This Healthy Apple Cake is everything you’ve imagined. It’s moist, delicately sweetened with maple syrup and raisins, and, of course, there is just the right amount of cinnamon. Once it gets going, your house is guaranteed to smell divine!
Who doesn’t love a warm and cozy slice of freshly baked apple cake on a cool fall or winter day?
You can serve it as a coffee cake for breakfast and brunch or grab a slice on the go as a nutritious and delicious snack.
The best part? This healthy apple cake is low-fuss.
All you need to do is combine the dry and wet ingredients with egg whites, toss in raisins and apples, mix it all together, and bake! The cake turns out super moist and fluffy with a light, tender crumb.
With a cup of coffee, this easy apple cake is impossible to resist!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This moist apple cake only gets better with a hot cup of black coffee, hot tea, or a warm mug of apple cider.
- The ingredients are flexible. You can customize this apple coffee cake from top to bottom.
- The cake is sweetened naturally with maple syrup and raisins.
- This easy apple cake recipe is perfect for baking beginners.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Whole spelt flour – I opted for whole spelt flour instead of whole wheat flour because it has a milder flavor. When shopping for the ingredients, make sure you have whole spelt flour, NOT white spelt flour.
- Baking powder – Creates a reaction within the batter, so the cake rises as it bakes.
- Salt – Helps strengthen the batter and refine the sweet flavors.
- Eggs – The egg yolks and egg whites are added to the cake batter separately. The yolks add flavor, while the whites improve the texture.
- Milk – Helps the cake batter ingredients absorb and bake correctly. You can use cow’s milk or any non-dairy milk here.
- Oil – Make sure the oil you use has a mild flavor. Light-tasting olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil are good options.
- Pure Maple syrup – Sweetens the cake naturally -no need for refined sugars! You can substitute honey for the same sweetness, but the flavor will differ.
- Vanilla – A good quality pure vanilla extract deepens the warm flavors.
- Raisins – For sweet-tart and pleasantly chewy bits in every bite.
- Fresh Apples – You can use any apple variety. If you use soft apples, like Empire, Cortland, and McIntosh, the apple pieces will cook through much faster. If you use snacking types like Honeycrisp, Pink lady, Braeburn, and Gala, the apple pieces will remain firmer. But both types of apples will taste great in this recipe.
- Cinnamon – For warming fall flavor. Feel free to toss the apples in additional warm spices like nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cardamom, and cloves. Alternately, toss the apples in pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice.
How To Make Healthy Apple Cake from Scratch
- Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350F and coat an 8×8″ baking pan with non-stick baking spray. Set the pan aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Mix the spelt flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, placing the yolks in one mixing bowl and the egg whites in another. Then, add the milk, olive oil, maple syrup, and vanilla to the egg yolk bowl, and whisk to combine.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients: Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, and mix until smooth.
- Add the egg whites: Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gently fold the whites into the batter with a spatula.
- Add the raisins and apples: Next, mix in the raisins. Then, toss the chopped apples in cinnamon, and stir them into the batter as well.
- Bake: Transfer the batter to a square 8X8 inch baking pan and place it into the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool and serve: Once baked, set the cake on a wire rack until it is barely warm. Then, turn the cake out and onto the wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe Tips
When measuring flour, always spoon it from the container and into your dry measuring cup. If you scoop the flour with your dry measuring cup, the measurements won’t be precise. That said, measuring ingredients with a digital kitchen scale guarantees success.
Apple cakes are a great way to use apples that are just starting to turn brown. Make sure to trim off any brown spots and blemishes before cutting them into small cubes.
Skip peeling the apples. I keep the skin on because it’s a great way to sneak extra nutrients and fiber into this healthy apple cake. Just be sure to scrub the apples with a vegetable brush under hot running water to wash off the waxy surface.
If your raisins are on the larger side, give them a rough chop, and make sure they are evenly distributed in the batter. The raisins help sweeten the cake, so you want an equal amount in every slice.
Immediately before putting the pan in the oven, lightly tap it on the counter. This helps release any air bubbles that may be trapped between the apple pieces and the batter.
Variations
- Fruits – The coffee cake itself works with other types of fruit. Instead of apples, try pears, peaches, apricots, plums, persimmons, or blackberries.
- Mix-ins – Instead of raisins, you can use chopped, pitted dates. For crunch, add finely chopped walnuts or pecans, or add chocolate chips or cacao nibs because chocolate makes everything better!
- Serving – Apple coffee cake is fantastic with a side of baked winter fruit and a dollop of creamy Greek yogurt, whipped cream, sweetened mascarpone, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: After cooling, wrap the whole cake or single slices tightly in plastic wrap or keep them in an airtight glass container. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days, on in fridge for 4-5 days.
Freezing: Wrap the whole cake or single slices in plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, then bring to room temperature before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use instead of whole spelt flour?
This apple cake was tested with whole spelt flour, so no guarantees, but the texture and density of whole-wheat flour and whole spelt flour are similar enough that you should be able to use them interchangeably.
Do you eat apple coffee cake cold or warm?
I think it’s best served at room temperature, but you can also enjoy this cake while it’s still warm from the oven. If you store your cake in the fridge, I suggest bringing it to room temperature or warming it in the microwave before serving.
Can I bake this cake in a different size pan?
The recipe was tested in an 8″ square baking pan, but you should be able to use a 9″ round pan without adjusting the cooking time. A loaf pan is also an option, but the apple cake must be baked a little longer.
More Healthy Apple Recipes You Might Like
- Hot Apple Cider Recipe
- Apple Crisp Without Flour
- Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
- Baked Apple with Ricotta
Healthy Apple Cake
This Healthy Apple Cake recipe is very easy to make. This cake is a great alternative to an apple pie or apple tart. This recipe is made with whole spelt flour and is refined sugar free. The recipe is for an 8X8-inch baking pan.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole spelt flour
- 1 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3 eggs, egg yolks and egg whites separated
- 1/2 cup milk of your choice (cow's milk or non-dairy milk)
- 2 Tbsp mild olive oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 medium apples (about 3 cups diced apples)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients - whole spelt flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Separate the egg yolks from egg whites and place them into separate bowls.
- To combine the wet ingredients, add the milk, olive oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to the egg yolks. Whisk to combine.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
- Slice the apples into small dice. Sprinkle them with cinnamon making sure it evenly covers all the apples.
- Beat the egg whites till soft peaks with an electric mixer.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Add the raisins and mix to make sure the raisins are distributed well in the batter.
- Add the egg whites to the batter and gently mix with a spatula until the egg whites are incorporated into the batter.
- Add the apples and mix to combine.
- Transfer the batter into a square 8X8 inch baking pan. (Oil the pan with some oil if needed).
- Bake the apple cake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- When the cake is done, take the baking pan out of the oven and place it on the cooling rack. Cool until the cake is just barely warm. Take it out of the baking pan and let it cool completely on the rack.
- Keep it in a glass container with a tight lid in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm up slightly before serving if the cake is out of the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 out of 9 slices calculated for the healthy apple cake recipe made with almond milk.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 9 slices Serving Size 1/9 of recipeAmount Per Serving Calories 182.9Total Fat 5.3gSaturated Fat 0.9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4.4gCholesterol 54.7mgSodium 144.3mgCarbohydrates 31gFiber 3.2gSugar 16.6gProtein 4.1g
Nutrition facts provided on this website are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a qualified health care provider for personalized diet advice and make sure that each of the ingredients is allowed in your diet.