This super moist gluten free apple cake is filled with fresh apples and topped with caramel drizzle. It’s perfect for any party or gathering and served best with ice cream.
Made with simple ingredients and basic instructions, this cake is perfect for fall and the holidays. Fresh red apples from the apple orchard for farmers market make this cake to die for. It’s moist and is actually more like an apple upside down cake…yum!
I love using King Arthur gluten-free all-purpose flour for this recipe because it’s gluten-free and turns out so well. My chocolate orange cake is another gluten-free cake that turns out wonderfully every time. I love it with ice cream or paired with these cakesicles (see how to make vanilla ice cream easily here).
In addition to this apple cake, my eggnog cake with cream cheese and our easy drip cake are two other holiday hits. I love bringing desserts to the holiday gatherings because they’re more fun to make and everyone enjoys them.
If you’re an apple fan, then you’ll love these gluten-free apple cider cupcakes and my crockpot apple cider. It’s the perfect way to use up old apples and fill you belly with warm fall flavors. This black bottom pie and pumpkin delight recipe are two other great treats for anyone!
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What’s are the best apples for apple cake?
My favorite thing to do when making an apple cake is using a variety of different kinds of apples. This allows for all kinds of apple flavor. Honey crisp, granny smith, golden delicious apples, pink lady, etc. combine nicely to give you sweetness, tartness, and a crisp taste.
What’s in a gluten free apple cake?
There’s a lot of different ways to make an apple cake but using good apples and other simple ingredients is my favorite way. See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients.
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
I love the gluten-free all-purpose flour for this easy recipe. King Arthur has a gluten-free flour blend which bakes nicely and tastes great. If you don’t have that brand, another gluten-free all purpose flour will work just fine.
Sugar
A combination of brown and white sugar gives this cake the perfect amount of sweetness. The brown sugar adds a rich flavor while the white sugar gives it that classic dessert taste.
Spices
A combination of cinnamon, allspice, and salt gives this recipe a warm fall flavor that everyone loves. Feel free to add more or less of any spice.
Milk
Whole or 2% milk seems to work best in this recipe but if you want a gluten-free and dairy free cake, almond milk will work as well.
Eggs
Eggs give this cake structure so don’t forget to add them!
Apples
As stated before, a variety of apples gives this cake a nice flavor but you can use whatever apples you have on hand.
How do you make a gluten free apple cake?
This gluten free apple cake recipe is super easy and need for fancy equipment or professional baking skills! See the recipe card for the full list of instructions. It is great served with our Thanksgiving punch recipes non alcoholic and our non alcoholic mulled wine.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine all dry ingredients together in a large bowl
- In a large stand mixer, beat sugar and 1/2 C butter then add eggs, milk and vanilla and mix well
- Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet and incorporate
- Meanwhile spray a 9 inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread out 1/2 C melted butter into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with 2/3 brown sugar evenly
- Place 1/2 C butter into the bottom of the pan then sprinkle with 2/3 brown sugar evenly
- Place sliced apples in concentric circles on top of the brown sugar and press them down then pour the cake batter over apples
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out crumby but clean
- Meanwhile, bring 1/2 C butter, 1 C brown sugar and 2 T cream to a boil while whisking constantly, drizzle warm sauce over cooled cake
Pro tip: You can skip steps 9 and 10 if you’d rather use store-bought or these homemade caramels melted from my friend Erin at Meaningful Eats.
Expert tips and FAQs
Yes you can this easy freeze gluten-free apple cake wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. The cake freezes very well but I do recommend cooling the cake on a cooling rack before freezing.
Sometime gluten-free cakes soak up the moisture more than traditional cakes but the fix for this is adding more fat. This recipe calls for enough melted butter and whole milk to ensure this cake is anything but dry.
I like adding xanthan gum to gluten free recipes to help the ingredients bind together. This recipe along with many of my other gluten free baking recipes calls for xanthan gum.
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Gluten Free Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (King Arthur works the best)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoons allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup whole or 2% milk
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 small apples cut into 1/4 inch slices
Caramel Topping
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tabelspoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine all dry ingredients together in a large bowl
- In a large stand mixer, beat sugar and 1/2 C butter then add eggs, milk and vanilla and mix well
- Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet and incorporate
- Meanwhile spray a 9 inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread out 1/2 C melted butter into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with 2/3 brown sugar evenly
- Place 1/2 C butter into the bottom of the pan then sprinkle with 2/3 brown sugar evenly
- Place sliced apples in concentric circles on top of the brown sugar and press them down then pour the cake batter over apples
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out crumby but clean
- Meanwhile, bring 1/2 C butter, 1 C brown sugar and 2 T cream to a boil while whisking constantly, drizzle warm sauce over cooled cake
Notes
- I recommend using really good quality butter like Kerrygold since it is a big star in this recipe.
- You can skip steps 10 and 11 if you’d rather use store-bought caramel over homemade caramel.
Nutrition
This post was originally published December 6, 2018 but has since been updated on July 21, 2022 with new photos and some helpful information. Here is the original photo…
Marianne says
I would like to cut back in sugar. Anyone try to use coconut sugar and maybe cut it in half? Sane with brown sugar.
Chandice says
You can certainly cut the sugar but it may not taste the same.
Nick says
I love the brown sugar caramel sauce in this recipe, I’m a sucker for anything caramel.
Kayla Klontz says
I love the caramel apple sauce addition to this.
Lisa says
The caramel apple sauce looks soooo good on this cake!
Jessica To says
I love the caramel but I would like to try it with pears too.
cyndi br says
I would add blueberries to the recipe
Kelly D says
I love the caramel sauce since it is one of my favorite toppings.
Erin Lane says
Honestly, what I liked best about this recipe is that Kodiak Cakes makes gluten free options. I had not idea and now I can’t wait to try them! I really hope I win.
Lindsay A. says
Oh YUM! I’d love to try this recipe with pears as well – one of my favorite fruits!
Laurajj says
I would love to try this with strawberries this summer from our garden!
Elle says
I like the apples on top – nice addition especially with the cinnamon.
Georgette Coan says
I would love to make this with pears.
Karen D says
Sounds fabulous! Think I’d try it with pears, since they also pair well with caramel.
Shauna says
Peaches
Chrissy says
I think this recipe sounds delicious but I’d also love to try to make it with peaches!
kate tildes says
\
I can’t find Kodiak Cake’s gluten-free stuff anywhere!
Chandice says
Oh no, I am sorry to hear that. You can find it on amazon. 🙂