I had half a dozen apples in the fridge. I browsed the index for recipes with apples and found this vegan apple cake recipe. The recipe was very simple, used only one egg, so easy to substitute the egg. The cake came out very well. It was very moist and fluffy, but over the top sweet.
The original recipe used 1 cup sugar and the apples I used were sweet too, so the cake became very sweet. So I have changed the recipe to ¾ cup of sugar. I was wondering what to do with the cake, then got this (wonderful) idea. I was not sure whether it would work, but I was totally surprised and happy with the result.
Check the My Notes section to see what I did. But this vegan apple cake recipe is definitely a keeper for its easy prep and unbelievably moist and fluffy texture for a vegan cake.
This is yet another recipe from the Taste of Home Baking Book.
Recipe
Vegan Apple Cake
This apple cake recipe bakes such a moist and fluffy cake that it's hard to believe that its a vegan cake.
Need To Convert Measurements?Check out the Baking Measurement Chart!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Softened Butter (I used Earth Balance - 4 teaspoons)
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 1 and ½ teaspoons Ener-G (in place of 1 Egg)
- 2 tablespoons Water
- 3 tablespoons Soy Milk (if using Ener-G)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour (I used Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon (I used ¼ teaspoon)
- ½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg (I did not use)
- 3 cups Apples Peeled And Diced
- ¼ cup Walnuts (I used ½ cup Chopped)
- As Needed Whipped cream/Ice cream (Optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350F for 15 minutes. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Since the quantity of butter is very less, the creamed mixture was dry and resembled coarse crumbs.
- In a blender/food processor blend together Ener-G, water, soy milk and vanilla extract until nice and foamy.
- Add the Ener-G mixture to the creamed butter/sugar and beat everything together with the hand mixer until thoroughly combined. This mixture looks creamy like a white sauce.
- In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg (if using). Add this to the wet ingredients. The batter will be thick.
- Stir in apples and nuts. Mix it thoroughly.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with just a few crumbs. Mine was done around 38 minutes. You can also see that the cake starts pulling from the edges.
- This cake can be sliced directly from the pan while its still warm, so no need to wait for the pan to cool to invert it and then slice it.
My Notes
- The original recipe mentioned only 3 tablespoons butter. Since I had only 4 tablespoons (½ a stick) remaining from a stick, I used it entirely. Did not want to keep the balance 1 tablespoon in the fridge. I think that extra tablespoon of butter helped to get the amazing texture for the cake.
- The apples were required to be diced, but I grated it because I was not sure if my son would eat the cake if it had chunks of apples in it. He usually eats all fruits and especially apples and pears are his favorite. But I can never guess him. The apples were really invisible, so if you have a picky eater sneak the apples by grating.
- I was wondering what to do about the sweetness. If it's not sweet enough you can always sprinkle some powdered sugar, have it with vanilla ice cream etc. But how to reduce the sweetness. Then I got this idea of coating the cake with unsweetened chocolate so that the bitterness would offset the sweetness. I wanted to try it immediately but did not have it at home. Sent my husband immediately to the grocery store and he got the Baker's unsweetened baking chocolate.
- It's a pack of 8 individually wrapped squares of plain chocolate. I wanted to test very little first. So melted 3 squares in the microwave oven. Cooled it a little bit. I decided to shaped the cake into small balls and dip it in the melted chocolate so that it would resemble truffles. Since the cake was slightly warm and moist I was able to proceed with the idea and shaped them into small balls. Dipped the cake quickly into the melted chocolate and placed it in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I had a perfect slice of cake as well. My husband dipped 3 sides of the cake in the chocolate. I placed the baking sheet in the fridge for the chocolate to set. I couldn't contain my excitement to taste it. Managed to wait until the next day morning. The chocolate had set perfectly and I took a bite of the apple cake truffle and was literally doing the happy dance. It tasted so good! The bitterness of the unsweetened chocolate took care of the sweetness perfectly. The taste was phenomenal. I'm very glad that I tried this vegan apple cake.
Nutrition
Calories: 197kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 220mgPotassium: 84mgFiber: 2gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 160IUVitamin C: 2mgVitamin D: 0.1µgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg
Did You Make This?I love seeing what you made! Leave a review comment below and be sure to tag me at @EgglessCooking when you share a photo!
Tara says
I made the cake with 4 tablespoons of Earth Balance. The texture was perfect. I personally found the cake to be not sweet enough- I think next time I will use 1 cup of packed light brown sugar and a little bit more nutmeg and cinnamon. I baked it for 38 minutes and it was a little too done- some what dry, but that is my oven I think. I hate this oven. It's old, electric and not very accurate. I used some apples that were given to me today but I think I should have used the sweeter, juicier apples I bought for this recipe. I will definitely make it again. It was a worthwhile first vegan baking recipe!
Tara says
I am about to make this cake which looks delicious. I just want to confirm- the ingredients you say you used 4 TEASpoons of Earth Balance but the description you say TABLEspoons. I am guessing that you meant tablespoons so that is what i will use. 🙂 Looking forward to my first vegan cake. I have the Ener-G egg replacer. I'll let you know how I make out.
Madhuram says
Thanks for letting me know Tara. I will change it.
Angela Schmitz says
I made this in a non Vegan way, using the egg. It came out wonderful, very good taste and moist. Everybody loved it and it will be absolutely my apple cake number 1 form now on.
Thank you very much!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Angela. Please rate the recipe.
Maetreyii says
hello.
may i ask what is the difference between baking soda and baking powder?
i can not find baking soda... i was told by the store that they are out of baking soda for now...
i dont know when they are going to get them... can i use baking powder instead?
Also, do you think it is ok to use date syrup or something instead of sugar?
my husband does not like for me to give food with sugar to our children.
do you think it will still be fluffy even if i use date syrup?
Madhuram says
Both can't/shouldn't be used interchangeably. Regarding sugar, liquid sweeteners can be substituted for sugar to some extent if you could reduce the quantity of other liquids in the recipe. Since this recipe doesn't have much liquid, I'm not sure how date syrup would work.
Ranjani says
I thought since there are lotta fruits in it, I wudn nee a fruit puree. Can I use vinegar and milk? the milk curdles right? is tat ok?
Ranjani says
Hi,
I dint find ener-g here.So I omitted it and the water part and the cake crumbled :(I am completely new to baking and have tried only a few cakes, so wats the mistake? bec I dint use an egg replacer huh
Madhuram says
That could be a reason. So what did you use instead of EnerG. You need something to bind the batter, so that the cake doesn't crumble. How did the batter look? If it was runny maybe you should have tried baking it for some more time.
Sunita says
Another winner from you 🙂 I baked this for my own birthday last week (Sigh!) and it came out really yummy. I don't get Ener-G where I live, so used BRM's egg replacer. It worked out to the same measurement but the final cake batter needed another teaspoon of milk to get the perfect consistency. I topped this cake with chocolate fudge frosting and sprinkles. Thank you for a great recipe!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Sunita. Belated birthday wishes.
SS says
Hey Madhuram,
I have been on & off trying out one or the other of your recipes :-).
For this cake, was wondering if butter could be replaced with canola oil and how much of it?
Better yet if I can completely omit/use yogurt for that, but will it affect the consistency of the final product?
Want your suggestions please.
Thanks
Madhuram says
Yes, you could replace it with 3 tablespoons of oil. You can replace the fat with unsweetened applesauce or yogurt but the cake will be very dense and not fluffy. You may also have to increase the baking time between 3-5 minutes, anyway do the toothpick test.
SS says
Thanks Madhuram for your prompt replies ! I had second thoughts about ener-G replacer as I read somewhere egg replacer contains both corn-derived ingredients as well as Carboxymethylcellulose, a chemical thickener that is indigestible and can cause diarrhea, constipation and bloating. If you know something more on this or anybody else knows please discuss more. I thought this is such a nice an active place, and would be good to brainstorm on a few day-to-day things and make life more healthier.
Thanks a bunch to Madhuram for the due dilligence.
Regards
SS
Madhuram says
Hi SS, thanks for the input. I looked into it and believe that its safe for human consumption. Check these links:
1) Under the list of safe additives: http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm
2) Talks about Carboxymethylcellulose in detail: http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#carbosodium
3) About Sodium Carb... present in Ener-G: http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#sodiumcarb
I don't see corn derivatives in the ingredients list of Ener-G: Ingredients: Potato Starch, tapioca starch flour, leavening (calcium lactate [not derived from dairy], calcium carbonate, citric acid), sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose
NSG says
Hi Madhu,
Finally i could try this recipe again and it came out perfect. It was delicious.
I guess the apples i am using are too juicy, hence making my batter too watery. I used yogurt as you had suggested. And i reduced the apples to 2 cups. And bingo!!
My cake sunk a little after cooling. Did this happen with you too?
I wish to try this recipe with applesauce next time. Can i make applesauce and refridgerate/freeze it? What should be the consistency of applesauce?
Thanks again!
Madhuram says
Thanks NSG. I think mine sank a little as well. Applesauce should have a semi solid consistency, not too watery, not too thick either.
NSG says
Do i need to add water too along with yogurt/applesauce?
You got me NSG. I'm literally banging my head against the wall to see if I can recollect why I have used both water and soy milk along with the Ener-G powder. Usually I use just plain lukewarm water. Initially I was using just water and later read somewhere else that blending it with lukewarm water makes it even more frothy and have been doing it ever since.
Now to answer your question, if using yogurt, try 3 tablespoons of yogurt mixed with 1 tablespoon of water and you need not do anything about the leaveners. If you are using applesauce, try it with water in 3:1 tablespoon ratio as above and add 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder. Forget about the soy milk/water confusion.
I wish I had the time to try this recipe immediately to clarify the confusion.
NSG says
Hi Madhu,
I dont have Ener-G.
Which substitute do you think would work best - yogurt or applesauce? Do i need increase the amount of baking soda or add baking powder if i use anyone of these?
love your recipes!! This one looks unbelievably amazing..
Shayla says
Hi there. Great recipe. I'm going to try it next week, but wanted to know about leaving out the walnuts. My son is allergic to eggs and nuts of all kind, and flax. Anything else to suggest adding in place of the nuts? Or, can they just be omitted? We're not big raisin fans either.
Thanks. I will be using your site a lot, I'm sure!!
Shayla
You could surely omit the nuts Shayla. If you do want to add something maybe you could add a 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips, but I'm not sure how sweet the cake will become.
jiji says
~_~ i tried out ur cake it was awesum... i luv ur website..i am planning on makin more of ur recipes ....thnx 😀 😉 😛 ❗ ❗
Kris says
Thanks for such a yummy post! It made my Friday Linky Love.
http://onecookandtwochefs.blogspot.com/2010/08/linky-love-friday-6-and-cheesy-zucchini.html
Cata says
Hello!
Thank you indeed for this fantastic recipe!
I put your link in my blog.
http://www.catascraft.com/2010/06/torta-al-kamut.html
Regards from Tuscany.
Cata
You're welcome Cata.
Rupa says
for my 2nd try on this recipe, Can i reduce the butter to half and replace the 2 tablespoons of butter with unsweetened applesauce ?...if yes, how much applesauce ?
thanks !!
Rupa, the quantity of butter is already very less only. Unless you eat the entire cake the butter per serving of cake is very less. Anyways, you can substitute equal quantity of applesauce for the butter you wish to replace.
Rupa says
Hi Madhuram,
I made this cake yesterday and it was real good.
Question: There is no use of baking powder in this recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful eggless cake recipes with us.
luv
- Rupa
Yes the original recipe did not have baking powder in it as well.
Hetal says
Madhuram,
i tried this recipe today, followed it to the T but it came out more like apple cobbler instead of cake. First i thought three cups of shredded apples are too much to 1 cup of flour but went ahead with it (i also used whole wheat pastry flour). Didn't come out as fluffy as yours look in the pic. I do not know where things went wrong. First i thought i will use vinegar as egg substitute but the batter looked very dry so used the EnerG with soy milk. In my experience, i have found vinegar to be be best egg substitute for fluffy cakes. The taste of this cake however was awesome. Plus it was full of apples and walnuts so didn't feel too guilty eating it. Anyway let me know what are your thoughts on this.
Hi Hetal, I'm sorry it did not work out for you. It was a very fluffy cake and I too was not able to slice it perfectly. I agree with you that vinegar gives the fluffiness for egg free cakes. Did you blend the EnerG in a blender? I feel that simply whisking it with a fork does not give desired results. After a couple of trials, I also feel that using warm water/milk while blending gives better results. I'll try to bake this cake once again and will give you the feedback.
geetha says
Hi
Can't wait to bake this cake.Your website is a great resource for novice bakers like me..
Just wondering if I could use flax seeds instead of Energer egg replacer..If yes,how much shd I be using?Also was thinking of doing brown sugar instead of white..what's your opinion?
Thanks
Geetha
Thanks for your kind words Geetha. Blend together 1 teaspoon of flax seed powder with 1/4 cup water. Don't just use a fork, use a blender/food processor for good results. You can go with brown sugar. In any case reduce the quantity of sugar as I have mentioned in the Notes section because it was way to sweet.
Priya Srinivasan says
hi madhu,
yummy cake!!!
tried it this weekend, was good. but not as fluffy as yours. 😥 I used 1/4 cup yoghurt(instead of egg) and also used 3 tbsp milk too. may be bcoz of this???
but the taste was great!!! 🙂
That might be the reason Priya. Thank you very much for trying it.
Devika says
Dear Madhu,
Thanks a lot for your reply! :)I live in Abidjan which is in a country called Ivorycoast/Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa. I tried locating the store through the link you posted, but it didnt throw up any responses. Anyways, thanks once again. Will definitely try this with applesauce/yoghurt and let you know the feedback.
Regards,
Devika
jayaguru says
Hi Madhu,
I have been trying your various recipes esp. baking ones and everything has turned out well. Thanks for all the eggless baking . Btw., I have a question., since my husband is soy milk allergic, could you please suggest a replacement for that!.
Thanks,
jayaguru
Rice milk is a very good alternative. Actually I prefer rice milk to soy milk, because some brands of soy milk result in a sticky mass of dough in baked goods, but I have not experienced that with rice milk. You can also try almond milk and oats milk. Everything is available in health food stores or even in the organic aisle of regular supermarkets. If your family is not vegan go with regular cow's milk itself.
Devika says
Dear Madhu,
Im glad that my friend refered me to your blog. The country I live currently in has very limited options for vegetarians, so your blog is like god sent for me.
This cake looks delicious, but i had needed a few clarifications. Ener-G isnt available here, so does the quantity of the yoghurt/applesauce have to be the same as that of Ener-G. Also, can you pls pass on the recipe for Apple sauce.
Regards,
Devika
Thank you very much Devika. Use 1/4 cup of yogurt or applesauce in place of Energ. The rule of thumb is using 1/4 cup of substitute for every egg to be replaced. For applesauce, peel and core the apples. Cook it (either stove top or in microwave oven with little water) and blend it into a smooth puree and use it. If you tell me in which place you live I can check if some other brand egg replacer is available there. For example I came to know that there is Orgran brand egg replacer powder in Australia. Also check the following link to see if EnerG is available in your place. It's a list of distributors in various continents.
http://www.egglesscooking.com/forums/where-to-find-egg-substitutes/can%27t-find-ener-g-in-local-stores-check-this-link/
hema says
the apple cake looks absolutely delicious...what can used instead of ener-g and silken tofu?
thanx in advance,
hema
really like your blog
Thank you Hema. Are you asking about a replacement in this recipe or in general? Other substitutes are apple sauce, prune puree and even yogurt.
leila says
In our country it is very difficult to find Soy Milk could I substitute it with normal cows or buffalo's milk (full cream or semi-cream)?
Leila, you can use any liquid, water, dairy milk or even apple juice.
Hayley says
I just love your site. Everything you post incorporates flavors I love. This cake sounds incredibly moist and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you very much Hayley. Yes, it was unbelievably moist for an eggless cake.
Dimah says
Wow, that looks moist, rich and delicious!
Vaishali says
How moist and gorgeous this looks! Absolutely a winner.
Even I couldn't believe how moist it was for an eggless cake. Wish it was not so sweet.
roma says
Madhu, that is one moist and delicious looking piece of cake.
Hope you are doing well. With a hard disk crash I have been disconnected for a while now. Great to see you on a roll here.
Thanks and I'm fine Roma. I was wondering what happened to you. I saw that you had not posted in a long time.
sia says
can I use some other egg replacer in this cake..like banana?
Sure, you could use 1 medium size banana nicely mashed. But the drawback is the cake is going to have the flavor of the banana. Try applesauce instead.
Kamakshi says
Hi,
Really nice to see an eggless baking blog.I dont think I can get EnerG in chennai yet.But anyways thanx a ton for the recipes.
Thank you very much for the compliments Kamakshi.
Priya Sriram says
I never realised there could be so much recipes without egg. Really wonderful job!
Welcome to my blog Priya.
Priya says
MAdhu u know wat i too prepared apple cake with egg replacer powder..will post soon in my blog, i have just send my 5th entry for ur event, am just enjoying baking with egg replacer powder..thanks a lot for introducing me this awesome replacement wonder which makes me to come up with different bakes nowadays...
Priya, I have to thank you for your enthusiasm. I really mean it. Thanks once again.
Archy says
Love apple cake, i make it eggless without using any egg replacer, shall try this version too, I love ur site !! Wonderful collection of recipes 🙂 !!\
Yes I have seen it and I have it in the links. Thank you very much Archy.
Usha says
Looks moist, delicious and fantastic....I really need to buy ener-g egg replacer and give it a try 🙂
Yes Usha, try some recipes and send it to the event.
nithya says
Wow this is so good.I had picked up the Taste of Home book too,made cookies,cakes and desserts.Apple cake looks very tempting:)
That book is my favorite Nithya. It's a collection of "no-fail" recipes.
krystyna says
Thank you so much!
I love apple cake and your modificated recipe + comments are very clear that it is very yummy, easy to make and good cake.
My best wishes to you!
Thank you Krystyna.
jaishree says
Hi Maduram, Thanks for visiting my blog...I am first time here.. I never had a chance to get to know you...I am so happy to have come across it at least now...your blog is amazing..love it:)yummy N tempting cake.
Welcome to my blog Jaishree.
anudivya says
That is some serious stuff Madhuram... Love the scant use of butter and the use of apples.
I knew you would love this recipe.
Happy Cook says
Wowo it lookss so moist and delicous.
Yes it was moist and delicious. Thanks Happy Cook.
sumarajesh says
its looks very good and kool dessert after having dinner..looks perfect
priya says
Wow,the cake looks great!!1Is it a must to add soy milk if using Energ?
Priya, you can use any liquid. Dairy milk, apple juice or even water. Its that the ener-g mix measures only to 2 to 3 tablsepoons whereas if you want to replace an egg you should use atleast 1/4 cup of substitute. So to make good that difference I used soy milk, because I had it at home and since I was making a vegan cake.
Mattie says
Wow, that's a lot of apples for a cake. It looks scrumptious. Nice one!
Thank you very much Mattie.
kamala says
Wish I could stay near ur place Madhu..Coming up with so many wonderful cakes and cookies...I couldnt find the EnerG here..
Thanks Kamala. Do you have a Whole Foods or Trader Joes, you can find it there definitely.
mahimaa says
you always post such delicious, mouthwatering desserts.. not fair madhu. I am not much into baking though i love cakes and cookies.
Thanks Mahima. You should start baking. You are very creative, you can definitely whip up some amazing stuff.
Sweatha says
Thanks for the reply Madhu,I actually had sent you a mail yesterday.God Knows what happened 😐 .Thanks again for the reply and expect entries from next week onwards. 🙂
You're welcome Sweatha. Eagerly waiting for your recipes.
Ashwini says
yummy and mouthwatering especially the piece dipped in chocolate
Yes it was yummy.
Anjali Damerla says
Looks yummy, Madhu.
I have to look into this Ener-G thing. Never used it before.
Do you think that Ener-G is a better replacement for egg than Tofu? Just curious.
I think Ener-G would be better than tofu. From my recent experiments I see that Ener-G doesn't give that dense texture like silken tofu does. But I can be sure about this if I use Ener-G in the recipes I have used silken tofu as an egg substitute.
Sweatha says
Tempting cake,I love aples and the cake is too tempting.Did you get my mail? Do we have to refrigerate the egg replacer after opening it.Please do comment.
Sweatha I have not received any mail so far. I don't think refrigeration is required. I've kept it out only.
SS says
Creative , very ...
Thank you.
jayasree says
Yummy... The piece dipped in choco is so tempting that I feel like grabbing it from the screen.
Thanks Jayasree, the chocolate covered one tasted really good.