Paleo Gluten-Free Apple Cake is THE best apple cake recipe ever! An easy, healthy dessert that’s full of all the best fall flavors! Plus it’s Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar free!
It’s September! {YAY}! Which means my favorite season of all is upon us….fall! I have thoroughly enjoyed summer…however I am ready for the cooler temperatures, scarves, boots, and all the fall recipes, including this Gluten-Free Apple Cake!
This paleo, gluten and dairy-free moist apple cake recipe comes together in no time and is packed full of nutritious ingredients! Eat it for breakfast, eat it for brunch, serve it warm for dessert smothered with some Paleo Vanilla Ice cream. You really can’t go wrong.
This Paleo Apple Cake is irresistible! My daughter and I kept sneaking bites before dinner, and couldn’t stop! Perfectly sweet, seriously moist, and bursting at the seams with bits of appley goodness!
Not all apples are created equal
I have to pause to say that I am a bit of an apple snob! I have been obsessed with delicious apples for as long as I can remember. The reigning champions in my life are Pink Ladies and Honey Crisps.
No joke…I even gave a speech in college on the superiority of Honey Crisp Apples (and their origin, science behind their discovery, etc.) and brought a tray full of apple slices to pass out to the class. Yep. I’m an apple nerd.
My husband, however, is the complete opposite. When we got married he thought there were three varieties of apples, red, yellow and green! {sigh}! I totally capitalized on that for a while and bought him whatever variety were on sale (saving cash money because my hubby is an apple monster), and me the {usually} more expensive favorites.
However, after a few years he got wiser and didn’t like his “Ritch apples” as much anymore. He insisted on eating my “Laura apples” and that whole “what’s yours is mine” thing went out the window.
I was horrified to open the fridge and find that all of my apples had been eaten, and the {obviously sub-par} apples were left sitting in the drawer. We worked it out and I simply bought more of the good stuff…but it was a trying time in our relationship. 😂🍎
What are the best apples for baking this Gluten-Free Apple Cake?
Any who. I believe the absolute best apples for baking are Pink Lady apples. They are a little sweet, and a little tart, and absolutely perfect in this Gluten-Free Apple Cake recipe! Some suggestions include (but are not limited to):
- Pink Lady Apples. Must mention again because they’re my favorite!
- Honey Crisp Apples. These are a sweeter variety, but super crisp with amazing flavor.
- Granny smith. The traditional tart baking apple! They hold up well and add a nice little sour kick to the recipe!
- Jazz apples and Gala apples. These varieties are very similar. They are great for baking but are mostly sweet with little (if any) sour taste!
How to make Gluten-Free Apple Cake
- Finely dice the apples. This will ensure that the apples in the cake are fully baked (and not hard and crunchy)
- No Peeling Required. Since peeling is unnecessary, this best Apple Cake recipe is SUPER easy to make. I love that keeping the skin on the apples adds nutrition and fiber to this fabulous fall dessert!
- Making the topping. I know I say that the topping is optional, but really the sweet and salty crunch of the pecans is SO good I don’t recommend skipping it! I use a nut chopper to finely chop the pecans, but you can use a knife and cutting board if you don’t have one of those!
- Let it cool before removing from the cake pan. Please be sure to give this gluten-free apple cake recipe plenty of time to cool in the cake pan. This ensures that it will hold it’s shape and not fall apart when it’s removed from the pan.
Gluten-Free Apple Cake: Ingredients & Substitutions
As always it is best to follow this gluten-free Paleo Cake recipe as it’s written, but here are a few potential substitutions!
- Tapioca Flour. Arrowroot powder is an acceptable substitute for tapioca flour! You can also use corn starch but it’s not paleo.
- Coconut oil. Butter is a super yummy {but not dairy-free} substitute for coconut oil! Ghee is also a great substitution!
- Coconut sugar. Any granulated sugar works great in this recipe, just be sure it complies with your dietary needs.
- Pecans. I have used walnuts with delicious results as well!
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Paleo Apple Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 TBS tapioca flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups chopped apples
Topping:
- ¼ cup pecans chopped
- 1 TBS coconut sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degress F. Grease an 8x8” pan, set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt, and ½ tsp of cinnamon; set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together melted coconut oil, coconut sugar.
- Mix in egg and and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Stir in the apples, pour into prepared pan.
- Sprinkle pecans on top.
- In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over pecans.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven until the bars spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let bars cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
More delicious apple recipes:
- Make some pie, check out our recipes for BEST apple crumble pie, or classic apple pie!
- We make this Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal for breakfast all the time!
- These Healthy Cinnamon Apples are made on the stovetop and taste so good!
- These Cinnamon Apple Muffins are the best! Enjoy them with a warm cup of coffee for a perfect fall breakfast!
- I could eat 3 of these Paleo Apple Crumb Muffins in one sitting!
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Julia Whaling
I made this recipe yesterday and it was so delicious! I could eat the entire cake in one sitting. I did use 2 eggs as the mix was to stiff to stir in the apples and it worked great.
Teri
Made as is is delicious! I was trying to replicate an apple cake my mom used to make, so I doubled the recipe and added an egg- I did also added a little freshly grated nutmeg. it was perfect The nut topping was not part of the original recipe, but I kept that since it took things over the top!
Kalebandit
So delicious. I was craving apple something as September crept in. Served with a caramel ice cream over warm cake. Thank You
Deanne
FInally. A truly DELICIOUS paleo cake!! I doubled the recipe, and used walnuts as I was out of pecans. I have tons of apples left to use so am going to make another double batch tomorrow and freeze it. The husband even said he could eat this regularly! Thank you, thank you!!
Laura
Thank you so much Deanne! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! When in doubt, double a cake right?!
Nataline
Hi all, what can I substitute for Tapioca flour.. my cupboard is not exactly as it use to be so I also do not have any corn starch… I can handle the substitute if it’s not paleo; no problem. Thanks. I really want to make this today!
Laura
You can use gluten-free all purpose flour or regular flour!
Byenia
I’ve made two batches of this apple cake now. In the first I used only 2 tbsp of sweetener in the cake mix (went with organic cane sugar since I don’t have coconut sugar) and only 1/2 tbsp of sugar in the topping, plus I used Kerrygold unsalted butter instead of coconut oil (since I’m out of it right now). Diced 2 fairly sweet apples for it, which were more than 2 cups worth.
The second batch I just doubled (based on the amount of sugar and butter I used in the first), but I stuck with using only 2 apples again. Both turned out great! Didn’t stay together terribly well, but that’s fine. They tasted good so that’s what matters most. 🙂
Barbara
I made this cake last week and shared it with others. Everyone loved the taste! However, my version was very crumbly and falling apart. Maybe I didn’t cut the apples small enough? Any suggestions?
Yuliana
Simply amazing, my whole family lived it and asked for second slice. Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Mindy
Wow! What an amazing cake! I love the sweet and crispy top! I have dietary restrictions, so I made some substitutions and it came out wonderful – looked just like the photo! My gluten loving family ate it up as well! I used 50/50 coconut and avocado oil blend (when that is gone I will be using only avocado oil). I used granulated golden Latanko monkfruit sweetener, walnuts, added more cinnamon plus some ground ginger and ground cardamom plus I used 1 3/4 cups diced apple. I am also an apple nerd and only get my apples from a local orchard. I used Stayman Winesap for this recipe. Some of my favorite varieties are Pixie Crunch (which won a blind taste test at our farmer’s market), Sansa which is a late summer variety and a long keeper called Keepsake (the orchard uses this variety for their applesauce). I used an 8″ round pan that has a silicone edge so it pops out easily. I will be making this often! Thanks!
Rachel Yee
Best fruit cake ever!!! I was in doubt if I’ve made it correctly as the batter seems dry, but it turned up super tasty, love it! I’ll continue to try other recipes from you, Laura! Thanks for the great recipes sharing.
Veronica Lev
This apple cake is a real sweet pleasure, the explosion of flavor it gives with the very first bite is nothing short of amazing, fresh and delicious this is a treat to enjoy with your friends and family.
Dana
This recipe was amazing! I doubled it and made it with coconut flour instead since I’m sensitive to anything almond and it worked out great. I had to of course just about half the coconut flour to almond flour and I was afraid it’d come out dry but it was perfect. I like the idea of less sugar and more cinnamon and other spices so I’ll try that next time. I have made many paleo dessert recipes and I think this one might (by far) be the best yet! Thank you for sharing!
Soneah
I can’t have almond flour also and I was thinking of using coconut flour. So for one batch I should use 1/2 a cup of coconut flour instead of 1 cup almond flour? I am a bit new to this and I worry about screwing up and wasting time and ingredients.
Laura
Coconut flour cannot be substituted for Almond flour. You can try tapioca flour/starch.
SONEAH
So how much tapioca flour should I add in place of the almond flour?
Angeliki
This recipe is fantastic! I even used less sugar and (kind of) sour apples from our apple tree and it still turned out SO yummy. It’s so simple to make, it’s going to be a staple in our household. Thank you so much!
Angela Arsenault
I love this recipe! I only used a third of the sugar and I serve it with a drizzle of maple syrup! OMG! It’s amazing! I will definitely try it with some nutmeg as well. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Laura
Thank YOU for letting me know you love it!
Lieze
Can I make this with normal flour??
Laura
Yes!
Alice
Thank you for sharing this! It’s a brilliant recipe! I was diagnosed coeliac about 7 years ago & now follow a paleo lifestyle due to a number of gut health issues/intolerances. I grew up with my mum’s apple cake & it was my absolute FAVOURITE! In 7 years I haven’t had anything as close & delicious to it as this cake here. I did halve the sugar & add some nutmeg,allspice, ginger & extra cinnamon, but it just worked out so well. Will definitely be making it for years to come, as my husband & kids loved it too (although to be fair they were lucky they got any of it – I may have scoffed most of it – oops). Thank you!
Laura
Thank you Alice! I am so glad you found a recipe that fits your lifestyle! <3 Sharing is definitely overrated!
Tina
Omg! This is amazing. My daughter fixed it fore for my birthday. I’m on week 4 on paleo. Lost 8 lbs, and my inflammation has really proved!
Laura
Congrats Tina! So glad you enjoyed this! And happy birthday!
Jana
Can i use unsweetened apple sauce instead of sugar? if so, how much? should i also use some raisins to sweeten it up a tad? making it for someone who does not like a sweet cake.
Marisa
It’s SO GOOD! Next time I’ll double the recipe, and add a bit more cinnamon. This was my first gluten-free bake and it’s got me very excited to try other recipes! Thanks!
Barbara
I was looking for something sweet for my family one night that could use up some aging apples. My family LOVED this cake! It was SO easy to make and so delicious! This will likely be made in our house again and again! Thank you!!
Konna
I just made this today and it was great! I used half blanched almond flour and half unblanched. I was a bit worried since the batter wasn’t very runny but it turned out great! I can only get one type of apple where I live but it still worked great. I also halved the coconut sugar in the batter. Thanks for a keeper than my hubby even liked!