Apple Tea Cake

5 from 1 vote

This Apple Tea Cake is an apple lovers dream come true! The cake is soft, moist and naturally eggless thanks to the use of applesauce! Cinnamon is added into the batter itself, in the cinnamon sugar that coats the apples and then more cinnamon sugar is added to the apple cake after baking! It's a cozy snack; perfect for breakfast, lunch, dessert and of course...tea time! If being eggless wasn't enough, this is a gluten free apple cake that's also nut free and can easily be vegan!

Prep Time25

Cook Time1

Cool Time10

Total Time1 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: slices

Calories: 374kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

For the Apple Topping

2 medium apples , cored and thinly sliced (I used Honeycrisp)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, melted

For the Cake

1 ¾ cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar , packed
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup applesauce (homemade or one with no sugar added)
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ cup milk

For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping

1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, melted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Apple Topping

Wash and dry the 2 medium apples. Core them and slice them into thin pieces. Place the slices in a medium size bowl and set aside.
Place the 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon together in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
Put the 1 tablespoon of butter in a tiny heat safe bowl. Microwave in 7 second increments, stirring after each time, until the butter is melted.
Pour the melted butter over the apple slices and use a spatula or spoon to mix.
Pour in the cinnamon sugar and use the spatula or clean hands to coat all the apple slices. Set aside.

For the Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 inch springform pan with vegetable oil. Line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly grease the parchment paper as well. Set aside.
I like to cut the parchment paper into a square, place then place and lock the springform pan over the paper. Then I cut the parchment into a circle.
In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour, 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the ½ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, the ½ cup granulated sugar and the ½ cup light brown sugar until it is all soft and creamy. About 1-2 minutes.
Slowly beat the ½ cup applesauce and the 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla into the creamed butter and sugar. Beat until combined. It will look chunky.
Starting and ending with the gluten free flour mixture, with the mixer on low...pour in some flour then some of the ¾ cup of milk then some flour.
Once it is just combined, turn off the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl. You don’t want to over mix this. Just make sure everything is fully combined.
Using a spatula, scoop the batter into the springform pan; smooth the top with an icing spatula or the back of a spoon. The batter will be super thick and sticky.
Fan the apple slices out, in a circle, on the top of the cake. You can have them overlap a little.
Please check the section entitled, "How to Make Apple Tea Cake" above for step by step images. Or, check out the video linked in the post for how to do this if you're having trouble.
Bake the cake in the center rack of the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes until the cake springs back at you when careful touched and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the cake pan. If you try to take it out when it when it's too hot, the entire thing may fall apart.
After 10 min, move to a cooling rack. Release the side of the springform pan.

For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping

Place the 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon together in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
Put the 1 tablespoon of butter or vegan baking stick in a tiny heat safe bowl.
Once again, microwave in 7 second increments, stirring after each time, until the butter is melted.
Using a small silicone brush, brush the melted butter all over the top of the apples.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the apples and enjoy!

Video

Notes

For Vegan: Use a gluten free flour free from dairy, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks and a non-dairy milk.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 1 ¾ packed cups of regular flour (294 grams) and ½ cup of milk.

Storing: Once the cake is cut into, cut the entire cake into slices, wrap each slice in foil. Try to create a teepee with the top of the foil so it isn't touching the apples as much. Pop the slices in a zip top bag and freeze for up to 30 days.

If you won't be eating all the slices the next day, take the wrapped slices and pop them in the freezer for up to 14 days.

Defrosting: Take out if the freezer and leave at room temperature until soft; about 2 hours. If desired, microwave each slice for 10-20 seconds until soft and warm. Keep in mind this will melt the cinnamon sugar topping. Be careful not to burn your mouth.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition