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    Home » Recipes » Gluten Free Recipes

    Gluten-Free Gravenstein Apple Cake

    Modified: May 17, 2024 · Published: Aug 26, 2022 by Nicole Spiridakis

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Gluten-Free Gravenstein Apple Cake takes a trio of simple gluten-free flours and folds in fresh Gravenstein apples for a tender gluten-free apple cake. A delicious late summer treat.

    gluten free gravenstein apple cake

    Easy Gluten-Free Gravenstein Apple Cake Recipe

    This gluten-free Gravenstein apple cake is packed with sweet-tart Gravenstein apples to make a rustic, just-sweet-enough dessert. A rich, tender, buttery cake, it's unique in that it has a layer of thinly sliced apples sprinkled with cinnamon coconut sugar in the middle. Then it's topped with another layer of vanilla-scented cake and finally finished with more apples and cinnamon.

    You could claim that this cake is perfect for fall, but it's equally wnderful in late summer and I think a cake like this could be served through mid-winter. You could also change up the spices as the year progresses -- ginger or cardamom for the cinnamon would be lovely.

    The flours here are three that work beautifully together: oat, almond, and tapioca (see substitutions below), with the oat flour bringing whole grain heft, the almond flour moisture, and the tapioca to balance and keep the cake from being too heavy. To make this cake dairy-free, substitute ½ cup coconut oil at cool room temperature for the butter and switch in coconut yogurt for the sour cream.

    gluten free gravenstein apple cake

    What You'll Need for Gravenstein Apple Cake

    Here's an overview of the ingredients you'll find in this recipe. The full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

    • Butter
    • Sugar
    • Eggs
    • Sour Cream
    • Vanilla extract
    • Oat flour
    • Almond flour
    • Tapioca flour
    • Baking powder and baking soda
    • Sea salt
    • Coconut sugar
    • Cinnamon
    • Gravenstein apples

    How to Make Gluten-Free Gravenstein Apple Cake

    I've outlined the steps you'll take to bake this cake below:

    • Prepare the pan. Butter a springform cake pan and line with parchment paper.
    • Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, using an electric or stand mixer, cream together the butter and maple sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating well to incorporate fully. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until smooth.
    • Whisk together the dry ingredients and add. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Keep the mixer on low and slowly add the dry mix to the batter. Mix until well combined.
    • Make the sugar-cinnamon mix. In a small bowl, stir together the coconut sugar and cinnamon.
    • Place the batter in the pan. Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it with a rubber spatula. Top the batter with one-half of the sliced apples and sprinkle with two-thirds of the coconut sugar/cinnamon. Spread the remaining batter on top, again using the spatula to smooth the top. Place the remaining apples on top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture.
    • Bake the cake. Preheat oven. Let the batter rest and hydrate in the pan while the oven heats. Then place the cake in the oven and bake for 55-65 minutes, checking frequently after 55 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, the top of the cake is set and slightly springs back when pressed, and the edges are pulling away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.
    grav apple cake

    Tips for Success

    Here are a few gluten-free baking tips and substitution suggestions that will help when you make this cake:

    • Rest the batter. Let batter rest before baking. Gluten-free flours really benefit from a rest to let them absorb liquids.
    • Bring the ingredients to room temperature before using. As in all baking, gluten-free baking also benefits from using room-temperature ingredients.
    • To make this cake dairy-free: Substitute coconut oil for the butter. Substitute dairy-free yogurt for the sour cream.
    • Oat flour substitute: Try sorghum flour.
    • Almond flour substitute: Try ivory teff flour or buckwheat flour.
    • Tapioca flour substitute: Try sweet white rice flour or arrowroot.
    • Apple substitute: If you can't get Gravenstein apples, try Granny Smith apples.

    How to Store

    The cake will keep, well wrapped in the fridge, for up to 5 days. I find it tastes best at room temperature or slightly warmed.


    gluten free gravenstein apple cake
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    Gluten-Free Gravenstein Apple Cake

    Nicole Spiridakis
    This Gluten-Free Gravenstein Apple Cake takes a trio of simple gluten-free flours and folds in fresh Gravenstein apples for a tender gluten-free apple cake. A delicious late summer treat.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 servings
    Calories 221 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 1 cup maple sugar or cane sugar
    • 3 large eggs at room temperature
    • 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1 ¼ cups/140 g gluten-free oat flour
    • ½ cup/70 g almond flour
    • ½ cup/70 g tapioca flour
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
    • ¼ cup coconut sugar
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 3 lbs/16 oz. Gravenstein apples

    Instructions
     

    • Butter a springform cake pan and line with parchment paper.
    • In a large bowl, using an electric or stand mixer, cream together the butter and maple sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating well to incorporate fully. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until smooth.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Keep the mixer on low and slowly add the dry mix to the batter. Mix until well combined.
    • In a small bowl, stir together the coconut sugar and cinnamon.
    • Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it with a rubber spatula. Top the batter with one-half of the sliced apples and sprinkle with two-thirds of the coconut sugar/cinnamon. Spread the remaining batter on top, again using the spatula to smooth the top. Place the remaining apples on top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture.
    • Preheat oven to 350℉. Let the batter rest and hydrate in the pan while the oven heats. Then place the cake in the oven and bake for 55-65 minutes, checking frequently after 55 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, the top of the cake is set and slightly springs back when pressed, and the edges are pulling away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.
    • Cake will keep, well wrapped in the fridge, for up to 5 days. I find it tastes best at room temperature or slightly warmed.

    Notes

    Oat flour substitute: Try sorghum flour
    Almond flour substitute: Try ivory teff flour or buckwheat flour
    Tapioca flour substitute: Try sweet white rice flour or arrowroot

    Nutrition

    Calories: 221kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 318mgPotassium: 91mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 286IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 102mgIron: 1mg
    Disclaimer: Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is an estimate (I'm not a nutritionist and can't guarantee accuracy!). Even when not specified, be sure to check that all the ingredients you use are gluten free if you need them to be by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer.
    Did you make this recipe?Let me know in the comments how it went!

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    Cucina Nicolina is your home for easy gluten free baking recipes made with simple, wholesome ingredients. I'm a writer, recipe developer, and cookbook author who loves to share all things yummy and gluten free. Learn more about me.

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