Gluten Free Apple Cake

Gluten free cinnamon sugar fresh apple cake with whipped cream on white plate with fork.

4.88 from 8 votes

This Gluten Free Apple Cake recipe is a moist, old fashioned dessert made with a cinnamon sugar topping, fresh apples, and whipped cream.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: gluten free apple cake, apple cake, buttermilk apple cake, old fashioned apple cake

Servings:

Calories: 196kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Ingredients

For The Apple Cake:

1 ½ packed cups brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 large sweet apple such as gala, braeburn, Fuji, or honeycrisp
1 large tart apple such as Granny Smith or Jonagold
2 cups gluten free flour blend or AP flour if not gluten free
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon split
¼ cup granulated sugar

For The Whipped Cream:

16 oz. heavy whipping cream optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For The Apple Cake:

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Generously grease a 9x13 inch glass or metal cake pan with butter or cooking spray.
Peel 1 large (or 2 small) sweet apples such as Gala, Braeburn, or Fuji. Peel 1 large (or 2 small) tart apples such as Granny Smith or Jonagold.
Dice both the sweet and tart apples into small pieces. (Yields approximately 3 cups of chopped apples). Set aside.
Place ½ cup (1 stick) of softened (but not melted) unsalted butter and 1 ½ packed cups granulated brown sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment of a Kitchen Aid stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1-2 minutes.
Add 2 eggs to the butter and sugar and cream for another 30 seconds on medium speed until the mixture is completely combined.
In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups gluten free flour blend, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Stir these ingredients together with a fork or whisk until completely combined.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined. Add ½ cup of buttermilk to the batter and stir until combined. Repeat with the second half of the dry ingredients and then the other half of the buttermilk. Stir the batter just until combined.
Add 3 cups of diced apples (both sweet and tart) to the batter along with ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Stir the apples and cinnamon into the batter until completely combined.
In a small bowl, add ¼ cup granulated white sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Stir until completely combined.
Pour the cake batter into the greased cake pan and even it out with a spatula. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top of the cake.
Place the cake in the oven and bake for 42-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Once the cake is finished baking, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool.

For The Whipped Cream (optional):

Place 16 oz. of cold heavy whipping cream into the bowl of a Kitchen Aid stand mixer or a large bowl.
Using the whisk attachment of a Kitchen Aid stand mixer or a hand mixer, whip the cream on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until it forms stiff peaks.

Notes

Baking times may vary slightly depending on the type of cake pan and oven used. I found 42-45 minutes to be perfect but baking times may be different for you.

The texture of the cake should be moist and springy.

This cake may be served alone, or topped with whipped cream, ice cream, or creme anglais.

Nutritional facts are calculated without the whipped cream.

Nutrition