski cookbook (Artisinal gluten free cooking) and I use it for all of your baking with consistently great results!
Hi Dianna. Thanks for taking time to share your great review, as well as your ideas and recipe experience! I’m so glad you are loving the cake! Happy cooking!
I thought the 2 cups of granulated sugar was a typo, but I followed the recipe as written.
The cake was moist and looked amazing, but it was way too sweet.
Thought 400g sugar way too sweet so used 50g instead and no caramel toping as pre-diabetic!
Hubby liked the walnuts too.
Would this work as a layer cake? Sounds so yummy and I love your other vegan layer cake recipes!
It’s a bit heavy for a layer cake so I’m not sure it will work well. It might though! Thanks for loving my cake recipes!
This is the best dessert I have ever made. It’s going to be what I bring to social functions. Feel free to use dairy butter/milk in the caramel sauce- works great.
Fabulous cake, absolutley delicious and so easy to make. I added a sprinkle of demerara to the top before baking.
Fully obsessed with this recipe! I have to wait to make it for a special occasion otherwise I eat the whole thing myself 🙂
Question: if I want to use the technique in the apple upside down cake in this recipe, should I use an extra apple to decorate the bottom of the pan, or keep the amount of apples the same?
Hmm I’m not sure, I’d have to test it. You could use an extra apple I suppose for the bottom. Glad you love this recipe, thank you!