A reader favourite for a reason! This version of traditional German apple cake (apfelkuchen) is vegan friendly and made with flavourful spelt flour. This cake bakes up soft and tender with a perfect caramelized sugar ring around the edge. Topped with cinnamon sugar, this vegan apple cake is a perfect autumn indulgence. Enjoy with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream or whipped cream on the side. Makes 1-8" cake.
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Why This Recipe Works
My family grew up with many German traditions and we ate plenty of traditional German food, including Apfelkuchen on occasion. While there are certain German foods I can't exactly make vegan, this recipe is easy enough and it's sure to please any nostalgic palette. My dad thoroughly enjoys it and I like to think it reminds him of "the old country".
This version is made with flavourful spelt flour which adds a slight nutty taste to the cake. However, this recipe doesn't taste "healthy" and you can certainly use all purpose flour if you prefer. A cinnamon sugar topping is almost mandatory for apple cakes and this recipe holds true to that standard. As the cake bakes, the sugar caramelizes around the edge and gives the top some sugary crunch.
The batter for this recipe is not like other cake batters; it's thicker which means you need to spread the batter into your pan somewhat. This single layer cake rises about 1 ½-2" high. Readers have enjoyed making this cake for many years with lots of positive feedback.
Praise for This Recipe
"I absolutely love this cake! I’ve made it 3 times and it’s perfect every time! Earned some brownie points from the German in-laws too! Thanks xx"
"Delicious and super easy!"
"Loved how fast+easy it came together! The smell and taste are spot on—like my German grandma used to make"
Ingredients & Substitutions
For the full detailed list of ingredients and quantities, see the recipe card further down the post. This recipe requires just 10 simple ingredients:
- Gala apples or granny smith (see notes below on other varieties that work)
- Flax meal
- Vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil
- Unsweetened almond milk or plant based milk of choice (soy, cashew or oat)
- Almond extract or vanilla extract if you prefer
- Spelt flour or all purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground ginger
- Ground cinnamon
- Granulated sugar or use unpacked brown sugar if you prefer.
The Best Apple Varieties To Use
Almost any apple will work for this recipe. However, I recommend not using the red delicious as they tend to be on the drier side and hold up to baking all that well. Choose one of the following varieties that are juicy, crisp, and hold their shape during baking:
- Cosmic crisp
- Gala
- Pink lady
- Honey crisp
- Jazz
- Braeburn
Step by Step Guide
This recipe from start to finish requires about one hour, including prep time. The following is a brief overview of the steps involved. For the full detailed instructions for making my vegan apple cake, see the recipe card a little further down the post.
- Prepare the spring form pan.
- Combine the flax meal and water and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and ginger.
- Mix together the vegetable oil, sugar, almond milk, almond extract and flax mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Arrange the apple slices on top.
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the cake.
- Bake the cake in the preheated oven.
- Let the cake stand for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before serving.
Helpful Tips
- Use Gala or Granny Smith apples: As mentioned above, avoid red delicious apples. The apple pieces need to stay in tact while baking instead if creating a mushy mess.
- Cut the apples ¼" thick: This is thin enough that they bake evenly and become soft and easy to slice though. Larger slices can create dips or hard spots in the apple layer.
- Use a neutral tasting vegetable oil: I use extra virgin olive oil, however, other neutral vegetable oils will work. Avoid full bodied olive oils as they could alter the flavour of your cake.
- Don't over mix the batter: As with most cake recipes, mix the batter just until the flour is combined. This means there should be no white streaks of flour. Over-mixing can cause too much gluten formation which makes the cake dense and not rise properly.
- Wait 10 minutes before releasing your cake from the pan: A hot cake is more prone to breaking. Place the cake pan on a cooling rack and wait about 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Don't extend the pan cooling time otherwise your cake will start to condensate and could become mushy.
Storage
Storage: the baked cake should be stored covered in the fridge and should last up to 3-4 days this way.
Freezing: I don't suggest freezing this cake as the apple slices become soggy after defrosting.
For information on safe food handling and storage, please visit: the Government of Canada Food Safety website, USDA Food Safety Inspection Agency website or your country's official food safety website.
More Recipes
If you like this recipe, check out similar reader favourites:
If you made my German Vegan Apple Cake please leave me a comment below with a star rating; it really helps others who are interested in making the recipe. For more from The Simple Green, follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest. Consider becoming a subscriber to receive emails of new recipes and posts.
Vegan Apple Cake [German Apfelkuchen]
Special Equipment
- 1 8" spring form pan
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large gala apples, peeled, cored and cut lengthwise into ¼" slices
- 2 tablespoon flax meal
- 4 tablespoon filtered water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ¼ cups spelt flour, or all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
For the Topping
- 2-3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Line the bottom of an 8" round spring-form pan with parchment paper and grease the edges. Set aside.
- Combine the flax meal and water and let stand for 5 minutes.2 tablespoon flax meal, 4 tablespoon filtered water
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and ginger.1 ¼ cups spelt flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- In a large bowl, mix together the vegetable oil, sugar, almond milk, almond extract and flax mixture. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.½ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk, ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and arrange the apple slices in concentric circles on top. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over the cake making sure to cover the entire surface.2 medium-large gala apples, 2-3 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the cake stand for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Use a knife and gently run around the edge of the cake to help it release. Cool completely before serving.
Nutrition
This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your preferred calculator.
Disclaimer
all recipes on The Simple Green are developed and tested in a Canadian kitchen, at normal elevation, using electric appliances and ingredients available in Canada. Results may vary.
Made this cake today and it was wonderful!
I only needed one apple and the top of my cake was quite sufficiently covered. Also, I used all of the sugar recommended for the top, and it is perfect. However, mine is much sugarier than the one pictured.
I'm so happy to hear you like the recipe, Emily! Yes, the size of the apple(s) will determine how many you may actually need...I can imagine how beautiful it must have looked 🙂
Such a lovely cake! Surprisingly low fuss for how pretty it is, and the almond with the ginger is so nice. I used einkorn flour because I was out of spelt, and whether because of that substitute or my measuring, my batter was a little thin. So the apples sunk into the cake a little more and the middle sunk, but it baked through and was tender and delicious. I could do with slightly less sugar in the batter, but I worry the lovely crackly outside wouldn't bake up the same. Look forward to trying it with spelt next time--is 195 grams still the amount you would use, as in your comment above?
HI Emily! My apologies for the late reply; my comment filter was set too high and your message was sent to spam. Yes, that is the amount in grams that I use for this recipe.
Should you store this in the fridge or can you put it in a cake stand container. making tonight 🙂
Hi Ebony! I like to keep it covered in the fridge. Let me know how you like the recipe 🙂
I made this cake for our parents who are German and it was really good. They enjoyed it. Thank you for the recipe and I will keep this one for their next visit.
That's wonderful! Thank you for sharing your feedback, Kristin!
Hi!
I'm making this now and there is an inconsistency in you recipe. In the ingredient listing you speak of baking powder, but later in the instructions you say baking soda...! Which is it?
Hi Gijs! It should read baking powder. My sincere apologies for the inconsistency; I have corrected it. Thank you for pointing that out.
Delicious and super easy!
Thanks, Susan! So happy to hear you like it!
I made this last night and used 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour + 1/4 cup whole wheat flour because I didn't have any spelt. My springform pan is also 9" instead of 8" but I still cooked it for ~50 minutes and it turned out beautifully! So simple yet delicious and impressive looking.
I'm so happy you like it, Lauren! And thank you for sharing your success with all purpose and whole wheat flour!
Salve!Avrei tanto piacere di provare questa ricetta,se potresti indicare le dosi degli ingredienti in grammi e ml?Sarei molto grata!
Hello Yaryna! I'm sorry I didn't include measurements in grams, however, this is a helpful list for doing the conversions yourself https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart
In future I plan to include gram measurements for all my recipes 🙂
Ciao Yaryna! Mi dispiace di non aver incluso le misure in grammi, tuttavia, questo è un elenco utile per eseguire le conversioni da solo. In futuro ho intenzione di includere misurazioni di grammi per tutte le mie ricette.
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart
Loved how fast+easy it came together! The smell and taste are spot on - like my German grandma used to make ?
I'm thrilled to hear the feedback, Lara! Thank you so much!
Fantastic recipe! It was sticky, gooey and tasted like Christmas. I subbed the white sugar for coconut sugar.
I so happy to hear it, Pen! Thank you so much for making my recipe 🙂
Hi! I absolutely love this cake! I’ve made it 3 times and it’s perfect every time! Earned some brownie points from the German in-laws too! If I wanted to double the recipe what size baking tin would you recommend? Thanks xx
Thank you so much for the feedback, Diane! So happy to hear it. Hmm, that is a good question and I'm not entirely sure which size tin would be best for doubling the recipe. You could opt to make it in a rectangular pan perhaps a 9x13? Let me know if you give it a try!
I am sorry, you use cup measure and i do not understand how big is the cup and how many grams are inside? Using your link for conversions it gives me 1 cup of spelt flour = 99 grams. so for this cake needs 1 1/4 cups = about 124 grams. But it is too less for this cake I think. Normally I use around 300 gr of flour for such dimension of cake. So I do not know how to cook it(((
Hi Natalia! Thank you for the question and I am endeavoring to update my recipes to all include weight measurements. For this recipe, 1 1/4 cups of spelt flour equals about 195g. The cake itself is not tall, so it may seem like not enough flour.
I made this amazing cake in the morning today and it turned out absolutely fabulous!! I am not a baker and I am always skeptical as my cakes never turn out as cake at all!
But this recipe is absolutely perfect to the tee and I loved it! Thank you so much for making lives easy for people like me who cannot bake at all. I would love to try other recipes too!
Thank you once again
I am so very happy to hear it, Shruti! Your comment made my day 🙂
I add more apple less sugar on the top and it was amazing thanks
Thank you for the feedback, Nanou! I’m so happy it turned out for you!
Hi! The recipe written here and the YouTube video have different recorded measurements and I was curious which ones are accurate. In the youtube video it says 1 cup flour and 1 tablespoon baking powder but here on your blog it is 1 1/4 cup flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder? I have been eyeing this cake recipe for a while and am very eager to make it correctly!
Hi Julia! Both recipes are accurate, however, the blog version was changed slightly from the YouTube version in that it uses flax meal instead of egg replacer powder and spelt flour instead of all purpose flour. This was done due to my new preferences to use spelt flour in baking, however, feel
free to use either version you like 🙂
Do you think it is possible to replace the vegetable oil with coconut oil? And could you use whole wheat flour instead of spelt?
Hi Cynthia! Great question! Yes, you can use melted coconut oil in equal measure and whole wheat flour can be used for spelt flour 🙂
Hi! Could I use all-purpose flour instead? I don't live in a country that has spelt flour or it is not found easily here. I'm eager to try your recipe for my brothers: birthdays!
Hi Allyriia! Yes you could use all-purpose flour, however, I would suggest reducing the amount of almond milk by about 1 tbsp or so; all-purpose flour absorbs less liquid than spelt of whole wheat flour 🙂
LOVE this cake! Thank you so much for posting!
Any tips for making gluten free? I've tried replacing with oat flour and it tends to turn out a bit dry... I was thinking about trying with all-purpose gluten free flour, but wondering if you had any thoughts! Thanks so much, your recipes are delicious!!
I'm so happy to hear that, Tracy 🙂 I actually haven't tried the recipe with any GF flour, but please let me know if you give it a go and how it works out. Thank you again for the lovely feedback!
Hi! Just following up, I made the cake last night with 195(ish) grams of gluten free oats, and it came out perfectly!! Thanks again for sharing such a delicious recipe, it's now an autumn go to!! 🙂
I'm so happy to hear it, Tracy! Thank you for the feedback, too!