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Easy Gluten Free German Apple Cake Recipe

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If you love apple cake, this Easy Gluten Free German Apple Cake is a delicious dessert recipe to try. Double the recipe if you are feeding a crowd! I include a video below to show you how easy this German apple cake is to make

This Gluten Free German Apple Cake recipe is one of my husband’s family favorites. It is one of many German desserts recipes I can’t wait to share with you.

I am happy to say this recipe is not only gluten free, but it is dairy-free and refined sugar-free as well!

A slice of German Apple Cake on a white plate. The cake pan is behind the plate.

This gluten free version of our family’s German apple cake recipe is just as good as the real thing! Crisp fresh apples and lots of cinnamon give this cake so much flavor.

Our family is definitely into apples. There are so many varieties and each has its own unique flavor. There is a vendor at our farmer’s market that sells over 10 varieties of apples, many of these apples are heirloom, during the fall months.

The best apples to make this Gluten Free German Apple Cake:

Many apple types will work in this easy German apple cake recipe. Here are some of my favorites:

  • Gravenstein (These apples have just the right amount of tartness.)
  • Granny Smith
  • Gala
  • Pippin
  • Pink Lady

For this recipe, I used Pink Lady apples. I haven’t been able to find Gravenstein, except for the fall farmer’s market.

Top view of a Gluten Free German Apple Cake. A slice of apple cake is on a plate and the pan is behind the plate.

Baking with Coconut Sugar

I modified this recipe a bit from my husband’s family recipe because we are trying to reduce our processed sugar intake. I have been baking with coconut sugar quite a bit. Coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index and still sweetens baking nicely.

Coconut sugar is typically brown, which can make baked goods look a bit drabby. I was really excited to find this blond colored coconut sugar!! This blond coconut sugar helps keep baked goods lighter in color…making them even more tempting!

Feel free to use regular organic sugar for this recipe if you would like. Either way, this cake is perfectly sweet.

Shopping List for This Recipe:

This recipe doesn’t require any hard to find ingredients. As a matter of fact, there are very few ingredients at all in this recipe, so you may already have everything on-hand.

This recipe is so easy to make. Here is a video that shows you EVERY step!

Looking for more gluten-free cake recipes to try?

Here are some pictures of the important steps to making this easy gluten free German apple cake.

pouring wet ingredients into the dry ingredients for this German apple cake recipe.

The first step is to mix up your wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

a bowl of cake batter.

Your cake batter will be a bit thick like I show in this picture.

cut apple slices with blond coconut sugar and cinnamon in a bowl

Add the blond coconut sugar and cinnamon to cut up apple slices.

Apple slices on top of the cake batter in an 8x8 pan

Pour the cake batter into a greased 8×8 baking pan. Top with the apple mixture. Press the apples down a bit so they set into the cake.

How long do you bake a German Apple Cake for?

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes until the cake is done. The apples will look soft and the cake will be firm to the touch.

Baked German apple cake sliced.

Allow the German apple cake to cool. Slice into 9 slices and serve.

Eat by itself, or you can top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

top view of a slice of apple cake, lots of baked apple slices are on top.

(*Please note this post has affiliate links. Ordering through my site will not change the price you pay. A tiny commission will come to Grandma’s to help offset the cost of running this blog. I truly appreciate the support.)

Tools You Need To Make this German Apple Cake Recipe:

  1. An apple slicer certainly makes cutting up the apples easier!
  2. I use an 8×8 baking pan to make this cake.

recipe love

Gluten Free German Apple Cake

Gluten Free German Apple Cake

Yield: 9
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

A delicious easy Gluten Free German Apple Cake recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup gluten free flour blend
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar, (for cake)
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 apples, (peel removed and sliced)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon, (for apples)
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar, (for apples)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Peel and slice apples into thin slices.
  3. In a large bowl, add dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
  4. In a smaller bowl add the wet ingredients and mix well.
  5. In a third bowl, add apples, 1/4 cup coconut sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat.
  6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.
  7. Spray an 8x8 pan with coconut oil. Add the batter and spread it out.
  8. Add the apple slices on top of the batter and press gently into the cake batter. 
  9. Bake for 40 minutes until done.

Recommended Products

There are affiliate links in my posts. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 280Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 2gSugar: 26gProtein: 3g
Please note this nutrition information is calculated by a recipe plugin and is an estimate based on the ingredients used in this recipe.
© Sandi Gaertner
Cuisine: American / Category: Gluten Free Dessert Recipes

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Sandi Gaertner

      Hi Pam, I haven’t made this cake ahead, I think it is possible, but I haven’t tried it. I assume it would be fine in an 9×13 dish, but I am not sure how deep the batter would go.

      Reply

  2. Anne

    Hi,
    I just made this and used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup coconut cream milk substitute (thick consistency) and 1/4 c coconut oil. My batter was very thin. Any suggestions? I hope that it will bake ok. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Sandi Gaertner

      Hi Anne, it most likely depends on what gluten free flour blend you used. Some have higher starch content, which absorb more liquids. If you tell me what you used, we can troubleshoot it.

      Reply

      • Anne Walker

        Hi Sandi,
        I apologize, I didn’t see your reply. The cake baked beautifully with the thin batter and the cake was delicious. I used Laila’s gluten free mix from Sweden, where we live. It’s a wheat (gluten free) and potato starch mix. I have already baked this several times using different milk free products and either coconut oil or rapeseed and they all provided great results. The coconut oil provides a nice flavor, and the brown sugar caramelizes nicely. Thanks for sharing such a versatile recipe! This is one that we will enjoy forever! I’ve already shared it with my friends. All the best! Anne

        Reply

  4. Catherine Brown

    Mmmm, I love German apple cake! I definitely need to try this GF version too as we have several GF eaters in our family.

    Reply

  6. Irenesky

    I would love to buy your GF all purpose version of flour. Let me know where are they available. Love to try making this cake with your homemade flour. Thanks a lot!

    Reply

    • Sandi Gaertner

      Hi Irenesky, I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend in this recipe. You can get it in most grocery stores, and on Amazon. Thank you so much for your note.

      Reply

  11. Adriana Lopez Martin

    I love German apple cake such a classic. My mom was used to bake it for us. Nice to see you have revamped it to be more modern.

    Reply

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