This Almond Flour Apple Cake is a tender and moist apple cinnamon cake with streusel topping and a powdered sugar glaze. It’s naturally gluten-free and dairy-free and super easy to make!
Okay, believe it or not, this apple cake is my absolute favorite almond flour cake to date! That’s a pretty bold statement on my part, since there are quite a few amazing almond flour cakes already on the blog.
That includes this lemon almond flour cake, which is a reader favorite, and this almond flour carrot cake, which is a personal favorite!
Table of contents
What makes this almond flour apple cake so good?
I love this cake so much because it has the perfect balance of apple and cinnamon flavor. It’s also not overly sweet, despite the streusel topping and icing sugar glaze.
In addition to the flavor, the texture is simply amazing. It is soft, tender and fluffy without being mushy, which is sometimes a risk when baking with almond flour. It’s also made with shredded apple, which has some of the juice squeezed out. This means you get the apple flavor and flecks of apple texture, without big chunks of apple, which can sometimes made the inside of cakes soggy.
Lastly, any cake that’s topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping and sweet glaze, is a winner in my opinion.
You can’t go wrong with this cake as a make ahead holiday dessert, especially if you’re looking for a gluten-free and dairy-free dessert option. It also makes a delicious snack cake to pair with an afternoon cup of tea!
Ingredients and substitutions
Below is a brief overview of the ingredients and recommended substitutions. The recipe card at the end of this post includes the exact quantities used.
Almond flour – Make sure you’re using blanched almond flour and not almond meal. I explain in the next section the difference between the two. The finer texture of the flour just results in a better cake texture in my opinion.
Gluten-free flour – For the streusel topping, you’ll need some gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour. I tried making the streusel topping with almond flour, but the 1-to-1 baking flour produced the better results. If you don’t need this cake to be gluten-free, you can use all purpose flour for the streusel.
Apple – All you need is one small apple or enough to yield 85 grams of grated apple. I prefer Honeycrisp or Gala, but other sweet and crisp apple varieties will work too.
Eggs – For leavening and moisture, you’ll need 3 large eggs brought to room temperature.
Cane sugar – I tested this cake with both cane sugar and coconut sugar, and preferred the flavor and texture of cane sugar. You can substitute granulated sugar for the cane sugar but the texture may be slightly different. I haven’t tested it with brown sugar, but it will likely add more moisture to the cake, so substitute with caution.
Brown sugar – You’ll need brown sugar for the streusel topping. You can substitute with coconut sugar, but brown sugar yields the best results. Feel free to use dark or light brown sugar.
Oil – Just 1/4 cup of oil adds a little more moisture to the cake. I used olive oil here, but extra virgin olive oil, vegetable oil or avocado oil would also work.
Plant-based butter – Cold, cubed butter will bring the streusel topping together. To keep this cake dairy-free, I used plant-based baking sticks, but you can use cow’s butter if you prefer. Avoid buttery spreads as they won’t have the same texture as baking sticks.
Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon is essential for both the cake and the streusel topping. It’s not overpowering, but it does complement the apple and brown sugar topping nicely.
Baking powder – For leavening.
Salt – To enhance the other flavors. I used fine sea salt but kosher salt or even table salt works too.
Vanilla – Also to enhance the other flavors. If you can, use real vanilla extract instead of artificial.
Powdered sugar – This is for the glaze. If it’s lumpy, make sure to sift it before whisking it with the milk.
Almond milk – Just a little is mixed with the powdered sugar. I used unsweetened almond milk to keep the recipe dairy-free, but you can use cow’s milk or cream if you prefer. Other plant-based options such as cashew milk or oat milk will work too. Just make sure the oat milk is gluten-free.
Difference between almond flour and almond meal
Both are made from ground raw almonds, but they have a slightly different texture.
Almond meal is coarser as the skins are left on the almonds.
Almond flour is made with blanched almonds, or almonds with the skins removed, so it has a lighter color and finer texture.
I prefer to bake with almond flour. Bags of it are also readily available at most grocery stores. I buy in bulk at Costco as it’s the most budget friendly option I’ve found.
How to make this apple cinnamon cake with almond flour
Below is a brief overview of the steps to make this cake along with photos. For further details, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Measuring ingredients
For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you’ll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you’ll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.
Storage and freezing tips
This apple cake made with almond flour is super moist, so it will stay soft and tender for days. We like to keep it stored in an airtight container at room temperature, where it will last for 2-3 days. For longer storage, you can keep it in the fridge for 5-6 days.
You can also freeze this cake. You’ll just want to leave off the powdered sugar glaze. Let the cake fully cool and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in a freezer safe container. It will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. When ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature and top with the glaze.
Key recipe tips
- Grated apple. Be sure to use the medium holes on your box grater. If you shred the apple with the smaller holes, it will be too fine and wet for the cake.
- Weigh the apple. For greater accuracy, I recommend weighing the grated apple before and after squeezing out the juice. Also, please don’t skip this step. The cake will end up too moist if the juice isn’t squeezed out.
- Measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, be sure to measure your flour using the spoon and level method with a dry measuring cup. If you measure your flour by scooping it out of the bag, it’ll be packed and you’ll end up with too much for the cake.
- Cold butter. To achieve a crunchy streusel topping, make sure your butter is cold and cubed. If it is too warm, the topping will spread too much. Once the topping is made, I usually pop it in the fridge while the cake batter comes together.
- Room temperature ingredients. Aside from the cold butter needed for the streusel, you’ll want your refrigerated ingredients brought to room temperature so they whisk together easily. This includes your eggs and almond flour (if you store it in the fridge).
- Grease and line the pan. While we’re using a springform pan for easy release, you’ll still want to grease the pan well and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Let the cake cool. Almond flour cakes need time to set up. If you cut into it when it is still warm, it may be crumbly.
- Omit glaze. If you would like to reduce the sweetness of the cake, feel free to leave off the powdered sugar glaze.
Recipe FAQs
You’ll want to use crisp apples that hold their shape. Sweet apples are a great option such as Honeycrisp, Jazz, Gala and Fuji. For a tart, crisp apple, Grannny Smith works well.
It will be easier to grate the apples if you leave the skin on and the skin adds texture to the cake. Just make sure you choose apples without dents or blemishes, and wash the skin with water before grating.
I recommend using an 8-inch springform pan for this cake. The removable sides mean you don’t need to invert the cake to remove it from the pan and possibly flatten the streusel topping. In terms of size, an 8-inch round is the best size. I don’t recommend using a 9-inch as the resulting cake will not be very high.
While this cake uses many plant-based ingredients, I haven’t tested it without eggs. As they’re important for rise, I don’t recommend making this cake with an egg substitute.
This could be because the cake pan used was too small for the batter or the oven door was opened too early to check on the cake. Also, if the streusel topping isn’t evenly distributed on top of the cake, it may cause it to sink in places.
More apple recipes
More almond flour recipes
- Almond Flour Cupcakes
- Almond Flour Blondies
- Almond Flour Chocolate Cake
- Almond Flour Orange Cake
- Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
- Almond Flour Banana Cake
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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Almond Flour Apple Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Almond Flour Apple Cake is a tender and moist apple cinnamon cake with streusel topping and a powdered sugar glaze. It’s naturally gluten-free and dairy-free and super easy to make!
Ingredients
For the streusel topping:
- 1/4 cup (40g) gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour
- 1/4 cup (60g) brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons plant-based butter, cold and cubed
For the cake:
- 2 1/2 cups (260g) blanched almond flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (110g) cane sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 small apple (Honeycrisp or Gala)
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup (70g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 3–4 teaspoons unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Make the streusel topping by adding the 1-to-1 baking flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter to a small bowl. Use a fork, pastry cutter or your fingers to mix together the ingredients until crumbly. Place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Use the medium holes on a box grater to grate the apple. You will need 1/2 cup or 85g of grated apple. Wrap the grated apple in a paper towel and squeeze out some of the juice. The grated apple should weigh 55g after the juice is squeezed out. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir until just combined.
- Fold the grated apple into the cake batter. Do not add in the excess apple juice.
- Add the batter to your prepared pan and use an offset spatula to spread it out evenly. (The batter will be thick).
- Evenly scatter the streusel mixture on top of the batter.
- Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the sides and transferring it to a wire rack to fully cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and almond milk and drizzle it over the cake.
- Slice and serve, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Notes
- Grate the apple by using the medium holes on your box grater. If you shred the apple with the smallest holes, it will be too small and wet for the cake.
- For greater accuracy, I recommend weighing the grated apple before and after squeezing out some of the juice.
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale, be sure to measure your flour using the spoon and level method with a dry measuring cup.
- To achieve a crunchy streusel topping, make sure your butter is cold and cubed. If it is too warm, the topping will spread too much. Once the topping is made, I pop it in the fridge while the cake batter comes together.
- If you would like to reduce the sweetness of the cake, feel free to omit the powdered sugar glaze.
- Be sure to check out the other sections above the recipe card for more detailed advice and suggestions for making this recipe.
I love this recipe! I’ve used it a few times and it always turns out great. My only qualm is that there’s more sugar than apple, so I’d hardly call the recipe an “apple cake”. I add waaaaay more apple than the recipe calls for. Makes a great breakfast cake to go with morning tea ❤️