There’s nothing more satisfying than a sweet gluten-free apple cake for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. And this apple cake recipe has the perfect texture, tastes incredible, and is bursting with chunks of sweet apples to help you welcome in a sweet New Year. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
It’s apple season, and there’s no time like the present to celebrate this wonderful fruit than by making this super tasty and aromatic gluten-free apple cake.
This cake is tender, moist, and perfectly sweetened. It’s the exact recipe I make for every Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. On Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people eat sweet apples to symbolize a sweet New Year ahead.
How to Make Gluten-Free Apple Cake
You’re going to be shocked by how easy it is to make this wonderful apple cake with just a few simple ingredients and in just a few simple steps.
Please note I use dairy in this recipe, but you could easily use dairy-free ingredients to make this cake pareve (kosher dietary law in which a recipe is prepared without meat or milk and can therefore be eaten with both dairy and meat meals).
To prepare the apples, you’ll need:
- 2 Tbsp butter (or dairy-free butter)
- 3 small apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp brandy (brandy is gluten-free and is typically made from distilled grapes; you could alternatively use white grape juice)
You’ll want to melt the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat, then add the apples and saute them for 5-8 minutes. Then add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and brandy and cook for another 2 minutes until the apples are slightly browned and softened. Remove the apples from the heat and set the pan aside to slightly cool.
While the apples cool, you’re ready to assemble the cake batter. You’ll need:
- 2/3 cups plain unsweetened yogurt (or dairy-free yogurt)
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups (296 grams) Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
Combine the yogurt, sugar, eggs, and oil in a large bowl and whisk everything together. Then add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and use a spatula to mix everything together until well combined and the flour is fully incorporated into the mixture.
Add the slightly cooled apples and fold them into the batter.
Add the batter to a well-greased bundt pan and then place the bundt pan into a 350º F preheated oven for about 45 minutes.
Check the cake for doneness by sticking a toothpick into the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Allow the cake to cool for about 60 minutes before flipping it onto a serving dish.
Top the cooled cake with powdered sugar and serve immediately. It tastes incredible when it’s warm, although the cake will stay moist and tender for several days, so feel free to prepare it a day ahead of time. The cake will still taste great. You could also freeze it and defrost it before you’re ready to serve it, making this truly a versatile, no-fuss cake.
Why We Love this Cake
It’s Aromatic: When you’re making the apples, your entire house will smell of sweet apples and spicy cinnamon. This cake is truly a treat for your olfactory senses! Bake it right before your guests arrive.
Tons of Apple Bits: This cake is bursting with chunks of apples, which as you know, were cooked with fall spices and sweet brandy. The apples make this cake truly a stand-out dessert as everyone will enjoy plenty of apple bits with every slice.
It’s Easy: In just a few simple steps, you have a beautiful gluten-free apple cake that everyone will gush over, guaranteed!
It’s a Beauty: The bundt pan makes this cake beautiful. Plus, if you’re making it for the Jewish New Year, you’ll love that it’s round in shape, which is symbolic of the cycle of life and creation.
FAQs and Substitutions
Can I use a different gluten-free flour blend? I’ve only tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour blend, but you could use another flour blend. Be sure to check how many grams 1 cup of your preferred gluten-free flour blend weighs to ensure an accurate amount of flour. Remember, some gluten-free flours weigh more than others. The Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour blend weighs 148 grams per cup, and I measure my flour with a digital scale to be precise.
How do I make the cake dairy-free (pareve)? If you want to make this cake dairy free, simply swap dairy-free butter for regular butter (I recommend Earth Balance vegan spread because it’s really buttery in flavor), and dairy-free yogurt (i.e. full-fall coconut yogurt, unflavored and unsweetened).
What apples do you use? I usually use Honeycrisp or Fuji apples, but you could use any sweet red apple you desire. For a more tart cake, use a green apple, like a Granny Smith.
Ack, I don’t have ground cloves. Is there a good substitute? Yes, you can use nutmeg instead of cloves.
I don’t have brandy, what else can I use? You can use white grape juice instead.
Can I make this ahead of time? Yes, this cake will stay moist for a long time, so you can definitely make it a day ahead of time. It will still taste great the next day. You can also freeze it and defrost it before enjoying it.
A special thank you to my friend and cousin-in-law, Sharon, for sharing this wonderful recipe with me long ago.
More Recipes
- Gluten-Free Honey Cake
- Glazed Gluten-Free Apple Fritters
- Warm Butternut Squash & Apple Dip
- Gluten-Free Challah Recipe
Gluten-Free Apple Cake
Equipment
- 1 Bundt pan
Ingredients
For the apples:
- 2 Tbsp butter or dairy-free butter
- 3 small red apples peeled, cored, and diced
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp brandy brandy is gluten-free and is typically made from distilled grapes – see notes for alternatives
For the cake batter:
- 2/3 cup plain unsweetened yogurt or dairy-free yogurt
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 250 grams
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend 296 grams
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350º F and grease a bundt pan with cooking spray. Set it aside.
- Prepare the apples by melting the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the apples and saute them for 5-8 minutes. Add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and brandy, and cook for another 2 minutes until the apples are slightly browned and softened. Remove the pan of apples from the heat and set it aside to slightly cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, eggs, and oil and whisk everything together. Then add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and use a spatula to mix everything together until well combined and the flour is fully incorporated into the mixture.
- Fold in the slightly cooled apples, then add the batter to the greased bundt pan. Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes. Check if the cake is done by sticking a toothpick into the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Allow the cake to cool for 60 minutes inside the bundt pan before flipping it onto a serving dish. Top the cooled cake with powdered sugar just before serving.
This cake has super powers it disappears, i am naking it again for christmas morning
I mix the diced apples in the batter. Diced makes them easier to incorporate into the cake.
Can you use Sliced Apples instead of Diced?
At least a few days. Very moist.
How long does this cake taste fresh?
This was such a great hit! Made this for Rosh Hashanah & breakfast on Yom Kippur. Delish! Highly suggest this recipe! I used some fresh lemon to squeeze over the apples before cooking. Used maybe a little less sugar. It really does need the full amount. Added toasted walnuts. So good! Wonder is a little carrot would be good as well?
I actually leave the skin on but either way will be fine.
Hello,
I want to make this recipe! Should the apples be peeled or not peeled? I feel like this is a silly question.
You could try a non dairy yogurt like coconut yogurt.
How would you make this cake dairy-free?The recipe notes plain yogurt.
Wonderful to hear!!
Made this tonight (for break fast this weekend) – its very very good, the texture is just perfect – I used sour cream because I didn’t have plain yogurt in the house and it came out fine. I measured 4 cups chopped apples – that seemed ok – although I think it could have used more so maybe my apples weren’t large enough. I also decreased the sugar by 1/4 cup and its still sweet enough. Thank you thank you – I will make this cake and your honey cake every year!