Name: Easy Gluten-Free Apple Snack Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour ((I use Bob's Red Mill)); 1 tsp. xanthan gum; 1 tsp. baking soda; 1 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt; 2 Tbsp. grape seed oil (plus enough unsweetened apple sauce to equal 1/3 cup); 1/2 cup maple syrup; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 3/4 cup water; 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar; 1 apple (peeled, cored, and diced); 1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)

Fall officially begins in two days! Do you plan to go apple picking? Here’s a tasty way to enjoy your haul. And this easy gluten-free apple snack cake is a piece of cake to prepare! (See what I did there? ?) Jump to recipe →

Have you ever bought boxed cake mix? I use to be a fan. Then I realized mixing ingredients isn’t all that difficult. And it’s good to know what’s in your baked goods. Have you ever read the ingredients on those boxes?

More Snack Cake Recipes

I make my snack cakes with simple plant-based ingredients, and mix and bake them in the same pan! (Translation: fewer dishes to wash!) I enjoy exploring different versions of the same basic recipe. You may also like:

(I ice the chocolate snack cake with dark chocolate avocado frosting to make it extra special.)

All of the recipes share these common ingredients:

Gluten-free all-purpose flour (I use Bob’s Redmill)
Xanthan gum (Acts as a binder and keeps the cake moist – I’ve tried substitutes and haven’t been as pleased with the results)
Baking soda
Sea salt
Grapeseed oil and applesauce
Maple syrup
Apple cider vinegar
Water

Easy Gluten-Free Apple Snack Cake

This easy gluten-free apple snack cake adds cinnamon, vanilla, diced apple, and chopped walnuts to the basic mix. A winning combo, in my humble opinion!

I’m trying to subdue my sweet tooth, so I reduced the maple syrup to 1/2 cup. However, if you prefer a sweeter cake, you can use 2/3 cup.

Never be afraid to adjust ingredients to your taste. I like the mild mix of flavors this cake offers. You may decide it needs a little more cinnamon, vanilla or… I encourage you to experiment and make it your own. What if you used pears instead of apples?

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Easy Gluten-Free Apple Snack Cake

Mix and bake this simple vegan recipe in the same pan!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
2 Tbsp. grape seed oil plus enough unsweetened apple sauce to equal 1/3 cup
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup water
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 apple peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 cup walnuts chopped

Instructions

Preheat toaster oven or conventional oven to 350º F
Add dry ingredients to an ungreased 8x8 baking dish and mix with a fork until well blended.
Add wet ingredients and continue to mix with a fork - making sure to scrape along bottom and edges of baking dish - until well combined.
Bake approximately 30 minutes at 350ºF (if using convection setting) or 35-40 minutes (if using conventional oven) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in pan on wire rack for at least one hour prior to cutting.

Notes

I bake these snack cakes in my Breville toaster oven. It heats up quickly and cooks perfectly!

Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.