This is the BEST apple cake I’ve ever made! My #1 tip for gluten-free apple cake – slice the apples really thinly. (Also use yogurt/oil for the right texture!)
I tested and re-tested this recipe to get it just right! I think one bite and you’ll agree- this is the ultimate gluten-free apple cake!
There’s apple cake…and then there’s this apple cake!
One bite of this cake and you’ll see that the fresh, thinly sliced apples, spiced crumble topping, and vanilla glaze make it truly exceptional.
Something about the texture of the paper-thin, tart apples mixed evenly throughout the tender cake makes it unbeatable!
This is one of my favorite gluten-free cakes to make in the fall, when apples are at their peak and I’m ready to warm my home with tasty, comforting treats.
Best of all, you can make this with any type of apples. Go apple picking as a family or simply head to the grocery store and choose the very best apples you can find. Then head home to make this easy gluten free cake recipe!
Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate indulgence!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy to make
- Made with simple ingredients
- Classic fall flavors
- Great for apple season
- Can be made dairy-free
For more tried-and-true gluten-free cake recipes, try this gluten-free pumpkin cake, gluten-free banana cake, gluten-free carrot cake and gluten-free gingerbread cake.
If you love apples, you also might like these recipes for gluten-free apple crumble, gluten-free apple pie, gluten-free apple galette, gluten-free apple muffins, apple compote, gluten-free apple cider donut recipe and gluten-free apple crisp!
Ingredients for the Cake
Here’s what you’ll need to make this gluten-free apple cake:
- Gluten-free flour: This gluten-free cake turns out best when you use a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Look for a gluten free all purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum so the cake has the structure it needs. This is my favorite brand for this gluten-free apple cake recipe.
- Oil: A neutral oil like vegetable oil adds richness and tenderness without weighing down the crumb of this gluten-free apple cake.
- Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract for the best results and that real vanilla flavor.
- Sugar: I like to use Domino sugar for the best texture.
- Eggs: For best results with this gluten-free apple cake, use large eggs and room temperature.
- Apple: Any kind of apple will work for this cake! My favorites are Pink Lady, Honeycrisp or Granny Smith.
- Yogurt: You can use whole milk yogurt, or I like to use Kite Hill Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt to make a dairy-free, gluten-free apple cake.
- Baking soda/baking powder: I use a good amount in this recipe for the perfect rise.
- Salt: Salt balances the sugar and enhances the flavor of the spices and apples.
- Spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg are a match made in heaven!
Ingredients for the Crumble Topping
Here’s what you’ll need for the gluten-free apple cake crumble topping:
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds sweetness and a touch of molasses, for the ultimate crumble flavor.
- Butter: Butter is the basis of any crumble! I like to use unsalted real butter.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a dose of fall flavor and compliments the apples perfectly.
How to Make Gluten-Free Apple Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
- Use a mandoline slicer to create paper-thin slices of apples. (You can also do this with a knife and your best cutting skills.)
- Chop the apples with a knife to create even smaller, thinner apple slices.
NOTE: How you cut the apples really matters in this cake! Big chunks of apple will cause the crumb to clump up, while grated apples will disappear into the cake. Very thinly slice is best!
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar.
- Add the sliced apple and stir briefly to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, oil and yogurt until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with a rubber spatula until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan or springform pan.
- Make the cinnamon topping by combining the cinnamon, sugar and butter. Mix together until lumpy and wet.
- Sprinkle the butter and brown sugar mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter.
- Bake cake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake is fully cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk. Stir until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add an extra tablespoon of milk.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake. Slice and enjoy!
Storage Instructions
Store this gluten-free apple cake in an airtight container at room temperature, for 3-5 days.
FAQs
Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith apples are all fabulous choices for this gluten free apple cake recipe, but virtually any type of apple will work!
Yes, the juice from apples adds moisture to the cake and makes the cake taste fresher for a longer amount of time.
No, I don’t recommend just replacing the same amount of all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour. Gluten-free baking requires certain modifications to ensure the texture and structure is right. For this reason, it’s best to use a gluten-free cake recipe! (Like this recipe!)
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Thinly sliced apples: For best results make sure you use my method for thinly slicing apples (pictured above!). If you don’t use a mandoline slicer you can very thinly slice the apples with a knife. Just don’t chop the apples, or you won’t get the same heavenly texture!
- A mixture of oil/yogurt: This makes for a delicious crumb and texture! I use a mixture of oil/sour cream in many of my gluten-free cake recipes. Using yogurt or sour cream instead of butter makes a lighter crumb. Butterfat tends to make gluten-free cake clump up.
- Make it dairy-free: You can easily make this cake dairy-free by using dairy-free yogurt and dairy-free milk in the glaze. (I like to use Kite Hill Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt.)
- Type of apples: I love Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith apples for this cake, but you can use any variety of apples: Yellow, green, or red apples all work! Pick your favorite!
You might also like this gluten-free coffee cake.
More Gluten-Free Recipes
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you try this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
The BEST Gluten-Free Apple Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ⅓ cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour 210 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 grams
Other Cake Ingredients:
- 1 cup approximately 1 large red apple, very thinly sliced (see note)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil 120 ml
- ½ cup whole milk yogurt 120 ml (unsweetened dairy-free yogurt works too!)
For the Cinnamon Topping:
- ⅓ cup brown sugar 70 grams
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- Pinch of salt
For the Glaze:
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar 40 grams
- 1 –2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the sliced apple and stir briefly to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, oil and yogurt until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with a rubber spatula until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Make the cinnamon topping by combining the cinnamon, sugar and butter. Mix together until lumpy and wet. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter.
- Bake cake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake is fully cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk. Stir until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add an extra tablespoon of milk. Drizzle the glaze over the cake. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Thinly sliced apples: For best results make sure you use my method for thinly slicing apples (pictured above!). If you don’t use a mandoline slicer you can very thinly slice the apples with a knife. Just don’t chop the apples, or you won’t get the same heavenly texture!
- A mixture of oil/yogurt: This makes for a delicious crumb and texture! I use a mixture of oil/sour cream in many of my gluten-free cake recipes. Using yogurt or sour cream instead of butter makes a lighter crumb. Butterfat tends to make gluten-free cake clump up.
- Make it dairy-free: You can easily make this cake dairy-free by using dairy-free yogurt and dairy-free milk in the glaze. (I like to use Kite Hill Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt.)
- Type of apples: I love Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith apples for this cake, but you can use any variety of apples: Yellow, green, or red apples all work! Pick your favorite!
I’ve made this cake a few times. It’s amazing, thank you!! My family has requested I make it for every holiday and special occasion- instant hit. We’re grateful for your wonderful GF Apple Cake recipe. I’m making this again this week for Thanksgiving. 🙂
Hi Margaret, that’s wonderful to hear! Thank you for your positive review and enjoy your Thanksgiving!
Made this last night…it so good! The only change I made was date sugar instead of cane sugar, will definitely make again. Thank you!
We’re so glad you loved the apple cake and that the sugar substitution worked well for you, Elisa! Thanks for sharing!
How do you get the cake out of pan without flipping it?
I’m confused
Hi Rhonda, you can gently flip it out of the pan to get it onto the wire rack, but you’ll want it to cool upright on the rack to preserve the topping. Or you can line the pan with parchment paper in a way that helps you lift the cake out of the pan. Whichever works best for you! We hope you enjoy the cake!
Is there a healthier oil substitute that would work?
Hi Melissa, you can use any neutral oil in place of the vegetable oil. We hope you enjoy the cake!
Can you use Greek yogurt instead?
Hi Erica, we haven’t tried the recipe with Greek yogurt, but other readers have used it with success. We hope you enjoy the cake!
Hi there! Do you scoop the flour directly from the bag or do you spoon it in and level it off? I did the latter and the batter wasn’t nearly as dry as your photo. I also baked it a few minutes longer and it’s still underbaked.
Hi Kat, spooning it in and leveling it off is the best way to measure the flour by volume. Weighing the ingredients is the most accurate method. Did you use the recommended flour blend? Using other brands will impact the dry/wet ratio and liquid absorption. We hope this helps!
I am curious if you always let your GF batter rest to soften the grains. I know some batters don’t do well if they rest, just wondering your thoughts on it.
Hi Molly, good question! It can depend on the recipe, but more times than not, gluten-free flour benefits from rest or chill time to give it time to hydrate. Erin is great about noting in each recipe if rest or chill time is necessary. We hope you love the apple cake!
Hi! Wondering if you can use grated apple instead of sliced apples? Thanks!!
Hi Emily, using grated apples will add more moisture to the batter and cause a denser cake unless the wet/dry ratio is rebalanced. It still may be possible with some trial and error. If you decide to try it out, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Excellent cake and easy to bring together!! I made this for friends and we all loved it. I used 1 c cassava flour and 1/3 c almond flour. Thank you for a yummy and healthier recipe.
We’re so pleased to hear everyone loved the cake! It’s good to know those substitutions worked well for you too. Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us, Abbey!
Love this recipe! Curious which flour do you actually prefer to use for this recipe? The top of the article lists all of the ingredients and a link to your ‘favorite flour’, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. Lower down in the article under the ‘Ingredient’ section, you list and link to King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour: All-Purpose 1:1. I did a taste test making two cake trying out both flours… Would love to get your feedback on your recommendation. Thanks!
Hi Melissa, thank you for your question! We actually love both and use them interchangeably! The recipe was originally designed with the Bob’s Red Mill which is why it is listed higher in the article. Nowadays, we tend to use King Arthur more often. The recipe card links (ingredients section) sometimes get a little glitchy. Since we so often recommend King Arthur in newer recipes, that link must have swapped out in the recipe card automatically. We hope this helps!
Great I loved using it. It,s apple season in France
Hi Melanie! Thank you for your kind feedback. We’re so pleased to hear you enjoyed the cake!
A great recipe! I did not have any yogurt so substituted using a recipe to make my own with silken tofu, lemon juice and cashew milk! The cake turned out wonderful!
Hi Lisa, we’re so pleased you enjoyed the apple cake! It’s great to know those substitutions worked well for you. Thank you for sharing!
Excellent! Made exactly as written and loved by all. GF and non alike .
Definitely will be making again.
Thanks for another easy delicious recipe.
My family loved this recipe! They had no idea it was gluten free. Have already made it twice.
Yay! We’re so happy to hear everyone loved the cake! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us, Jackie!
Could you freeze this?
Hi Philicia, it’s best to freeze this one unglazed. Just cool the cake, place it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. If it already has the glaze on it, it can still be frozen, just keep in mind that the glaze will change texture as it thaws and may even absorb into the cake. We hope this helps!
I have low fat greek yogurt. Can I use that instead of whole fat yogurt? Should I mix butter and low fat yogurt? Any suggestions?
Hi Donna, we recommend using whole fat yogurt in this one. If you decide to try the nonfat yogurt, keep in mind it may cause the texture to be slightly drier and little less rich. We hope you enjoy the cake!
I made this for a GF birthday cake. I got told “best gluten free cake I’ve ever eaten”. Perfect consistency. Highly recommend! Added a few more spices & it was yummy!
Aww, what wonderful feedback! We’re so glad this recipe was such a hit, Donna. Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us!
Could you use buttermilk instead of yogurt
Hi Michelle, thank you for your question! We haven’t tried buttermilk, but it could potentially work. You would need to use a smaller amount of buttermilk since it is more liquid than yogurt. Or you’d need to reduce the other liquids, but that would require some trial and error. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!