This Almond Flour Apple Cake is a healthier treat made with whole-food ingredients. It’s perfect for fall baking and topped with a streusel crumb topping. The glaze has multiple options, but the maple option is my favorite this time of year. It’s naturally gluten-free with dairy-free options, too. Serve this as a coffee cake, for brunch, or omit the frosting and top it with ice cream for dessert.
Just picture a perfectly spiced cake, weighed down by loads of apples and a crunchy streusel topping. And if that doesn’t sound tasty enough… it’s all drizzled with a maple glaze. There’s just so much fall flavor in this tasty cake!
The idea for this cake came with the chilly fall temperatures we have right now. I started thinking about slow Sunday afternoons with a cup of coffee while nibbling on a piece of cake. And it ended up being one of those recipes that really can work as a breakfast/brunch treat, a dessert, or even the above-mentioned coffee snack.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Almond Flour – is my preferred flour to make perfectly moist baked goods that are both gluten-free and paleo.
- Tapioca Starch – I use this in combination with the almond flour and it creates the perfect fluffy texture in baked goods. I’ve also had many readers write in to say they’ve successfully subbed in either cornstarch or arrowroot for the tapioca.
- Cinnamon – because is there anything that tastes like fall more than cinnamon and apples together? But feel free to branch out with cardamom or nutmeg, although I might cut the measurement in half since those spices might be overwhelming in the quantities listed for cinnamon.
- Lemon Zest – this plays off the cinnamon for a touch of brightness that is more than worth getting the zester out for!
- Maple Syrup – adds the right amount of sweetness, and is a great flavor booster, as well as being a natural sweetener.
- Eggs – work together with the almond flour and tapioca starch to create the right texture in this cake.
- Butter/ghee/Avocado oil – I love using butter or ghee in my baked goods because of the incredible flavor. However for those that are strictly dairy free, avocado oil works incredibly well and has a subtle buttery flavor. I used to use coconut oil, and it does work, but has a much stronger flavor. Overall, it’s worth tracking down some avocado oil for your pantry, (I get mine at Costco)!
- Vanilla – because everything baked is better with vanilla extract!
- Apples – I used McIntosh apples here which are the perfect sweet-tart combination and great for baking. You can also use Granny Smith apples which are usually available everywhere. Any baking apple like Braeburn, Pink Lady, or Cortland.
How to make this recipe step by step
Step 1: Add all the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl.
Stir to combine until no lumps remain.
Step 2: Then add the wet ingredients and mix just to combine.
Step 3: Mix the apples and pour the cake batter into a prepared pan.
I have baked this cake with all the apples piled on top which is good too, but it can create a challenge of batter pockets. So, I’ve taken to mixing the apples right into the batter.
Step 4: Then the streusel mixture is scattered evenly over the top, and it’s baked until puffed up and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Once the cake is baked and cooled to room temperature, it’s time to choose a frosting!
3 options for the frosting
- For a lower sugar paleo option, try out a double recipe of my glaze from my Cinnamon Apple Muffins.
- For the easiest option, use the powdered sugar option listed in the recipe notes.
- And finally for the tastiest maple frosting, follow the recipe instructions. This frosting does require making powdered sugar in your Vitamix from maple sugar. It’s a simple process, but since not everyone has a Vitamix or maple sugar, the powdered sugar version works perfectly as well.
Ways to serve this
- This makes the perfect apple coffee cake for fall, but it’s also great for a weekend brunch.
- Omit the frosting and serve this apple cake with my Best Vanilla Ice Cream, Maple Ice Cream, or Honey Ice Cream.
FAQ’s
I don’t recommend using just almond flour because it doesn’t hold together well. I use a combination of almond flour with tapioca starch for the fluffiest but still moist cakes and muffins.
A baking apple is a variety that doesn’t break down and turn to mush when you bake it. Granny Smith apples are the most widely available baking apple, but McIntosh is my favorite baking apple available early in the fall season.
Storing leftovers
- To store – store any leftover apple cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Make ahead – you can prep the streusel topping and the flour mixture for the cake ahead.
- Reheating – you can microwave to reheat or reheat the cake in the baking pan at 200ºF until the topping is crispy again. The frosting will dry out but still be tasty.
- To freeze – freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Tips & Tricks
- Check to make sure the cake is done by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean or with moist crumbs, the cake is done. If there’s a bit of batter, bake a little longer.
- It’s worth tracking down maple sugar and making maple powdered sugar at least once because the frosting is packed with maple flavor! However, the powdered sugar with maple syrup option is really good, too, and obviously way easier!
Dietary Options & Substitutions
- Dairy-free – use dairy-free butter or avocado oil
- Paleo – use ghee or avocado oil along with my glaze from these Apple Muffins.
More Apple Recipe Inspiration
I really hope you enjoy this Almond Flour Apple Cake recipe! If you do get a chance to make it, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Almond Flour Apple Cake
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups fine almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp baking powder - see notes
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp lemon zest - grated with a microplane grater
- 1/2 cup Grade B maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 6 tbsp melted ghee - butter, or avocado oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled & chopped baking apples - I used McIntosh, about 1/2″x 1/4″ pieces
Streusel Topping:
- 1/2 cup fine almond flour
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 cup chopped pecans - raw/unsalted
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2 tbsp butter - melted, or ghee, avocado oil
- 2 tbsp Grade B maple syrup
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup sifted powdered maple sugar - see notes
- 3 tbsp salted butter - or melted ghee/avocado oil for paleo
- 3 tbsp Grade B maple syrup
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 11″x7″ baking dish, (4-5″ deep).
- Whisk together the almond flour, tapioca starch, cinnamon, sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda until no lumps remain.
- Stir in the lemon zest, then add the maple syrup, eggs, melted ghee/butter/avocado oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined, then stir in the apples.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl stir together the ingredients for the streusel topping until combined. Using your hands, crumble the streusel topping evenly over the cake.
- Bake the cake until puffed and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with moist crumbs, 40-50 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool to room temperature on a cooling rack before frosting it.
- For the frosting, start by placing the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook swirling it around the bottom until it smells toasty and has browned, 2-3 minutes, (skip this step if using ghee or avocado oil). Add it to the sifted powdered sugar along with the maple syrup, pinch of salt, and vanilla extract.
- Stir to combine, then drizzle it evenly over the cake. Serve within the first day for the best texture, although we enjoyed this cake for 3 days before it started to be a bit dry.
NOTES
nutrition facts
This recipe was originally published in 2020 and updated with new information and tips in 2024.
This was perfect for autumn,, I brought it to a dinner party. The one thing I changed was to make a reduced cider syrup for the topping, I had an extra qt I needed to use up but I plan to make the maple one for the rest that is in my freezer yum and thank you! Carma
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the wonderful idea to put reduced cider syrup on as a topping! I’ve made reduced cider before but never tried it on this cake before… so thanks so much for the great idea!
One of the best I have ever eaten! I used corn starch, did not have tapioca, and lemon juice, 2 tbsp instead of lemon zest. I did not have the 11×7 pan, so I used a 8 1/2 in square, mine did fall in the center, probably because of the pan size. I will be making again!!!
So glad you enjoyed it and hopefully the pan size with help with the sinking the next time around! You could also make this into muffins as well.
I have 40 lbs of apples from our tree and needed recipes to use them up. I had to write a review for this one because it is AMAZING. This is my first ever online recipe review out of hundreds I’ve tried, that’s how good this is! I left off the glaze and used coconut sugar in the streusel topping, and used avocado oil in the batter. Holy smokes good thing I doubled the recipe because it’s half gone by the next morning.
Thank you so much, it makes my day to here you enjoyed this cake so much!
I love the almond flour in here for flavor purposes but also because it makes it a little bit healthier!
Thanks so much, and enjoy!
Hey Kari,
As an SOB or Son of Baker, my interest is full fermentation. While this recipe looks good, how is the base of the coffee cake; leavened, proofed or fermented?
Hi Patrick,
This coffee cake gets it’s leavening from both baking powder and baking soda. It’s a quick bread so it doesn’t use yeast like some coffee cakes do. I hope this answers your question and let me know if you get to try this one out!