Apple Crumb Cake

Deliciously sweet and easy healthier apple crumb cake that is undetectably vegan and gluten free! Layered with a cinnamon crumble and fresh apples, it’s the perfect fall treat!

I know your favorite apple dessert is probably the ever so classic apple pie, but hear me out.

This healthy version of an apple crumb cake had my entire family’s jaws on the floor. And all of my friends. And myself (as I triple checked that I did indeed use gluten free and vegan ingredients ha!).

It’s the deliciously sweet vanilla cake, layered with freshly chopped cinnamon coated apples, and sprinkled with a gluten free cinnamon crumble on top.

I mean, what could be better?! It’s a bite of spicy and sweet gooey fall deliciousness with every forkful.

And, not to mention, it’s easy, quick, and goes perfectly with a cup of coffee or a scoop coconut milk ice cream 🙂

Cinnamon apple crumb cake ingredients

Another reason why I love this cinnamon apple crumb cake is that it’s made with really simple ingredients.

Yes, this cake is both gluten free and vegan, but with the ratio and combination of healthy ingredients below, you’d never be able to tell! It’ll be our little secret when your taste testers give this cake a whirl 😉 And, not to mention, a much welcomed treat after all of that tedious apple picking!

So, let’s get to it. The ingredients you’ll need for this gluten free apple cake are:

• Gluten free 1:1 baking flour: with this being a 1:1 gluten free apple cake, however, you can swap in regular flour if you don’t need this to be gluten free!
• Apples
• Cinnamon
• Dairy free milk with apple cider vinegar: this creates a vegan buttermilk key for making vegan baked goods
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Vegan butter: however, you can swap in regular butter or coconut oil… it might have a slight coconut flavor though!
• Coconut sugar
• Vanilla

And that’s it! Pretty simple, right? Trust me, you are going to love this fall treat!

Now let’s go over how to turn those apples you just picked into a delicious and healthy apple cake!

How to make an apple crumb cake

Making a gluten free apple cake isn’t as scary as it sounds, and it’s actually quite easy to make it taste like it’s gluten counterpart.

First, let’s start with the gluten free cinnamon crumble topping, which is just a mixture of gluten free flour, cinnamon, coconut sugar and vegan butter.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour in the melted vegan butter and combine it all until it becomes a crumble.

Next, toss the chopped and skinned apples in a bit of cinnamon, and set those aside as well.

Now, move onto the cinnamon vanilla cake part! In a large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (gluten free flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and a pinch of cinnamon).

Add in the wet ingredients and combine it all together until it’s a nice and consistent batter.

Now we assemble our healthy apple crumb cake! Pour the batter into a large sheet cake pan, and sprinkle the apples on top.

Sprinkle the cinnamon crumble on top and place it into the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean, and there ya go!

Slice, serve, and enjoy 🙂

Tips for the best healthy apple desserts

These tips, while they apple (….I mean apply…slip of the keyboard there ha!) to this healthy apple cake, can be used across all fun and festive apple desserts 🙂 And if this doesn’t hint to the type of fall we’ll be having, then I don’t know what will (you can expect a lot of apple from me 🙂 ).

So what can you do to make your healthy homemade apple crumb cake out of the park?

• For a sweeter cake, use gala or pink lady apples. I know everyone says granny smith, and nothing against the green apple, but I personally love a very sweet apple cake. So most of the time, I recommend gala, even for apple pie! Golden delicious is also wonderful, however, if you do like the more tart flavors, go for a granny smith or pink lady!
• The type of cinnamon you use matters! Saigon cinnamon tends to be sweet, but bold in spice and flavor, while Ceylon cinnamon is more sweet and light.
• Serve warm or cold! Personally, I love these apple crumb bars, and really any apple dessert, warm or chilled! If you’re serving it warm though, I highly recommend a scoop of ice cream on top 😉 Which leads me to…
• What to serve your cake with: a drizzle of homemade vegan icing (such as this one from my vegan cinnamon rolls) or a scoop of coconut milk or regular ice cream will do just fine! It would also be great with this date caramel sauce 🙂

Don’t you just love fall?! Ugh this recipe is SO getting me in the mood! I hope you love this easy apple crumb cake as much as I do!

If you give it a go, let me know in the comments below, and of course, I’d absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Pinterest and Instagram, so be sure to tag me there 🙂

Happy baking and apple picking!

If you like this recipe, you’ll love:

Apple Pie Overnight Oats

Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Paleo Coffee Cake

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

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