Easy Apple Coffee Cake (GF, Vegan)

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Squares of gluten-free vegan apple coffee cake

You know when you take a bite of cake and just breathe a sigh of relief and satisfaction? Well, get ready. Because after many tests (we lost count — 6 or 600, maybe?), we’ve cracked the code on the perfect apple coffee cake! It’s balanced, slightly toasty, undeniably comforting, and infused with cinnamon. 

Made with wholesome almond flour and nutty coconut sugar, it’s gluten-free and plant-based, yet full of flavor. It’s perfect for afternoon tea, an indulgent breakfast or brunch, or as a snack or dessert. All it takes is simple ingredients and 1 mixing bowl. Let us show you how it’s done! 

Coconut sugar, apples, vegan butter, dairy-free milk, cane sugar, almond flour, gluten-free flour blend, spices, baking powder, and baking soda

Origins of Coffee Cake

While the name “coffee cake” might make you think it contains coffee, that’s not usually the case. Instead, coffee cake refers to a sweet cake eaten alongside a cup of coffee. It’s believed that the concept originated in the 17th century in Northern/Central Europe.

Then, immigrants from Germany and Scandinavia brought it to the US. By the late 19th century, some American bakers did add coffee to the cake batter and others modified it to be denser and more cake-like.

The following is a plant-based and gluten-free version infused with apples, cinnamon, and an optional crumb topping.

How to Make Apple Coffee Cake

Almond flour and our DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend combine for a wholesome, crumb-like base that stands up to the richness of vegan butter. The sweetness comes from maple syrup and coconut sugar, while vanilla, cinnamon, and salt infuse the batter with flavor.

Baking powder and baking soda provide leavening, and a small amount of dairy-free milk adds just enough moisture to mix while keeping the batter thick enough to withstand the moisture from the apples.

Stirring Granny smith apples into cake batter

Chunks of peeled apples infuse the cake with apple flavor in every bite. We tested with both sweet (Honeycrisp) and tart (Granny Smith) apples and much preferred the more prominent apple flavor from the Granny Smith.

Apple coffee cake batter in a baking dish

After a stint in the oven, the top of the cake becomes golden brown and is ready for the optional (but highly recommended) topping.

Adding a crumble topping to apple coffee cake

The crumb topping is made with a simple mix of organic cane sugar and coconut sugar that’s infused with cinnamon and made into a crumbly texture with the help of vegan butter and more gluten-free flour. Another 5 minutes in the oven gets it golden brown and toasty.

Overhead shot of slices of apple coffee cake with a crumble topping

We hope you LOVE this apple coffee cake! It’s:

Sweet
Nutty
Toasty
Comforting
Easy to prepare
& Oh-so-snackable!

It’s perfect for afternoon tea, an indulgent breakfast or brunch, or as a snack or dessert. Pair it with our Easy Vegan Eggnog, Easy Pumpkin Spice Latte, or Easy Masala Chai for MEGA fall feels!

More Apple Recipes

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Picking up a slice of apple coffee cake from a plate

Easy Apple Coffee Cake (GF, Vegan)

Perfectly balanced, slightly toasty, classic apple coffee cake that also happens to be gluten-free and plant-based. Perfect for afternoon tea, or as a snack or dessert! Simple ingredients and just 1 bowl required!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Side view of a stack of slices of apple coffee cake
4.81 from 31 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12 (Slices)
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine German-Inspired, Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 3 Days

Ingredients

APPLE CAKE

  • 3/4 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk (we used almond)
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted (we like Miyoko’s here)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or sub organic cane sugar)
  • 2 ½ cups almond flour
  • 1 ½ cups DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see notes for store-bought)
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 ½ cups chopped Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

CRUMB TOPPING optional

  • 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or sub brown sugar)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted (we like Miyoko’s here)
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see notes for store-bought)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) and line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving plenty of paper over the edges so you can easily lift the cake out later. This recipe will also work in a 9-inch round cake pan, or two 6-inch round cake pans.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine dairy-free milk, melted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla and mix well. Next, add the coconut sugar, almond flour, gluten-free flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and stir until well combined. The texture will be quite thick and will resemble a cookie dough more than a typical cake batter. Add the cubed apples and mix until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
  • Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly. It’s okay if the top has some texture; it will be covered with the crumble topping later!
  • Put the cake into the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the crumble topping (optional).
  • To your now-empty mixing bowl, add the cane sugar, coconut sugar, and cinnamon and mix with a fork until evenly combined. Add the vegan butter and mix well. Next, begin adding the flour in 1/4 cup (40 g) increments, mixing well with your fork after each addition. You may need more or less flour depending on the brand of your gluten-free blend. Add flour until the texture appears pale and slightly dry and the mixture clumps together easily when you pinch it.
  • At the 40-minute mark, remove the cake from the oven and carefully add the crumble topping in an even layer on top of the cake. Return the cake to the oven for 5 minutes until the crumble topping is dry to the touch and just beginning to look toasty.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the baking dish. Let cool almost completely before slicing and serving. Keep at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Video

Notes

*We haven’t tried with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but that would be the closest store-bought option as a sub for our DIY GF Flour Blend.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.

Nutrition (1 of 12 servings)

Serving: 1 slice Calories: 323 Carbohydrates: 35.6 g Protein: 5.8 g Fat: 18.9 g Saturated Fat: 6.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g Monounsaturated Fat: 7.6 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 323 mg Potassium: 245 mg Fiber: 3.5 g Sugar: 14.9 g Vitamin A: 9.8 IU Vitamin C: 0.7 mg Calcium: 130 mg Iron: 1.1 mg

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  1. Jenny says

    I made this for a breakfast potluck and WOW it’s good! I 1.5xed the recipe and made it in a 9×13 pan. MMM MMM MMM. Thank you :)!

  2. Gill L says

    Hello this look delicious…just wondering do you think it would work just as well with regular wheat flour instead of the GF flour?
    Thanks very much

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Gill, We haven’t tried it with all-purpose flour, but other readers have reported it works. We’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of flour if replacing both the almond and GF blend. Or for best texture, we’d suggest keeping the almond flour and subbing slightly less all purpose flour for the GF blend. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

  3. AC says

    I made the recipe with bob’s red mill and a heftier dose of cinnamon. It was amazing! I did bake it in a dark pan so if I do that again I will decrease the temp to 350 or use a glass/lighter dish. Thanks for the recipe! I am new to gluten free baking and have been having issues finding anything I liked. Will definitely be making again. :)

  4. Ens says

    I made this recipe almost to the letter, except I swapped out the apples with loquats (our tree had a massive fruiting this year) and added a couple tablespoons extra flour to compensate the wetness. The cake turned out perfect! Wonderful flavor and texture. My one gripe is that the crumb topping wouldn’t stick to the cake no matter what I tried, since the cake top had been fully baked by the 40 minute mark. I guess I’m used to crumb toppings being baked into cake. Next time I make it, I’ll probably add the crumb topping before baking and just use a tinfoil tent. Would definitely recommend with the adjustments

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you for sharing your experience, Ens! In our experience, adding the topping initially can cause it to get a little too browned before the cake is cooked through.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Ali, we haven’t tried that but it could work. The apples do add a lot of moisture though, so the final results might be more dense/wet than with GF flour. Let us know how it goes!

  5. Mady says

    I used all purpose flour and it came out more like a biscuit than a coffee cake! Pretty disappointed but it’s still edible!
    If you’re looking for a recipe with all purpose flour I’d suggest a different recipe. Love minimalist bakers recipes <3 just didn’t have GF flour

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks for sharing your modifications and experience, Mady. Sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Cedella, we tested this recipe with honeycrisp apples and preferred the flavor of granny smith, however, it will work with them!

  6. Julia Hall says

    Really enjoyed this one – it’s subtly sweet coffee cake, which I actually enjoyed with coffee. :) I liked the level of sweetness but found it needing a bit more spice to it. Added in 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice. Subbed ghee for vegan butter, found it nice and moist. I thought the crumble had a great texture but could have been a little bit more developed.

  7. Vinita says

    Hi . Can u give measurements in grams n ml . These are very vague measurements . Size of cup differs everywhere

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Vinita, You can find the weight measurements by clicking “metric” beneath the ingredients header. Hope that helps!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi, We haven’t tried this with all purpose flour yet, but other readers have reported it works. We’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of flour if replacing both the almond and GF blend. Or for best texture, we’d suggest keeping the almond flour and subbing all purpose flour 1-1 for the GF blend. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

  8. Mindy says

    I made this and modified a few ingredients (used Namaste GF flour blend and regular butter). The texture didn’t turn out great for me.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Mindy, sorry to hear it didn’t turn out well with that flour blend. Most GF blends have potato starch in them which is key for a light and fluffy texture. It looks like Namaste doesn’t, so perhaps that’s the issue?

  9. Lika says

    what an AMAZING recipe!! I only swapped GF blend to all-purpose flour with 1:1 ration and I kept almond flour – I loved it so much and most surely my colleagues will love it too tomorrow! thank you so much for such a great and very easy recipe:)

    • Paola says

      I loved it! I’ve been making your GF pancake mix, so I used a quick modified version of that, since I’m on holidays, away from my kitchen. I roughly mixed oat flour, white rice flour and a bit of polenta, with an eight of a teaspoon of xantham gum. I blended almonds to make almond flour, and I had to make the recipe with dairy, since there is no vegan butter where I am. So I used about a cup of milk and half a cup of butter, and I threw in an egg for good measure. I did not have baking soda, so I left it out. It turned out divine!! I hope I remember all this when I make it next time, and I’ll try the plant based version as well!

  10. Kim Emons says

    For the DIY flour blend, can I use just tapioca and rice flour only? It’s the only flour I have other than almond flour. Thank you for your reply!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kim, unfortunately the texture wouldn’t be right with just those two flours! If you have blanched almonds and a powerful blender, you could make the almond flour.

  11. Jennifer Neumann says

    Thank you for this wonderful apple cake recipe. I LOVE apple cakes and when I saw this gf version I had to try it. It turned out absolutely wonderful despite my changes. I halved the coconut sugar as I prefer my cakes less sweet. For the gf flour I used Trader Joe’s one and the cake was moist and fluffy. And bc I love apples I used about 2.5-3 cups cut in small pieces. I ommited the crumble topping and added vanilla ice cream instead for serving :-)

  12. Fran says

    This apple cake is divine. Maybe because I love apple cakes, and I used to have a gorgeous recipe before I went gf and I still mourn it. Or it is just one of your success recipes! I tried to use both the cups and the metrics measurements, and I could see differences in quantities.. so I might have put less flour, cause my dough came out a lot more wet than the one I could see in your video! So I added some more millet flour (my gf flour blend featured millet flour instead of brown rice flour), still quite runnier, so after 40 minutes was still wet, left it for 10 more minutes, and it was cooked then. The crumble topping was a bit too dry! But still, on the whole, it was damn good! I would recommend it, also cause it is so easy to make! :)

  13. Tegan says

    Absolutely wonderful recipe. I’m making it now for the second week in a row, and can’t wait for a fresh piece when it comes out of the oven :)
    I just wanted to comment and agree that, like Haylie, Katie, and others, I found that subbing 1 C all purpose flour and 1 C almond flour worked perfectly.

  14. Missy says

    So yummy!! I only had bread flour and had to bake it for quite a bit longer- about 55 minutes and it was still a little soft in the middle but goodness I’m not complaining!! So good!

  15. Annie says

    I made this recipe exactly to recipe, and while the flavor was excellent (as I would have expected from MB), after baking for 40 + 5 minutes the cake was severely under-baked, and the crumb topping just wanted to fall right off the top. I was able to salvage the cake by throwing it back in for another 10 minutes, but it was still quite dense in the end. Maybe it’s something to do with my oven or the flour I used (Bob’s Red Mill GF 1-to-1).

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Annie! So sorry to hear that this cake gave you some difficulty, and thanks for sharing your experience! We didn’t test this with the Bob’s GF blend ourselves, and in our experience it does give more dense/gummy results than our DIY gf blend. You used almond flour in addition to the 1-to-1, correct?Perhaps next time you could try it with slightly more almond flour and less Bob’s, and maybe a lower bake temperature for a longer time? Let us know if we can help troubleshoot!

  16. Kirsten says

    We made the cake using the minimalist baker blend, but I only had brown rice flour, so I substituted that for the white rice flour. Could that have made the cake soggy and doughy and crumbly and need a longer bake time? (We are still enjoying every doughy crumble, though!)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Ah, yes! White rice flour has different properties than brown rice flour. White rice flour will make it lighter and less dense.

  17. Sarah says

    This sounds amazing! Could you use regular all purpose flour instead of gluten free? Thanks for another great recipe!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Sarah, We haven’t tried this with all purpose flour yet, but other readers have reported it works. We’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of flour if replacing both the almond and GF blend. Or for best texture, we’d suggest keeping the almond flour and subbing all purpose flour 1-1 for the GF blend. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

  18. Astha says

    Great recipe! I ended up using regular all-purpose flour instead of gluten-free flour but it still turned out super moist and delicious. I ate way too much of it right out of the pan.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kate! We haven’t tried it, but we think it would work! You may want to reduce the vegan butter to 1/3 cup, since hazelnuts are more oily than almonds! Let us know how it goes!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi there! For a cake like this we prefer slicing and reheating in a 350 F oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, as microwaving tends to make it too gummy. Hope this helps!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kim, We haven’t tried this with all purpose flour yet, but other readers have reported it works. We’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of flour if replacing both the almond and GF blend. Or for best texture, we’d suggest keeping the almond flour and subbing all purpose flour 1-1 for the GF blend. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

  19. Kristi says

    This recipe is absolutely brilliant! I didn’t have vegan butter, so I used coconut oil. I also used apples from our apple tree. The texture of this cake is AMAZING! My husband and kids absolutely loved it! In fact, I’m making it again today for the second time in a week! I’m not even an apple fan and this cake is just perfect! And so addictive. I couldn’t stop eating it out of the pan.

  20. Pri says

    Hi Dana, I tried it a couple times already. It was amazing and was a huge hit! My husband and my daughter who don’t like apple cakes loved this one! Thanks you for always coming up with no fail recipes.

  21. Tricia A Stott says

    This is the most delicious coffee cake I have tasted since going vegan and gluten free over 30 years ago! The cake is moist and not too sweet and the crumb topping is too die for. I had to put the cake out of my sight just so I wouldn’t eat too much! I used King Arthur Gluten Free flour and subbed coconut sugar for cane sugar. I also reduced the flour in the crumb topping to 1/4 cup. Perfection! Thank you, Minimalist Baker NEVER disappoints!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Woohoo! We LOVE to hear this. Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Tricia!

  22. Haylie says

    5 stars because it’s easy and tastes great! I did modify quite a bit but kept the integrity of the recipe. My one complaint is that I wish it had more apple flavor. I might try adding more apple next time. My modifications: 1 cup AP flour and 1 cup almond flour for the cake based on other reviews. This was enough flour despite overall flour amount being much less than the recipe is written. I also used stevia sugar and brown sugar. I will probably cut down a bit on the sugar next time because my taste buds prefer less sweet. My crumble was not quite crumbly enough but I suspect that’s because of the type of sugar I used. Regardless it tasted good! I baked it in a spring form pan. I will make again.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Woohoo! What kind of apple did you use? We find that granny smith has the best apple flavor for this cake. Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Haylie!

  23. Leah says

    YUMMY! I baked the batter as mini muffins for my daughter’s lunch. Added some toasted pecans and cut the apples a bit smaller to fit into the tiny cups. What a treat! Your GF flour mix is really genius. We have used it in a number of different recipes. Never fails. Thank so much!

  24. Abby says

    I’d love to make this in a 9X13 pan- any idea how to adjust the measurements and baking time for that? Thank you!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Abby, we’d suggest making a 1.5x batch. You can adjust the # of servings to 18 and the measurements will adjust in the recipe. We’d estimate it will take another ~10 minutes. Hope that helps!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Jen, We haven’t tried this with all purpose flour yet, but we think it would work. We’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of flour in place of the almond and GF blend or for best texture, we’d suggest keeping the almond flour and subbing all purpose flour 1-1 for the GF blend. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

  25. Katie says

    Pretty delicious! I made this using 1 cup APF and 1 cup almond flour. I also used real butter bc I didn’t have any vegan butter. Very tasty!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you for sharing, Katie! We’re surprised it still turned out well with less flour! Perhaps you made a half batch?

      • Katie says

        l did it based on the comments below (suggesting 2-2 1/2 all purpose if subbing for ALL the flour) and Maria’s experience using 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup almond flour and it filled the 9” cake pan well! Maybe I misinterpreted the comment though?

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Ah, gotcha! Sorry we weren’t clear on that! We suggest 2-2 1/2 cups all purpose flour if replacing both the GF blend and almond flour because all purpose is more absorbent than almond flour. If using almond flour and all purpose, we’d suggest using the full amount of almond flour and replacing the GF blend 1-1 with all purpose.

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Erica, if not gluten-free, other readers have reported using all purpose flour with success (2 – 2 1/2 cups to replace both the GF blend and almond flour). Hope that helps!

  26. Emily says

    This coffee cake was so delicious! I will definitely be making this again and often. It’s delicious with some coconut milk caramel drizzled over it to add even more decadence.
    I used the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 as the GF flour and it worked great! I think next time I will add a bit more apple but it is amazing as written!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Oooh major YUM to that coconut milk caramel drizzle! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing, Emily! xo

  27. Kim says

    Seems like a lot of flour. I made the recipe and used half of what it called for and it would have been better with less.

    Thanks for all the inspiring recipes and the hardback book is awesome!

  28. Lisa says

    This cake is amazing! The flavor, the texture, the balance of spices-all perfect. I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure.
    My father has celiac and I love to bake so I really appreciate you providing recipes we all can enjoy!

  29. Linda says

    Hi this was delicious! Perfect fall recipe. I doubled the ingredients for the crumble and used honey crisp apples as that is what I had at home. My family loved it and we have a new Christmas morning recipe! Will make this again and again!

    Thanks

  30. clio says

    Perfect. Halved the recipe and cut the apples smaller to suit the kids fussy textural issues. Thanks for the yummy cake, quick and easy to make.

  31. VICKY says

    I’m writing this as I sadly finish the last delicious crumbs of this cake. Exquisite! And the best part is that it was so easy and quick to make!
    I wish it didn’t require butter so I feel less guilty eating it lol
    Do you think this could work with avocado oil?
    Thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Aw, thank you so much for your kind review, Vicky! We are so excited to hear you loved this one! We do think avocado oil would work, but won’t have quite the same flavor.

      • The Vegan Goddess says

        I will try this with coconut oil. I don’t mind unrefined coconut oil which imparts a a slight coconut flavor or refined coconut oil which doesn’t impart a noticeable flavor.

        Either way, I have found that subbing coconut oil for butter or vegan butter has always worked well. I use the equal amount of what is called for in the recipe. I am not a fan of commercial vegan butters.

  32. Adrienne Fincher says

    We made this a couple days ago and it turned out great! The only subs we used was Bob’s 1:1 in the cake and coconut oil and all coconut sugar for the topping cuz I ran out of vegan butter.
    We made it to go along with our tea party with my 3 and 6 year old. It was perfect and delicious. Thank you!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi, We haven’t tried this with all purpose flour yet, but we think it would work. We’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of flour. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

      • Jaime says

        This was excellent! Used coconut oil instead of vegan butter. Was too sweet for us with the topping, perfection without. Will make again!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kira, We haven’t tried this with all purpose flour yet, but we think it would work. We’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of flour. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

  33. Maria says

    Just made this! It came out soo good! I didn’t have gluten free flour so I did sub it for 2 cups of regular flour (I saw your suggestion in the other comment) and it was fine. I baked it for about 30 minutes and that seemed to be a good time! The crumble on top is sooo good, paired with a cup of pumpkin coffee this cake is my new go to for the fall season! Thank you for the recipe!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yay! We’re so glad it worked well with the all purpose flour. Thank you for sharing, Maria! xo

      • Maria says

        I used both AP flour and almond flour. I made it a second time and used 1 cup AP flour and 1 cup almond flour and it turned out great!

          • Kirsten says

            I just baked this cake with my two year old son this morning. I used a 9 inch round cake pan lined with baking parchment. It is delicious but it turned out really doughy inside. I’m guessing I should have adjusted the bake time for the round pan? Any ideas where I might have gone wrong? (Huckleberry mostly stirred things together for me, and stole little spoonfuls of dough here and there, so I don’t think it is his fault. Haha!)

          • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

            Aw, love that you made it together, Kirsten! What brand of GF blend did you use?

    • Laura says

      We have an almond allergy and I need to keep it GF. What sub do you suggest for the almond flour? Any change to wet ingredients?

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Laura! Unfortunately this recipe relies very heavily on almond flour for the right texture, and we aren’t sure if it will work otherwise. If you can tolerate other nuts, like cashews, or hazelnuts, those flours would work! It’s also possible that some coconut flour mixed with oat flour (if you can tolerate oats) would work… but we haven’t tried it and it could be finicky (you’d need to use less). Let us know if you try any substitutions!

  34. Michele says

    First of all, thank you for all the lovely recipes! I’m not vegan or gluten free but I’ve made so many of your delicious recipes and they never fail to impress!

    I was wondering, do you think this could work if the apples were shredded instead of in chunks?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Aw, we’re so glad to hear that, Michele! Thank you for sharing! We think for this recipe the texture would be too moist with shredded apples. But it works in our apple snack cake which has a smaller amount of apple!

  35. Mayen says

    Hello! I’m allergic to almond flour and the only safe alternative for me would be pecan flour- would that work?? Thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Mayen, we haven’t tried with that modification, but think it could work! We’d suggest using a little less vegan butter because pecans are more oily than almonds. Hope that helps!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Cara, We haven’t tried this with all purpose flour yet, but we think it would work. We’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of flour. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kris, we’re not sure how this would taste oil-free as the vegan butter does add a lot of flavor. Your best bet would probably be applesauce + nut butter, but we haven’t tried that and can’t guarantee it will turn out. Let us know if you do some experimenting!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Anna, do you mean all purpose or whole wheat? We haven’t tried this with all purpose flour yet, but we think it would work. We’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of flour. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Rachel! We haven’t tried it but we think it would work, we’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

  36. Sandy Middleton says

    Hi there – would it change the recipe much if you just used normal flour? I don’t need it to be gluten free, nor do I have the ingredients to make my own. Thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Sandy! We haven’t tried this with regular flour yet, but we think it would work. We’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of flour. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

      • Vickie says

        Hello, if you substitute regular flour (2-2 1/2cups) for the gluten free blend, do you still add the almond flour? Thank you for your time.

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Vickie, 2-2 1/2 cups would be if replacing both the GF blend and almond flour. We think it would turn out better with including almond flour, so if you wanted to just replace the GF blend, we think you could sub it 1-1 (or perhaps start with slightly less all purpose). Hope that helps!

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Myriem, we haven’t tried with those modifications, but think coconut oil would be the next best option. Let us know if you try it!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Bela! We haven’t tried this with oil but it should work, it just might not be as flavorful! Let us know how it goes!

    • Ines says

      Hi,
      I don’t know what brand vegan butter you have out your way but Earth Balance Buttery Vegan Sticks are only 3.5 g Sat fat per tablespoon serving. You might want to look for that brand.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Shari! Unfortunately the almond flour is very important here for the right texture, we haven’t tried it will all gluten free blend but we suspect it would not work very well. It’s possible another nut flour (like cashew or hazelnut) could work?

      • Maria says

        I have often replaced almond flour with ground sunflower seeds. I find it gives the closest baked result. I simply do it because sunflowers are much cheaper than almonds :-)

    • Rebecca says

      If I’m not gluten intolerant and since I don’t have the ingredients to make your gluten free flour blend, can I go ahead and use regular AP flour or WW flour in place?

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Rebecca, We haven’t tried this with regular flour yet, but we think it would work. We’d suggest using 2 – 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!