Easy Vegan Apple Cake
This Vegan Apple Cake is soft, fluffy, and loaded with juicy fresh apples. Made with just 10 minutes ofprep — perfect for fall snacking, breakfast, or dessert!
Servings: 16
Calories: 152kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup apple cider or water
- ½ cup cane sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup grapeseed or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 apples peeled and diced (about 1 ½ cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the cane sugar, brown sugar, oil, apple cider, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir just until no visible white flour remains. A few lumps are fine and expected.
- Stir in the diced apples until evenly distributed.
- Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Transfer the pan to a cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes then remove the cake from the pan and place it back on the cooling rack to continue cooling completely.
- Once the cake has cooled, slice and enjoy!
Notes
Measure flour correctly. Use the spoon-and-level method — fluff the flour with a spoon, lightly spoon it into your measuring cup, then level off the top with the back of a knife. Scooping directly from the bag packs too much flour in and results in a dense, dry cake.
Don't overmix. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, stir just until no white flour is visible. A few lumps are perfectly fine and expected — overmixing develops the gluten and makes the cake tough instead of tender.
Dice the apples fairly small. Very large chunks make it harder for the cake to bake evenly and can cause it to fall apart when slicing. Aim for roughly ½-inch pieces — or shred them on a box grater for a more uniform texture throughout.
Use apple cider if you can. The cider amplifies the apple flavor throughout the entire cake, not just in the apple pieces.
Let it cool completely before slicing. The cake continues to set as it cools — cutting into it while it's still warm gives you crumbly, messy slices. Give it at least 30-45 minutes on the cooling rack.
This cake is even better the next day. The flavors deepen and the texture becomes even more moist and tender overnight. Make it the night before a gathering and it will be at peak deliciousness when you serve it.
Nutrition
Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 126mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g