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Slice by slice, this vegan apple crumb cake will disappear before your eyes. Made with a simple cake batter, topped with cinnamon coated apples and a cinnamon crumble. While it bakes, the cinnamon apples will become tender like the insides of an apple pie, and the crumble will gift this cake with a lovely crunch. Drizzle the slightly warm cake with a little vegan cream cheese icing. This vegan apple cake is fluffy, moist, packed with cinnamon apples that melt in your mouth and a generous amounts of a cinnamon streusel. The perfect treat to enjoy with a warm cup of coffee.
This easy vegan apple cake is…
- the ultimate fall dessert.
- a great last minute recipe.
- perfectly sweet.
Ingredients for vegan apple crumb cake
- Vegan butter: Salted or unsalted! Use whatever you have at home.
- Flour: All purpose flour for the cake batter, and also some for the crumble topping. Along with a little cornflour for the cake batter will create a soft and fluffy texture.
- Baking soda + powder: The combination of both will gift this apple cake with the perfect amount of rise.
- Sugars: Granulated sugar for the cake batter. And a mixture of granulated and brown sugar for the crumble topping.
- Non-dairy milk: Oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, or any non-dairy plant milk of your choice.
- Apple cider vinegar: Just a dash to combine with the oat milk to create a homemade buttermilk. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, use lemon juice!
- Apples: Granny smith apples, honey crisp apples, or gala apples.
- Vanilla extract: Just a dash for the cake batter.
- Ground cinnamon: A little to coat the cubed apples with, and a little more to make the cinnamon crumb topping.
- Salt: A pinch! All sweet things need a little salt in them. It won’t make the dessert taste salty. it’ll simply just enhance all the lovely fall flavors in this cake.
- Vegan cream cheese: Only a few tablespoons to mix with the icing sugar.
- Icing sugar: Just enough to make the cream cheese icing. The icing is optional, but it makes this cake a little more special.
All about the cinnamon crumble topping…
Cinnamon streusel, crumble or crumb topping, whatever you want to call this heavenly topping. You need to make this cake for this crunchy topping alone. In a bowl combine both brown sugar and granulated sugar with ground cinnamon, and all purpose flour.
Pour in the melted vegan butter and give everything a good mix together. Set aside.
Making the apple crumb cake batter…
Start by making the homemade buttermilk. In a small bowl combine oat milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Then, chop up the fresh apples into small cubes. I like to peel the skin off the apples but this is optional! I’m just personally not a fan of apple skins in my baked goods.
In a large bowl, beat brown sugar and granulated sugar with the vegan butter for around 1-2 minutes. Add in a splash of vanilla extract and continue to beat together until the mixture becomes lighter in colour. I did this with a spatula, but to speed up this process you can use a stand mixer or even a handheld one! Add in the vegan buttermilk and beat together until combined. At this point, the batter will look weird and clumpy but this is normal! In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Transfer the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold together or until there’s no visable flour.
Final touches…
Pour the cake batter into a prepared pan lined with parchment paper. With an offset spatula, spread the cake batter unto an even layer. Add the cinnamon apples over the top of the cake batter. If the apples don’t land evenly over the batter, just use your hands to pick out the apples and place them in a single layer over the batter. This isn’t a must, but it just ensures every bite of this cake is gifted with cinnamon coated apples. Sprinkle over the cinnamon crumble topping over the apples. I like to have a few smaller chunks and large chunks of the crumble. To achieve this, simply clump together the crumble topping in between your hand. Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes.
While the cake bakes beat the room temp vegan cream cheese with the icing sugar. Slowly add in oat milk until it you achieve the perfect drizzling consistency. Set aside.
Remove the cake from the oven, and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Pop open the spring form pan, and transfer the cake onto a serving plate. I like to move it onto a chopping board with the parchment paper, as I find it to be the safest way of moving the cake. Slice and drizzle with a generous amount of the cream cheese icing. Enjoy with a warm cup of coffee.
Keep any leftover cake slices refrigerated in an airtight container for 1-3 days. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Once you try this vegan apple crumb cake recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! I try my best to respond to you all. Oh, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram – I can’t wait to see your images!!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped apples (with or without the skin)
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 263 g all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp cornflour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 240 g oat milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 70 g vegan butter (softened at room temp)
- 120 g granulated sugar
Cinnamon crumble
- 156 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 100 g light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 113 g vegan butter (melted)
Icing
- 2–3 tbsp vegan cream cheese (softened)
- 115 g icing sugar
- 1–2 tbsp oat milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C/356°F. Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan and the parchment paper with a little vegan butter.
- Cinnamon crumble: In a medium bowl, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt and ground cinnamon. Pour in the melted vegan butter and mix until well combined. Set aside.
- Cinnamon apples: In a small bowl, toss the cubed apples with the ground cinnamon.
- Cake batter: In a small bowl, combine the oat milk with apple cider vinegar. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar with the butter for 2-3 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and beat for a further 2-3 minutes. Pour in the homemade buttermilk and mix! It'll look clumpy, but don't worry! Add in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornflour and salt. Fold together until well combined.
- Final touches: Pour the cake batter into a lined baking pan. Top with the cinnamon apples. Try and keep the apples in a single layer, this way every bite will be packed with flavor. Add the crumble topping over the apples. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until baked. While it bakes, beat the softened vegan cream cheese with the icing sugar. Add in oat milk and whisk until you achieve the perfect drizzling consistency. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Pop open the spring form pan. Drizzle with a little vegan cream cheese icing.
