This super soft & fluffy Vegan Apple Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect cake for Fall! With freshly grated apples and swirls of cinnamon throughout, it is the most delicious eggless & dairy-free apple snacking cake!
In case you didn't know, I have a thing for snack cakes! What started with my vanilla snack cake has slowly become a series of perfectly moist, fluffy, and delicious one-layer cakes to enjoy "just-because"!
Ingredients:
Ingredient & substitution notes:
- Apples: I decided to use freshly grated & strained Honeycrisp apples for this recipe. Grating the apples allows the flavor to soak into this cake and gives you apple bits in every bite.
- If you can't find fresh apples, you can substitute 1:1 with unsweetened applesauce.
- Olive oil: I love the tender texture olive oil gives cakes, but you can substitute 1:1 with other oils such as vegetable or avocado.
- The one oil I don't recommend baking with is coconut oil, as I find it makes cake batter a bit too dense and oily.
- Vanilla bean paste: Can be substituted 1:1 with vanilla extract
- Apple pie spice: This can be swapped 1:1 with pumpkin pie spice which is usually more readily available!
- Pastry/cake flour: This gives this apple spice cake a much more tender and light texture as pastry flour has less protein than all-purpose flour.
- To substitute with all-purpose flour and get a similar consistency, use 1 ¼ cups flour + 2 Tablespoons cornstarch in this recipe.
How to make apple snack cake
Peel & grate the apples
Depending on the size of your apples (and just how juicy they are!), you will need anywhere from 2-3 apples. Start by peeling the apples and grating them into a bowl. You can also cut them into large chunks and shred them in a food processor.
Then, use a mesh strainer to strain out the excess juice. We JUST want to use the grated apple here and remove the extra moisture for the right cake texture.
P.S.- If you can't find a mesh strainer, you can do this with your hands, but it usually leads to more apple waste, and you may need to grate another apple in this scenario.
P.P.S.- If you can't find fresh apples, substituting unsweetened applesauce also works for this recipe- but it doesn't taste quite as good!
Make the apple cake batter
Add the oat milk, apple cider vinegar, sugar, grated apples, olive oil, and vanilla bean paste to a bowl and whisk together.
Then, add in the dry ingredients, including the pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, apple pie spice/pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
Mix together until you have a thick batter. It will look pretty chunky because of the grated apple, but that's totally okay!
Bake the apple spice cake
Line an 8*8-inch square pan with parchment paper. Then, pour in the batter and smooth it out with a spatula.
Add the vegan apple cake to the oven and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Then, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely before making the frosting.
Make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting
Start by creaming together the vegan cream cheese and vegan butter. Once smooth, gradually add in the powdered sugar, cornstarch, and apple pie spice.
P.S.- Cream cheese tends to be VERY moist, which is why adding cornstarch helps. It absorbs some of the extra moisture without adding extra flavor so you can have a smooth and creamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting!
Frost the cake & enjoy!
Once the apple cinnamon cake has cooled completely, frost it! I like to use a cake spatula to do this. As a final step, add any toppings you desire.
I kept things pretty simple with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon, but dried apple slices would be a gorgeous edible topping (just like I did in this Apple Cider Bundt Cake!)
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make this apple cinnamon cake gluten-free?
While I have not tried it myself, it should work. You'll need to use a gluten-free 1:1 baking mix like this one from King Arthur.
Unfortunately, flour alternatives like coconut flour or almond flour will NOT work in this recipe as it's not a 1:1 substitution.
Can I bake this cake in a different-sized pan?
You can bake this apple spice cake in a circular 9-inch pan for similar results.
This recipe can also be doubled and baked in a 9-by-13-inch pan to make more cake. Please keep in mind that baking time may vary slightly in a different pan, so I recommend checking on the apple cake at the 25-minute mark.
How do I store vegan apple cake?
If unfrosted, the cooled cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 24 hours.
If frosted, you can cover the cake and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
You can also slice it and store it in a closed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Just defrost at room temperature for about 1 hour before enjoying!
I can't wait for you to try this easy & moist Vegan Apple Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting! It's the perfect cake for any occasion and is packed with all the best flavors of Fall. Enjoy!
-TSG
More vegan apple desserts you will love:
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Vegan Apple Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Apple Cake:
- 2 large apples peeled, grated, & strained
- ½ cup oat milk
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 Tablespoons vegan butter
- 6 Tablespoons vegan cream cheese
- 2-3 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 ⅓- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar start with 1 ⅓ and add more if you would like a sweeter frosting
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8*8 inch square pan with parchment paper or grease the pan lightly. Set aside for later.
Grate & peel the apples
- First, peel the apples to remove the outer skin. Then, use a grater to grate them into a bowl. You can also cut them into large chunks and shred them in a food processor.
- Use a mesh strainer to strain out the excess juice. We JUST want to use the grated apple here and remove the extra moisture for the right cake texture. If you can't find a mesh strainer, you can do this with your hands, but it usually leads to more apple waste, and you may need to grate another apple.
- Add the grated & strained apples to a large mixing bowl.
Make the cake batter:
- Next, add the oat milk, apple cider vinegar, sugar, oil, and vanilla to the bowl of grated apples and whisk together.
- Then, add in the dry ingredients, starting with the pastry flour and then adding the apple pie spice, baking powder, salt, and baking soda on top.
- Mix into a thick batter. I recommend starting with a whisk and then switching to a spatula so the batter does not get over-mixed. The batter will be a bit chunky, which is totally okay!
Bake the cake:
- Pour the batter into the pan and add to the oven. Bake for 30-32 minutes or until cooked through.
- Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then carefully move to a wire rack to finish cooling completely before frosting.
Make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting:
- Once the cake has cooled completely, make the frosting. Start by adding the butter, cream cheese, and cornstarch to a bowl. Use a standing mixer or electric mixer to whip for a minute or two until combined and fluffy in texture.
- Gradually whip in the powdered sugar and ground cinnamon until incorporated. Once combined, I recommend whipping the frosting for minute or two longer to make it extra fluffy!
Frost the cake:
- Use a cookie scoop to add the cinnamon cream cheese frosting to the cake and then spread it out with a cake spatula.
- Top with an extra dusting of cinnamon, dried apple slices, or even fresh apple slices. Then, serve & enjoy!
Notes
- Please see the blog post for substitution ideas & recipe tips.
- You can bake this cake in a circular 9-inch pan for similar results.
- This recipe can also be doubled and baked in a 9-by-13-inch pan if you want to make more cake. Please keep in mind, baking time may vary slightly depending on the pan size, so I recommend checking on your cake at the 25-minute mark.
- If unfrosted, the cooled apple cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap or tin foil and stored at room temperature for 24 hours.
- If frosted, you can cover the cake and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- You can also slice it and store it in a closed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Just defrost at room temperature for about 1 hour before enjoying.
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