Easy Gluten-Free Apple Snack Cake

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? ?) 

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:

• Pumpkin Snack Cake
• Chocolate Chip Snack Cake
• Blueberry Snack Cake
• Chocolate Snack Cake

(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 ½ cup. However, if you prefer a sweeter cake, you can use ⅔ 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?

📖 Recipe

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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 9

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
• ½ tsp. fine sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. grape seed oil plus enough unsweetened apple sauce to equal ⅓ cup
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup water
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 apple peeled, cored, and diced
• ½ 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.