This wonderful apple spice walnut cake is full of flavour, super moist and great as a snack with a cup of tea or a fulfilling dessert when you’re entertaining! It’s gluten-free, dairy-free and sweetened with applesauce, maple syrup and a hint of coconut sugar.
This cake was inspired by my incredibly popular Pumpkin Spice Cake ! It’s super moist, flavourful, fluffy, and grain-free!
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I love baking with seasonal ingredients because it makes every recipe so much more special! This cake is the perfect example of that because we love going apple picking in the Fall and then making this cake with fresh-picked apples. It doesn’t get any better than that!
This cake will make your whole home smell absolutely delicious thanks to the warming spices like cinnamon and ginger.
I love the smell of something baking especially as the seasons change and it’s a bit cooler outside, it’s so comforting to smell this cake baking!
Did I mention that this cake is loaded with nutrients as well?! Apples contain a type of soluble fibre called pectin which is soothing for your digestive system and has also been shown to help reduce LDL cholesterol. Apples are rich in quercetin which boosts your immune system and malic acid which naturally helps to remove carcinogens and toxins from the blood.
This recipe is really easy to make! A couple of things to note: if you can’t eat nuts just omit them and you’ve got a nut-free dessert!
I have updated this recipe so it has more coconut flour in it. I like the texture better. I love having this cake with a schlop of coconut milk vanilla ice cream! You won’t be disappointed!
Desserts
Apple Spice Walnut Cake
PrintIngredients
- 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 4 large eggs, whisked
- 1/2 cup maple syrup* (see notes)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped apple
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (omit for nut-free)
- Optional: 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line an 8-inch square or round cake pan with parchment paper or grease with coconut oil.
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder and baking soda.
- In a medium bowl, combine whisked eggs, maple syrup, applesauce and extra-virgin olive oil. Pour wet ingredients into large bowl with coconut flour mixture. Fold in chopped apple.
- Pour into cake pan and sprinkle with chopped walnuts and coconut sugar. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a fork inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then remove from pan and cool for 5 more minutes before slicing. Serve with ice cream.
- Store up to a week in the fridge.
Serves 9
This wonderful cake is full of flavour, super moist and wonderful as a snack with a cup of tea or a fulfilling dessert when you're entertaining!
*I use only 1/4 cup maple syrup and 20-30 drips liquid stevia.
If you're using large eggs, you won't need to add any more water to make up for the loss of 1/4 cup liquid by cutting the syrup in half.
If you’re an apple fanatic like I am, make sure you try out these recipes as well:
• Baked Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
• Mini Apple Tarts, Grain-Free and Gluten-free
• Apple Crisp, Paleo and Vegan
• Apple Beet Carrot Quinoa Slaw
Happy baking!
23 thoughts on “Apple Spice Walnut Cake”
Hi Joy, I saw the video and did not see you use the olive oil. Is it still needed? I wanted to ask as I know coconut flour is a bit hard to work with and did not want to leave it out if it is definitely needed.
Hi! Yes, the olive oil is definitely needed it was just the way the video was edited, sometimes that happens. Sorry for the confusion! As for the coconut flour, you definitely cannot leave it out as it’s the only flour in this recipe and coconut flour doesn’t sub well with other flours, like it’s not a 1:1 ratio without changing the liquid amounts too. This is also a wonderful cake: https://www.joyoushealth.com/27423-blog-almond-flour-raspberry-cake with very little coconut flour, it’s mostly almond. Or this cake can work with all brown rice flour: https://www.joyoushealth.com/27350-blog-strawberry-banana-cake and a little less liquid.
Just made it sooo good and easy to make. I really enjoy your recipes
Thank you Jessica!
I just tried this recipe but it didn’t work out for me. I substituted the eggs for chia eggs. When I poured the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients it got very thick like dough. Plopped it into baking pan and had to flatten with spatula Not sure what went wrong. Any suggestions?
Hi Jennifer, I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you. That’s always frustrating when you’ve wasted some ingredients. I think we chatted over social media about this already and I’m just getting to your comment here.
Hi Joy
This is one of my favourite cakes, I’ve made it many times this fall!
I tried giving it a Christmas twist and turned it into a Gingerbread cake and it was amazing!
I added 1 more tsp ginger, 1/4cup molasses and cut the applesauce down to 1/4cup, I grated in the apple and omitted the walnut topping.
Topped with a coconut nog
Thanks for letting me know your subs Kari, that sounds wonderful. Omg topping it with coconut nog sounds next-level good!!!
I made it and it was moist and just sweet enough. A great weeknight dessert. I served plain since we are not big consumers of ice cream or whipped cream and it was fantastic on its own. Two thumbs up!
Glad to hear it!!
Moist and delicious! This recipe is a keeper, 🙂
Glad you love it Joanne!
I would love to make this but my husband is allergic to tree nuts. Would it still work if the walnuts were left out? Any substitution ideas?
I found working with any more the two chia or flax eggs does not work in recipes. I have tried in the past any recipes have failed.
Perhaps you could try it and offer suggestions to your customers.
Hi Karen, you might want to try an egg replacer that you can buy at the health food store. That might be a better bet. Good luck!
Yes definitely works without the walnuts. Enjoy!
I can’t eat eggs. Can the eggs be substituted? If so with what?
Yes, Imwas wanting an idea of how to replace the eggs. I have never bought an egg replacer, could you suggest one or two? Or say what makes a good one?
Hi there Norah, I am not sure this is a good recipe to do an egg sub because it’s coconut-flour based. Recipes with oat flour or a glutenous flour like spelt work better with egg subs.
Thank you, Joy, for your response, even though disappointing. I will keep looking.
Since I peruse many of your recipes for ones I can use, it would be very helpful not only for myself but for many others as well, I am sure, if you could address the egg substitution right in the recipe. Say what can be used for substitution or even that it is not a recipe for substitution.
Just sayin’
And thanks,
Norah
Hi Norah, I didn’t include the egg sub suggestion here because I’ve had others test it out and it doesn’t work well in this recipe, just fyi 🙂
Hi Joy
Can I substitute avocado oil for the olive oil?
Absolutely! Enjoy!