Amazing Caramelized Apple Cake – Gluten Free and Dairy Free
Sep 21, 2018, Updated Dec 13, 2020
A moist cake with warm spices topped with Caramelized Apple Slices and baked with Fine Almond Flour. I top it with a drizzle of Vanilla Bean Rum Glaze. A healthy new alternative recipe.
This apple cake is filling is not too sweet and totally satisfying.
The Liberty apple (what I picked at the farm!) is sweet like a McIntosh, yet more tart and has a flavor profile very much its own including some hints of citrus and melon. Its yellow-toned flesh is crisp and juicy with a fine-grain texture.
Try different apples for this cake – the firmer, tart varieties hold up best.
Ingredients
- Caramelized Apple Topping:
- 2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
- 3 medium- large tart apples, I used "Liberty" variety
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups fine blanched Almond Flour, such as Bob's Red Mill
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon dry ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup coconut palm sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 medium apple, peeled and grated coarsely, pit discarded (1/2 cup packed apple)
- Wet Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs, I used "pasture raised"
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, or extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cups raw honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper to fit in a 8" x 8" baking pan. (I used a 6 1/2 x 10 " pan.) You can also use a piece of tin foil, greased, fit to cut - extend the sides for easy lift out.
- Make the caramelized apples: Peel apples, cut into quarters and core them. Cut each quarter into 3 even slices. A total of 12 slices per apple.
- In a large 14" pan, heat the coconut oil until it melts. Add sugar and cook over low-medium heat - whisking until melted, about 3 minutes. Add cinnamon and apples , stir up and cook over low-medium heat until caramelized and apples have softened a bit, 5 - 8 minutes. Take off heat and let cool.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl - add grated apple and stir in. Whisk the wet ingredients in a small bowl, whisk well.
- Add wet ingredients into dry, combine swiftly with a rubber spatula. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
- Top with rows on caramelized apples evenly all over. Brush the tops of apples with the left over caramel glaze in the pan with a pastry brush.
- Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until risen nicely, and the top is firm to the touch.
- Cut into squares when slightly warm - drizzle the tops with Vanilla Bean Rum Glaze
- Vanilla Bean Rum Glaze: Melt 2 T. coconut oil in a microwave safe small dish. Then, add 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, 1 t. rum, 1/4 t. vanilla bean gel and 1 T. dairy free milk. Whisk well until a thick glaze is formed. Drizzle over the cake.
See BLOG for many photos of this recipe, and more information.
This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.
