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5 from 20 reviews

This easy vegan apple cake is the perfect addition to your Fall baking list! It’s soft, fluffy, filled with hints of cinnamon, bits of fresh apples, and a delicious cinnamon streusel topping! Made in one bowl, ready in 35 minutes, and no mixer required!

a slice of vgan apple cake on a plate with vegan ice cream melting on top

There’s just something about apple desserts, isn’t there? Not to alarm you, but I’ve never been huge on apple pie. Whenever I feel like making something warm and cozy, my go-to recipes are either pumpkin muffins, an apple loaf or this vegan apple cake!

In my opinion, it tastes even better than pie, and the cinnamon crumble topping on the cake is probably my favorite part! It’s so delicious and loved by vegans and non-vegans alike!

Featured Reader Review

“This cake was delicious, moist and fluffy. My non vegan family members loved it as much as I did! I will be making this over and over again!” 

Michelle
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Why This Vegan Apple Cake Works

  • It’s made using fresh apples and you can use pretty much any variety you’d like!
  • This vegan apple cake is moist and soft, and bursting with warm, cozy spices.
  • It’s dairy free and eggless, but I’m willing to bet that your guests won’t even be able to tell 😉
  • The recipe can be made in an 8 inch round pan, a 9 inch round pan, or in an 8×8 square cake pan.
  • This vegan apple cake is easy to make and comes together so quickly! You just need one bowl (plus a small bowl for the cinnamon crumble)
  • The cinnamon streusel is baked onto the cake, giving it warm brown sugar flavors. You can also drizzle the vegan apple cake with warm vegan caramel, top it with vegan ice cream, or top it with coconut whipped cream!

Ingredients Needed

ingredients needed to make vegan apple cake in bowls with labels
  • Oil: you can use any neutral oil – sunflower oil, canola oil, vegetable oil are best. For oil-free, you can substitute for unsweetened applesauce or melted vegan butter.
  • Flour: this vegan apple cake recipe works best with all-purpose flour.
  • Milk: You can use any unsweetened vegan milk you have. My favorites to use are soy, almond, or oat.
  • White vinegar: White vinegar is combined with the milk to make vegan buttermilk. You can also use an equal amount of lemon juice.
  • Apples: Any apple variety works great! I like to use Gala, Honey Crisp, or Granny Smith.

Step By Step Instructions

Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan, or an 8×8 square baking pan. Spray the inside with cooking spray, then cut a round (or square if using a square pan) piece of parchment paper so that it fits in the bottom of the pan. Set the pan aside.

STEP TWO: Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Pour vegan milk into the cup until it reaches 1 cup (you’ll have one cup of liquid, total). Let it sit until it looks curdled.

Chop the apple into small cubes, roughly 0.5”, measure out 1 ½ cups, and set aside.

instructions showing how to make vegan apple cake

STEP THREE: Combine the ingredients for the cinnamon streusel in a small bowl and use a fork to mix until combined, then crumble it with your hands if needed and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.

STEP FOUR: Add in the oil, vanilla extract, and buttermilk, and mix until combined. Fold in the apples.

STEP FIVE: Pour the batter into your prepared pan, then sprinkle cinnamon streusel over the cake batter. Bake for 24-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

vegan apple cake on a plate sliced with ice cream on top

Expert Tips

  • Properly measure your flour: Too much flour in the vegan apple cake will make it crumbly and dry. For best results, I always recommend using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have a scale, you should measure using the scoop and level method.
  • Don’t over-mix: Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they are just combined, no longer.
  • Keep an eye on the baking time: You definitely don’t want the cake to be over-baked, and since oven temperature can vary so much, start checking on the cake early.
  • Don’t remove the cake from the pan until it’s no longer warm: And be careful! Because it has a light crumb and apple chunks, the cake is fragile, so you want to be sure that the cake doesn’t break when removing it from the pan. Let it cool, then run a butter knife around the outside of the cake a few times. Gently turn the cake upside down onto a plate, then repeat onto another plate so that the streusel is on top.
  • Don’t skip the parchment paper lining! Lining the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper makes it sooo much easier to remove the cake from the pan later.
  • Ideally, you should serve the cake within one, or maximum two days of making it. As with any baked goods that have fruit in them, the sugar in the fruit starts to go bad fairly quickly. I recommend serving this cake as close to making it as possible.
a slice of vegan apple cake on a plate with apples in the background an another slice of cake beside it

Storage Instructions

The apple cake can be stored covered for around 2-3 days at room temperature.

If it’s very hot where you live, it should be stored in the fridge after 1 day because the apples will start to ferment (although putting cakes in the fridge will dry them out much faster!).

To freeze the cake, just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then repeat with aluminium foil. It can be frozen for up to 3 months, then thawed at room temperature.

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If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!

vegan apple cake on a plate with vegan ice cream on top and bits of crumble around it
5 from 20 reviews

Easy Vegan Apple Cake

Gabby Kislanko
This easy vegan apple cake recipe is filled with hints of cinnamon, bits of fresh apples, and a delicious cinnamon streusel topping! Made in one bowl and no mixer required!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12
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Ingredients
 

Vegan Apple Cake

  • 1⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (174 g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp (24 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar , (or lemon juice)
  • 1 cup (250 ml) vegan milk of choice
  • ⅓ cup (72 ml) oil
  • 1 ½ cup chopped apples (you can leave the peel on), (roughly 1 ½ apples)

Cinnamon Streusel

  • 2½ tbsp (30 g) granulated sugar
  • 2½ tbsp (30 g) light brown sugar
  • ½ cup (62.5 g) all-purpose flour
  • 4 tbsp (52.5 g) vegan butter, softened
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare an 8 inch or 9 inch round cake pan, or an 8×8 square baking pan. (8 inch pan will make a thicker cake!) Spray the inside with cooking spray, then cut a round (or square if using a square pan) piece of parchment paper so that it fits in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
  • Add the white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Pour milk into the cup until it reaches 1 cup (you’ll have one cup of liquid, total, so you'll need just under 1 cup of vegan milk). Let it sit until it looks curdled (this is your vegan buttermilk!).
  • Chop apple into small cubes, roughly 0.5”, then measure out 1 ½ cups, and set it aside. Prepare cinnamon streusel by combining butter, sugars, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mash with a fork/crumble with your hands. Set it aside.
  • In a large bowl, add flour, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
  • Pour the oil, vegan buttermilk, and vanilla extract into the bowl of the dry ingredients and whisk until a smooth batter forms. Fold the apples into the batter.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, then crumble the cinnamon streusel on top of the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. If using an 8 inch cake pan, the cake will take 5-15 minutes longer to bake.
  • Let the cake cool completely in the pan before removing it. Because it has a light crumb, you have to be careful that it doesn't break! Once cooled, run a butter knife around the outside of the cake a few times. Gently turn the cake upside down onto a plate, then repeat onto another plate so that the streusel is on top. Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream, vegan whipped cream, or enjoy as it!

Equipment

8" or 9" round cake pan
Mixing Bowl
Whisk

Video

Notes

PLEASE NOTE: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients. Metric measurements are found above under the “Metric” tab.
APPLES: You can use any kind of apples! The best are Gala, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith. You can also use Fuji or Pink Lady. You can leave the peel on, as the pieces are small enough that you don’t notice it.
MEASURING FLOUR: Properly measure your flour using the scoop and level method or a kitchen scale. This is crucial as too much flour will lead to a dry loaf.
OIL: Any neutral oil will work here, like sunflower, canola, or vegetable oil. Oil helps with the fluffy texture of the cake. You can also use melted butter or unsweetened apple sauce, though the texture may be affected slightly.
It is important to note that any substitutions to the original recipe will slightly change the texture of the cake. This includes different sweeteners and flours.
Storage and Freezing Instructions:
The apple cake can be stored covered for around 2-3 days at room temperature. If it’s very hot where you live, it should be stored in the fridge after 1 day because the apples will start to go bad (although note that putting the cake in the fridge will dry it out much faster!).
To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap, then repeat with aluminium foil. The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months, then thawed at room temperature.
Calories: 276kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 267mg, Potassium: 71mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 188IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 54mg, Iron: 2mg
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The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.