As the other favorite flavor of Fall, I present you with Apple Walnut Cake! This moist and soft apple spice cake is frosted with a cinnamon cream cheese glaze that’s absolutely irresistible. The walnuts studded throughout and sprinkled overtop add a crunch and balance the sweetness of this cake. I just can’t get enough!
It’s naturally gluten free + dairy free if you substitute with a dairy free cream cheese. Makes for the perfect healthy dessert (or breakfast!) and best enjoyed with cold milk or hot coffee.
For another tasty apple creation check out my Apple Cinnamon Streusel Bread. A slice of this is like apple pie, all warm and cinnamon-y with the subtle sweetness of apple. The crumbly streusel on top completes this bread with warm notes of cinnamon and a slight sweetness of maple syrup and coconut sugar!
Ingredients in Healthy Apple Walnut Cake
Eggs – Add structure to the apple cake while baking.
Coconut Sugar + Maple Syrup – Both are refined sugar free sweeteners that gives a slight caramel-esc flavor.
Coconut Oil – The healthy fats add moisture to this apple spice bread.
Almond Flour – Make sure to use blanched, super fine almond flour for optimal texture. I like Bob’s Red Mill baking flours for gluten free options.
Coconut Flour – A little bit goes a long way with coconut flour. It adds a subtle sweet flavor and creates an extra soft texture in baked goods. You need to keep this in the recipe as it also helps to thicken the batter so it isn’t too runny. You cannot substitute with extra almond flour!
Apples – Use any variety that you’d like, my preference is usually Honey Crisp or Pink Lady.
Walnuts – Add texture and healthy fats to this apple spice bread. You could also sub with pecans.
Cream Cheese – Makes for the most creamy frosting, substitute for dairy free cream cheese if needed. I like Kite Hill vegan cream cheese for the best taste / texture.
Apple Juice – Adds sweetness to the frosting with all natural sugars. I just used Martinelli’s brand, it’s available at most grocery stores.
Powdered Sugar – Helps achieve the creamy and whipped consistency for a proper cream cheese frosting.
How to Make Apple Walnut Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9″ round cake pan with parchment paper (or spray with coconut oil) and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, coconut sugar, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined.
- To the batter, add the shredded apples and chopped walnuts. Stir until evenly combined – batter will be very thick.
- Spread the batter with a spatula into the parchment-lined 9” cake pan. Bake 33 – 37 minutes (mine took 35), or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, and the top of the cake is evenly browned.
Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Glaze
This apple walnut cake is one of my absolute favorites with or without the cream cheese glaze. Without it, this apple cake makes for a delicious breakfast; with it, this apple cake makes for a healthy dessert. A win win situation either way!
It’s creamy and perfectly sweet with the tang of cream cheese. Add some cinnamon and apple juice to take the traditional cream cheese frosting to a whole new level.
Whisk the cream cheese, apple juice, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and ground cinnamon then stir again until smooth. Keep the frosting at room temperature so it stays soft and spreadable. Then once the cake is cool you can frost it and sprinkle chopped walnuts overtop.
Fall Dessert Recipes
I’m in full Fall mode currently and loving all the pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon recipes. See below for all my favorite gluten free, dairy free, and healthy fall dessert recipes:
Pumpkin Pie Bars – These healthy Pumpkin Pie Bars have a crisp crust layered with pumpkin pie filling and a swirl of whipped cream. They’re easier than pumpkin pie and just as delicious!
Chocolate Pumpkin Bread – Soft and moist chocolate pumpkin bread with a rich chocolate ganache glaze overtop. The chocolate and pumpkin spice combination makes this the perfect Fall dessert!
Mini Apple Galettes – These individual galettes have a soft homemade crust, sweet cinnamon apples, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the perfect warm and cozy treat. The subtle sweetness of apples with flaky, buttery crust makes for a tasty dessert or if you’re like me, occasional breakfast!
If you try this recipe (or any of the above), please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you and it helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Apple Walnut Cake 🙂
Ingredients
Wet
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup coconut sugar packed
- ½ cup coconut oil melted & cooled
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry
- 3 cups super fine blanched almond flour
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup shredded apple packed & drained (~2 medium or 3 small apples, cored and grated with skin on)
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts and more for topping cake
Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Glaze
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup apple juice room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9″ round cake pan with parchment paper (or spray with coconut oil) and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, coconut sugar, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined.
- To the batter, add the shredded apples and chopped walnuts. Stir until evenly combined – batter will be very thick.
- Spread the batter with a spatula into the parchment-lined 9” cake pan. Bake for 33 – 37 minutes (mine took 35), or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, and the top of the cake is evenly browned.
- While the cake is cooling, make your frosting. Whisk cream cheese, apple juice and vanilla extract until smooth. Next, add in powdered sugar and ground cinnamon, stirring again until smooth.
- Once the cake has cooled, top with cinnamon cream cheese glaze and sprinkle with extra chopped walnuts. Enjoy!
Notes
- To keep the recipe dairy-free, I suggest using Kite Hill cream cheese for the best taste & texture
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Facebook Pin Recipe
This cake is really excellent! A dear friend presented me with a huge bagful of apples from her orchard, so I have been googling apple recipes for a couple of days. I wanted something that used almond flour and found this one. Apples and walnuts are a winning combo for me and the grated apples make this absolutely delicious and satisfying to eat! I am going to try more of your recipes this fall.
I have just tried this today and it is really delicious.
So happy you loved! – Casey