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.
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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.
This Gluten Free German Apple Cake recipe is one of my husband's family favorites. It is one of many German dessert 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! If you love apples as much as we do, check out these delicious gluten free apple recipes.
Why This Recipe is Great:
- This cake is really easy to make in just a few easy steps.
- This gluten free German apple cake gets rave reviews. I share photos readers sent me of their cakes at the end of this post.
- You can freeze this cake and enjoy it later.
- This cake has lots of easy substitutions depending on any other food allergies you may have.
I have over 100 delicious gluten free cake recipes to try. I hope you can check them out.
Allergen Information:
This easy apple cake recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and nut-free.
This is one of my favorite gluten-free flour blends for cookies, cakes, pie crust, biscuits, and muffins! (Do not use this flour blend for yeast recipes.)
Ingredient Notes:
I modified this recipe from my husband's family 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.
- Apples - I used Pink Lady apples. I prefer tart apples, but any variety will taste great.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - I tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour blends. Other blends should work, but note you may need to add more or less liquid depending on how starchy your blend is.
- Baking Powder - Use aluminum-free.
- Coconut Sugar - I used golden coconut sugar, which will make your cake darker. You can use regular sugar or brown sugar in this cake recipe.
- Coconut Oil - Be sure to melt the oil before mixing it into the wet ingredients.
- Eggs - Use size large.
- Vanilla Extract - I recommend using pure vanilla extract.
- Brown Sugar - This is for coating the apples.
- Ground Cinnamon
Substitutions:
- Coconut sugar swap: Feel free to use regular organic sugar for this recipe if you would like. Either way, this cake is perfectly sweet.
- Coconut oil swap: You can use any mild flavored oil or butter in this recipe.
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
Step 1: Mix your wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Step 2: As shown in this picture, your cake batter will be thick.
🔑 Sandi says: HINT: Do not overmix the cake batter. Mix this in a bowl by hand, and don't use a standing mixer. Overmixing this cake batter will make your cake turn out dense!
Step 3: In a separate bowl, add the blond coconut sugar and cinnamon to cut up apple slices. Although you do not have to peel your apples, I recommend doing so for this recipe.
Step 4: Pour the cake batter into a greased 8x8 baking pan. Top with the apple mixture. Press the apples down a bit so they set into the cake.
Step 5: Bake at 350º F for 40 minutes until the cake is done. The apples will look soft, and the cake will be firm to the touch.
Step 6: Allow the German apple cake to cool. Slice into nine slices and serve. Eat by itself, or you can top it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
If you love German desserts, try this easy Gluten Free Peach Kuchen recipe too!
Recipe FAQ:
Although you can leave the peels on, I prefer to make this cake with peeled apples.
Many apple types will work in this easy German apple cake recipe. Here are some of my favorites: Gravenstein, Granny Smith, Gala, Pippin, and Pink Lady.
To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cake must be baked longer.
This cake will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Reader Adaptations:
Iza mixed her apples throughout the cake and dusted the top with powdered sugar.
More Gluten Free Cake Recipes:
- Gluten Free French Apple Cake
- Creamy Fool Proof Gluten-Free Apple Cake
- Gluten Free Raspberry Bundt Cake
- Gluten Free Orange Almond Flour Cake
Tools:
- An apple slicer certainly makes cutting up the apples easier!
- I use an 8x8 baking pan to make this cake.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free German Apple Cake
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- ¾ cup coconut sugar * see note
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Apple Mixture
- 2 apples (peel removed and sliced)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Set the oven rack to the middle of the oven.
- Peel and slice apples into thin slices. (Peeling is optional.)
- In a large mixing bowl, add dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a smaller mixing bowl add the wet ingredients and mix well.
- In a third bowl, add apples, ¼ cup coconut sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.
- Spray an 8x8 pan with coconut oil. Add the batter and spread it out.
- Add the apple slices on top of the batter and press gently into the cake batter.
- Bake the cake for 40 minutes until done.
Video
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- You can use regular sugar instead of coconut sugar in the cake for a light colored cake.
- This cake will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Fearless Dining
Simplifying the art of baking and cooking gluten-free recipes.
Leah
I made this cake with maple syrup as the sweetener, 3T for the 3/4cup and 1T for the 1/4cup.
It turned out delicious.
Sandi Gaertner
I am so happy you loved this cake recipe. Thank you so much for letting me know maple syrup worked well!
Joseph from carpentrify.com
When I first saw this recipe, I couldn't believe that it was gluten free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. But now that I've made it, I can confirm that it is all of those things and still incredibly delicious!
Sandi Gaertner
I am really glad you loved the recipe. Thank you.
Alejandra
I wonder if this could be made as an apple upside down cake? Same batter, but put the apples at the bottom?
Sandi Gaertner
I bet it would work well!
Deborah
We loved this german apple cake. I used cassava flour with I teaspoon xanthan as the gluten free flour and it worked well. I was out of coconut oil and butter but I had palm fruit oil which was okay, but not as tasty as it would have been if I had used coconut or butter.. I baked it in my breadmaker in the loaf pan and it was fine. Will make this again. !
Sandi Gaertner
Wow, that is great to know about the cassava flour working in this recipe. Thank you so much for coming to let me know. I am sure other readers will love your tweaks.
Kerry
Can this be made with Almond flour or coconut or other such Paleo flours? The gluten free flours have many ingredients I can't have.
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Kerry, Almond flour and coconut flour do not work on their own well. I haven't tested this recipe with any paleo flour blends so I am not sure how to advise you.
Kim
I don’t like the flavor of coconut. What else could I use?
Sandi Gaertner
You can use another oil like canola, or butter if you are not dairy-free.
Maureen
Hello, I’m just about to make this recipe, and in the notes, you talk about dairy free milk options, but I don’t see any mention of amount in the ingredients list. Can you update this?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Maureen, this is corrected, thank you so much!
Miranda Stonehouse
Could I confirm, there is no milk dairy free or otherwise in this recipe correct? The only wet ingredients are the oil, vanilla and eggs right?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Miranda, that is correct. You can dd dairy-free milk if you like, but the recipe was made not adding any in.