This soft and fluffy gluten-free applesauce cake recipe is a winner. Every bite is full of sweet cinnamon apple flavors. If you want an easy gluten free snack cake recipe, this is the cake to make. Top with powdered sugar or buttercream frosting!
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I love everything about this super fluffy gluten-free applesauce cake. This is one of those cake recipes you can enjoy all year long. If you make homemade applesauce during the fall apple season, use that in this recipe!
If you love cakes, I have 100s of incredible gluten-free cake recipes to try!! You may also want to try this Gluten-Free Spice Cake recipe! If you prefer a loaf cake, try this tender Gluten-Free Coconut Pineapple Cake recipe.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this cake with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend. Both blends made fluffy cakes. If you use a different blend, that is fine; you may need to adjust the moisture levels by adding more flour or milk.
- Binder – If your flour blend doesn’t contain a binder, add 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum.
- Baking Powder and Soda – Use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Sugar – I used coconut sugar to make this recipe refined sugar-free. You can swap brown sugar for the coconut sugar.
- Applesauce – Use plain, unsweetened applesauce.
- Eggs – Use size large.
- Cooking Oil – I used avocado oil, but any light oil will work well.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I used Oatly Simple. You can use any non-dairy or regular milk.
How to Make Gluten-Free Applesauce Cake (Step-By-Step)
Preheat your oven to 350°F, and ensure the oven rack is in the middle position. This will help your cake bake evenly.
Step 1: Add all of the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. This includes gluten free flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Whisk to blend them thoroughly.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients, including the eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla extract, and non-dairy or regular milk, to a smaller mixing bowl. Whisk to blend.
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Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Mix gently until you get a nice and fluffy cake batter. Do not overmix your batter, as this may result in a denser cake. I like to mix the ingredients until they are just barely mixed.
📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the moisture of the batter. If your cake batter is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids. Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
Step 5: Spray gluten free baking spray in your cake pan and then add the batter. Use the back of the spoon to spread the cake batter around the pan. People often ask where I got this pan, but I found it at World Market. (They have a lot of cool kitchen stuff!)
Step 6: Bake the cake for 25-35 minutes, depending on the size cake pan you use. A loaf pan will take longer than an 8×8 baking dish. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is finished baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cake needs to bake a little longer.
Step 7: Remove the gluten free applesauce cake from the oven and set it on a wire baking rack to cool.
Step 8: Top the cooled cake with my creamy Gluten-Free Frosting Recipe, or dust it with powdered sugar!
Tips For Success
1. Do not use a stand mixer to make this cake recipe. It will overmix your batter, and your cake will not be fluffy.
2. Let the cake cool 100% to room temperature before adding powdered sugar or frosting to the cake.
3. Feel free to bake this cake in an 8×8 pan, loaf pan, or 9-inch cake round pan.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why did my gluten-free cake turn out dense?
Nothing is more frustrating than having your gluten free cake turn out dense. This can be caused by a few potential issues.
- I always advise my readers not to use a stand mixer when mixing cake batter. They tend to overmix your batter, resulting in a denser cake.
- Another reason for a dense cake is that every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. This will greatly affect the cake’s moisture level. If you use a flour blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust the liquid or flour amount to get the right batter consistency.
Why did my gluten-free cake sink in the middle?
- Opening the oven door while your cake is baking can cause it to sink in the middle. This happens because cakes need a consistent, steady baking temperature. Opening the oven door allows cooler air to enter the oven, slowing the baking process.
- Always check the expiration date of your baking powder or baking soda before using it. An expired leavener can cause all sorts of issues in baking.
- If the cake isn’t fully baked, it can sink in the middle when it is taken out from the oven. Do the toothpick test to ensure the middle is finished baking.
Yes, this cake recipe would be delicious as a bundt cake. The baking time will be longer than if you bake in a cake pan.
Store the leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will help it keep fresh longer.
This cake freezes very well. Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap, then put this into a quart-sized freezer-safe zipper bag. You can also freeze the cake in slices.
More Gluten-Free Cake Recipes:
If you need a great cake recipe, I have a lot of gluten-free cake recipes for you to explore! Here are some favorites:
- Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
- Sweet Gluten-Free Apple Fritter Bread (tastes like dessert!)
- Easy Gluten-Free Honey Cake
- Homemade Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
- Gluten-Free Lemon Layer Cake
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Fluffy Gluten-Free Applesauce Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups gluten free flour blend See notes
- 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground powdered ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup applesauce unflavored
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup light oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350º F, and be sure the oven rack is in the middle position in your oven. This will help your cake bake evenly.
- Add all of the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. This includes gluten free flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Whisk to blend them thoroughly.
- Add the wet ingredients, including the eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla extract, and non-dairy or regular milk, to a smaller mixing bowl. Whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Every flour blend varies in the grain to starch ratio. If your cake batter is runny, add more flour. If your cake batter seems really thick, add more milk.
- Mix gently until you get a nice and fluffy cake batter. Do not overmix your batter or you may end up with a denser cake. I like to mix the ingredients until they are just barely mixed.
- Spray gluten free baking spray in your cake pan and then add the batter. Use the back of the spoon to spread the cake batter around the pan.
- Bake the cake for 25-35 minutes, depending on the size cake pan you use. A loaf pan will take longer than an 8×8 baking dish. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is finished baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cake needs to bake a little longer.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set it on a wire baking rack to cool.
- Top the cooled cake with my Gluten-Free Frosting Recipe, or dust it with powdered sugar!
Nutrition
Notes
- I tested this recipe using both King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour blends. Both worked well. I recommend letting the batter sit for 15 minutes so the rice flour can soften.
- This cake can be baked in an 8×8 baking dish, loaf pan, or as a layer cake.
- Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This cake freezes well. Store in a freezer-safe zipper bag.
2. Let the cake cool 100% to room temperature before adding powdered sugar or frosting to the cake.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Four stars because the texture was wonderful, but the flavor was lacking for me, which may just be my personal preference.
I used half white sugar and half brown sugar, my homemade canned cinnamon applesauce, King Arthur GF flour, and baked it for 50 minutes at 350° because after 30 minutes it was still very liquidy in the center.
It did smell really good so I tried a piece while it was warm and I quite enjoyed it. I do not think I will be adding any powdered sugar or frosting even once cooled, but if I did, it would have to be light. It is sweet enough for me without.
I am going to bookmark this one and maybe try again in the future, but more than double the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. I want SPICE.
Hi Trista, you can definitely add more spice if that is your preference. Adding more will not affect the texture of this cake, which you did love. Thank you so much.
has anyone made this with half sugar half brown sugar?
Hi Sandra, I haven’t seen anyone mention it. The main changes when you reduce the sugar are in browning and texture. I would think it is fine, but it may not be as fluffy as with the original amount of sugar.