If you are looking for pure comfort eating, this recipe is for you! This German-inspired belly warming dairy-free apple cake is light and fluffy with all the flavours of Fall. Known as apfelkuchen, this cake is perfect for a cold evening treat to warm up your home. Using simple everyday ingredients and your favourite type of apples, your taste buds will be so happy you made it.
Why I Made This Recipe
This is a favourite of ours that we keep coming back to, especially in the Fall when there is an abundance of fresh apples available. We usually make it for an evening treat once the kids have gone to bed. It has just the right amount of sweetness without being overpowering and the sugar on top really finishes it off so well.
Why You Should Make This
Dairy free German apple cake (Apfelkuchen) is such an easy dessert to make. Using a one bowl mixing method with simple pantry ingredients, it’s a great way to use up some apples. Even kids will love it. It is light, fluffy, moist and packed with warm flavours. Plus with fruit in it, I guess you could count it as one of your 5 a day! To see how quickly it comes together, check out my step-by-step video in the recipe card.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This is a dairy free cake with easy vegan and gluten free substitutions. Read on for my suggestions and also see my FAQs for more recipe tips.
Dry ingredients
Flour: I kept this recipe simple and used all purpose (plain) flour. To make this recipe gluten free, simply swap out for a 1-to-1 baking flour blend such as Bob’s Red Mill. I use this GF flour frequently and am always happy with the results.
Flour additions: I am adding baking powder to help the cake rise.
Sugar: to create a sweet cake batter, I am using white sugar. Brown sugar is also used for the topping. Sub with white sugar for the topping if you prefer.
Wet Ingredients
Milk: My go-to milk for baking is plant based almond milk as it reacts well with baked goods. I have also tried this recipe with oat milk, rice milk and soy milk with no noticeable difference in the texture of the cake. Sub with whichever milk you normally bake with.
Fat: the cake batter needs some fat to help with the richness and I am using unsalted plant based butter. Sub with dairy butter if you are not dairy intolerant.
Egg: the egg adds richness and moisture to the cake. Sub with 50 grams of apple cause or 1 flax egg (mix 1 tbsp ground flax with 3 tbsp water) if you are vegan.
Flavouring: I adore adding vanilla bean paste to cake batter for an extra pop of flavour. Use vanilla extract if you prefer. Cinnamon is also added as a topping just before the cake is baked. Omit the cinnamon if you are allergic to it (I have a mild allergy and usually don’t add it to my half of the cake).
And the star ingredient
Apples: the star of this recipe is the freshly picked apples. Use whichever variety you prefer. I recommend coring and peeling them before slicing them.
How to Make German Apple Cake
Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C and gather all of your supplies and ingredients. Ensure that the egg, milk and butter are at room temperature before starting the recipe. Grease then line a round cake pan with parchment paper.
Making the Apple Kuchen Batter
In a mixing bowl, cream together 100 grams butter with 150 grams white sugar. Add the egg, 1 tsp vanilla and 120 ml milk. Mix until fully combined. Don’t worry that the mixture looks very wet at this stage.
Add the flour and the baking powder and mix into a smooth batter. I prefer to add the flour in two stages to avoid a huge puff of flour when I’m mixing it into the batter.
Give the batter a final stir with a spatula to ensure that everything is incorporated fully.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin. At this stage, you could bake it and you’d end up with a simple vanilla cake. But we’re not going to stop there!
Core, peel and slice two apples. You could use any type of apples, depending on which are in season.
Place the apple slice on top of the dairy free apple kuchen cake batter. I usually make a pattern with them, with them overlapping slightly.
Let’s Bake
Top with brown sugar and cinnamon then bake at 350°F for 45 minutes until golden brown.
Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes before removing it from the pan. Serve warm with ice cream or fresh cream. We honestly couldn’t wait to dig into this and I’m sure you’ll love it as well.
Look at this slice!
A warm slice of dairy free German apple cake (Apfelkuchen) is enough to satisfy any comfort-eating craving! I love the way the sugar on top slightly caramelizes the apple slices and adds a little bit of crunch to the topping. The cake itself is light and fluffy and retains some moisture from the apples. Complete perfection!
Common Apfelkuchen Questions
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave if desired and serve with ice cream or fresh cream.
Absolutely. Check out my ingredients guide for substitution tips.
You can turn this recipe into 12 muffins or bake it in mini loaf tins for individual treats. I recommend cutting up the apples into small chunks instead of slices for the muffins.
Craving More Fruity Treats?
- If you love blueberries, you’ll adore my rustic almond blueberry cake ( vegan)
- Wow your guests with a classic pineapple upside down cake (dairy free)
- And if you love zesty muffins, check out my lemon drizzle version (vegan)
Dairy Free Apple Kuchen Cake (Apfelkuchen)
Ingredients
- 100 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted) (7 tbsp)
- 150 grams White Sugar (3/4 US Cup)
- 1 Egg (large)
- 120 ml Plant Based Milk (1/2 US Cup)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- 150 grams All Purpose Flour (1 1/4 US Cup)
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 Apples
- Brown Sugar and Cinnamon for topping
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C and gather all of your supplies and ingredients. Ensure that the egg, milk and butter are at room temperature before starting the recipe. Grease then line a round cake pan with parchment paper.
To Make Apple Kuchen
- In a mixing bowl, cream together 100 grams butter with 150 grams white sugar.100 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted), 150 grams White Sugar
- Add the egg, 1 tsp vanilla and 120 ml milk. Mix until fully combined. Don't worry that the mixture looks very wet at this stage.1 Egg, 120 ml Plant Based Milk, 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- Add the flour and the baking powder and mix into a smooth batter.150 grams All Purpose Flour, 1 tsp Baking Powder
- Pour the cake batter in to the prepared cake tin.
- Core, peel and slice two apples and place on top of the cake batter.2 Apples
- Top with brown sugar and cinnamon then bake at 350°F for 45 minutes until golden brown.Brown Sugar and Cinnamon for topping
- Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm with ice cream or fresh cream.
Video
Notes
- This dairy free recipe yields 8 generous slices of cake. You can also turn this recipe into 12 muffins or bake it in mini loaf tins for individual treats.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Reheat if desired and serve with ice cream or fresh cream.
- For vegan and gluten free options, check out my ingredient substitution guide.
- Nutrition information is based on 1 cinnamon roll per serving with approximately 10 servings per recipe. Please note that nutrition information is calculated based on the ingredients in this recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
This is a family favourite that we keep coming back to. So easy to make and turns out great every time. Thank you!
This cake is absolutely delicious, I found I had to bake closer to 50-55 min.