This wholesome Whole Grain Apple Cake is packed with spelt flour and maple syrup for flavor and extra nutrition. A layer of cinnamon-infused apples makes this recipe stand out!
Whole Grain Apple Cake Recipe
This whole grain apple cake is a classic! To help a bit in the health department I swapped in whole grain flours, reduced the sugar, used some maple syrup, and subbed half the butter for applesauce. In an apple cake, already plummy and rich with apples, applesauce makes sense from a flavor perspective and you can cut down a bit on the butter.
Same goes for the sugar: the original recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar, which has made me quake every time I've made it. Using a combination of brown sugar and maple syrup, which is sweet enough that you need less of it, as well as relying upon the natural sweetness of the apples in the sauce and sprinkled throughout the batter, helps with this.
What You'll Need to Make Whole Grain Apple Cake
See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.
- Apples: Apples make the cake! You could also use pears or a combination.
- Honey: To bring a hint of natural sweetness.
- Ground Spices: Cardamom and cinnamon.
- Butter: For richness and depth of flavor.
- Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce.
- Brown Sugar: For a deep flavor note.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup brings flavor and natural sweetness to this cake.
- Eggs
- Whole Grain Flour: You can use whole grain flour or whole grain pastry flour interchangeably.
- Spelt Flour: You'll find spelt flour readily available in most supermarkets.
- Baking Powder
- Salt: Use fine grain sea salt or table salt.
- Apple Juice
- Pure Vanilla Extract
Substitution Options
It's easy to make substitutions! Here's how:
- For the whole wheat pastry and spelt flours - You can use all-purpose flour or a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose.
- For the maple syrup - Substitute brown sugar.
- To make dairy-free - Swap melted coconut oil for the butter.
Storage Options
Store the cake, tightly wrapped, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Whole Grain Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 4 large apples, peeled and cored
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup light or dark brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 4 eggs, large
- 2 cups whole grain pastry flour
- 1 cup spelt flour or all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup apple juice
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350℉. Grease and flour a tube pan or a springform cake pan.
- Chop the apples into rough chunks about ¼-inch across. Put in a small bowl and drizzle with the honey, ground cardamom, and ground cinnamon.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup, beating well until they are incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour and spelt flour,, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to the butter-sugar-syrup-egg mixture and beat well to combine.
- Add the juice and vanilla, and continue beating until a smooth batter forms.
- Pour about a third of the batter into pan. Layer with one-half of the apples. Repeat for one more layer, finishing with the batter.
- Place in oven and bake for about 1 ½ hours until lightly browned and a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan on a rack for 20 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.
Jessica says
Ohhh, that face! How can you not eat whatever she tells you to? ;)
I just bookmarked your chocolate and peanut butter cake recipe, and now I can't stop thinking about it...