Vegan Spiced Apple Cake with Salted Caramel. Tried tested and loved. All whole grain made with spelt flour and drizzled with salted caramel or date caramel. Makes 1 8 inch cake pan
It is finally getting sunny in the Northwest and warm.. oh so nicely warm. I gave an ultimatum to hubbs to take time off his crazy work hours(most days I see him at 8 pm). There is only so many weeks of beautiful sunny and warm weather. Then it will get too hot and then it will get rainy again.. I think we should declare summer vacation in the Northwest for everyone. 🙂
I can never make pretty cakes with pretty frosting or icing. a- I am just not patient enough and good at the whole frosting/piping/icing process and b- no one in the house likes sweet frosting so even when I do make some, the cake or cupcake will be eaten just because it needs to be. Have you noticed the dearth of cupcakes on the blog:).
Yes, a very sweet chocolate frosting will be discarded too.
What are some of your favorite fruit cakes/quick breads?
More Cakes, Quick Breads, brownies here.
Steps:
Mix flaxmeal in water and let sit for a few minutes. Add the spices, sugar, oil, coconut milk and combine.
Add dry ingredients and mix to combine into a batter.
Toss finely chopped Apples in Maple syrup, then add to batter and fold.
Drop batter into parchment lined cake pan.
Bake until done.
Drizzle with salted caramel or use any other favorite frosting/icing.
Video:
Recipe Card
Vegan Spiced Apple Cake with Salted Caramel
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons flaxmeal
- 1/4 cup (62.5 ml) warm water
- 1/2 cup (118.29 g) ground raw sugar
- 1/4 cup (56 ml) oil
- 1/4 cup (56.5 ml) coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vinegar I used apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup (120 g) Spelt flour , or use wheat flour (pastry flour preferable)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cinnamon powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground cloves
- a generous pinch of nutmeg
- a generous pinch of cardamom powder optional
- 1 Large Ripe apple chopped small 1/4 - 1/2 inch
- 2 Tablespoons Maple syrup
- Variations: Add chopped up walnuts/pecans some crystallized ginger.
Instructions
- Cake:
- In a bowl, add warm water and flaxmeal. Mix and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Add sugar, oil, coconut milk and whisk until sugar is well combined.
- Add vinegar and mix.
- In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients - spelt, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices.
- Add the dry to the wet and mix until well combined into a smooth batter.
- In a bowl, add chopped apples and maple syrup. Mix well to coat.
- Drop the apples into the batter. Fold to distribute well.
- Drop batter into parchment lined or well greased 8 inch cake pan.
- Bake in pre-heated 365 degrees F / 180ºc for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick from the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Drizzle some salted caramel, or a dollop of whipped coconut cream or use cream cheese frosting.
Video
Notes
Add sea salt, mix and take off heat as the mixtures comes to a boil.
(For Coconut cream, refrigerate a can a full-fat coconut milk for a few hours, then open the can and scoop out the thick cream on top) For date caramel use this. To make this cake gluten-free: Mix 2/3 cup almond flour, 1/3 cup rice flour, 3 tbsp potato starch. whisk well. Use a cup of of mix and add more a tbsp at a time to make a thick batter. Nutritional values based on 1 of 8 slices
Nutrition
I found this Info-graphic about what happens to Elephants in Circuses, especially Ringling Brothers. This also happens to all the other animals in the Circus. They are all uprooted from their natural surroundings, beaten, abused, starved to train and kept locked up almost all their life. It breaks my heart whenever I see a story about an elephant suffering in the name of entertainment.
Same is applicable to any animals or fish in any performance business/theme parks etc.
From Visually.
Jen
Amazing! My only complaint was that it turned out small! Lol will double next time
Vegan Richa Support
haha! yay, glad you enjoyed!
Caterina B
Sorry, Richa, I now see that the coconut milk is for the cake and the coconut cream is for the salted caramel topping. I would have deleted my question but there is no option to do so. Thanks!
Caterina B
I plan on making this cake today. I am confused, though. In one place you call for coconut milk and in another you say coconut cream. Which should I use? Thanks.
Suzy
How much sea salt do you add to the caramel topping? Thanks!
Richa
1/8 tsp
Ria
Hello good day
How much chopped apples to use ? 1/4 cup
Coz large apple can be very large too
Please advise
Can I have the salted caramel recipe please
Janice
This cake has become my favourite autumn dessert. Such a fabulous combination of flavor.
Richa
Awesome
Christiane Eppinger
Wonderful recipe!! I love the spices and the texture. So simple to do. It will be one of my staples.
Thanks for sharing!
Richa
Awesome
Ro
Am on a mission to blow family and friends who are not vegan away with how good vegan cakes etc can be so made this as well as the Golden Turmeric and Coconut Cake and it is very yummy and has been very well received….even by my 18 year old son (who is almost anti vegan 🙁 at the moment…..) and his friends who are none of them vegan either! Yay 🙂 Thanks again Richa for all your great recipes….I have cooked many over the last couple of years since discovering your website and have loved them all!
Maneesha
Hi Richa! Could you substitute the flax egg with aquafaba? How many tablespoons of aquafaba would you recommend?
Richa
Use 1 tbsp aquafaba for 1 tbsp flax seed meal
Sub
Abril Beltramone
Hi!!
I really want to try this one, how can i replace flax seed?
Richa
just omit it
Michelle
This is such a favorite! I double the recipe, use all purpose flour and bake it in a 9″ x 13″ pan. Everyone loves it!
Richa
awesome
Sarah
I’ve made this cake before and it is absolutely delicious! I’d like to make it again using a bundt pan. Would you suggest doubling or even tripling the recipe ingredients? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!
Richa
Yes double or triple depending on your pan size. Add more flour though (add a few tbsp at a time) , so the batter is slightly stiff. Larger pans need stiffer batter.
Richa
Yes doubl or triple based on pan size. Add more flour though so that the batter is a bit stiff. Larger pans need stiffer batter to hold the weight
Sarah
Thanks so much for your suggestions, Richa! I’ll let you know how it goes.
Ks
What is the purpose of dipping apples in syrup? What if I skip that step?
Also which variety of apples work best for baking?
Does apple cider vinegar add flavor compared to regular white vinegar?
Richa
maple adds coating on the apples so that they dont make the batter around the apples gummy. The moisture from the apples can keep the batter from baking well causing the batter around the food to be gummy rather than fluffy cake like, so you would have fluffy cake with some gummy areas around thr fruit without the maple. you can also toss the apples in flour instead.
Any sweet apples work. Apples that are too crisp or have thicker peel, like some green apple varieties dont work as well
no acv doesnt add flavor. vinegar any kind will work as it is just to help with leavening
Valarie
Temple elephants also have a sad existence. From the BBC:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-asia-india-43862182
Richa
yes they do. its very sad and people dont want to believe it because they feel like temples cant do anything wrong. the rescue sanctuaries try to rescue the elephants areoften faced with mob violence
Zakiya
Can the sugar be replaced with puréed apple and maple syrup, with reduced liquids (oil and milk)??
Richa
Yes, use 1/3 cup maple syrup. if you want to eliminate oil, use 2 tbsp appesauce/puree.
Zakiya
Thank you so much for your prompt reply! I will be trying this today!
Kirsten
I made this apple cake for my family over the weekend. It was so good! I am embarrassed to admit that between the 4 of us, it only lasted 1 day! I will make it again soon!
Richa
awesome
Setara
Gonna try this awesome recipe 🙂
Ringling closed by 21th May, 2017 but you may now 🙂 No elephants or other animals are harmed by them anymore. There’s still hope in this world!!! 🙂
Richa
Yes indeed, elephants retired before the closing which was a great step, but no one really knows how they are doing https://www.mysuncoast.com/news/local/is-feld-entertainment-preparing-to-move-their-retired-circus-elephants/article_a57f4490-68fa-11e7-a6fb-5f65347ddf1c.html
Ringling closed and there were reports that some tigers were headed to a german circus instead of retiring to sanctuaries or zoos. And there many other circuses still in operation. i’ll let this infographic be.
Setara
Still, it’s a big victory, especially because the company existed since 1871. To be honest, I don’t like zoos either. However animal friendly they can be, it’s still captivity. I hope that sanctuaries will be the future, where they can treat sick and abused animals and help breed endangered species and then let them free to the wild.
It’s a good infographic, I bet a lot of people still don’t know the cruelty involving circus life.
Nice sunday to you dear Richa 🙂
Richa
Yes, it is a victory for sure. So many people kept demanding removing the wild animals and slowly other circuses are facing that opinion as well. Yes Zoos are awful too.
Setara
I’ve made the cake and it’s awesome 🙂 you can check it here
https://www.instagram.com/veg_sis/
I’ve used grinded oatmeal and agave syrup instead of spelt flour and maple syrup. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Richa
awesome!
deepti
Hi Richa…whats the replacement for dipping apples in maple syrup? I dont have maple syrup or molasses….with date paste work?
Richa
date paste will work.
Nancy Este
absolutely love your recipes! Is this cake freezeable? I wanted to make it ahead and serve a week later. If so, would I simply defrost in the fridge overnight or reheat in oven?
thanks and keep these amazing recipes coming!!
Richa
I am not sure how it will do frozen with the apples baked in. The baked Cake will store refrigerated for upto 4 days.
Cathy
What can I use instead of spelt … don’t have any on hand and can’t run out to the store. Thank you!
Richa
wheat flour will work or a mix or all purpose and wheat flour
Robin
AMAZING cake! Wonderfully moist and tasty. I used a maple glaze instead of the salted caramel. Yum!
LJ
I was wondering if the flaxmeal can be substituted with something else in all your recipes.
Richa
chia seeds or chia seed meal will work
E. Boden
Hi Richa, your recipes really are so unbelievable good and tasty, i guess i will double my size because i can not stop eating your delicious food. Thank you for your love and passion you create your meals with. Wishing you all the best.
Latifa Lipton
Hi Richa,
Just wondering how high this cake is supposed to raise? Mine is not even an inch tall…what could I be doing wrong? I used a GF flour blend…do you think this could be the problem?
Thanks
Latifa
Richa
Yes gf cakes generally rise lower than regular with gluten flour cakes depending on the flours used. The cake height also depends on the amount of apples.
Latifa Lipton
Thank you!
What GF flour would make it raise higher do you think?
The taste is really good though…