This Apple Spice Cake is made with extra virgin olive oil for a soft, fragrant and absolutely delicious treat that is AIP, paleo and coconut-free. It’s paired with a vanilla frosting that beautifully compliments the apple and spices for the perfect Fall treat.
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This cake is scrumptious! The extra virgin olive oil gives this cake a beautiful yet subtle depth of flavor and lends it the perfect amount of moisture. Seriously, it hits all the right notes. It has a soft and tender crumb, fresh grated apple, hints of cinnamon and a light frosting that isn’t overly sweet.
Beyond the Fall, this Apple Spice cake is one that you can make for birthdays or special occasions and would be a great holiday dessert if you want a switch up from the traditional pie.
I used three of these mini cake pans for this recipe and highly recommend them. Canadian readers, check out this link. Check out the FAQs section below for other questions on baking pans.
Here are the key ingredients in this Apple Spice Cake:
- applesauce – ensure it’s unsweetened
- fresh apple, peeled and grated – I used Granny Smith for more of a tart taste, but any variety works
- tigernut flour, cassava flour and tapioca starch
- maple syrup
- olive oil
- cinnamon, powdered ginger and cloves
- lemon zest
- gelatin
- For the icing: palm shortening, tapioca starch, maple syrup
Apple Spice Cake FAQs
How do I store this cake?
If un-iced, you can store these mini cakes in sealed containers on the countertop for a couple days. Once iced, I recommend storing in the fridge and it keeps for 3-4 days.
Can I substitute any of the flours?
I don’t recommend any substitutions in this recipe. After recipe testing, this is the flour combination I’ve found to work best. If you’re sensitive to cassava try out these cassava and tigernut free recipes AIP Banana Bread, Zucchini-Carrot Muffins,
Can I bake these in a different pan?
Yes! I’ve made this cake using a 6-inch cake pan and increased the bake time to about 37 minutes in my gas oven. As written, the recipe bake time is set for these mini cake pans (Canadians use this link). You can also try making this cake in another shaped pan (e.g. a single 8-inch pan) though you will have to play around with the baking time, testing with a toothpick from the 20 minute mark to ensure the cake doesn’t dry out. This cake should be moist and soft!
How do I store the frosting? Can I make it in advance?
Yes, you can make the frosting in advance. You should store it in the fridge, but it will harden a bit. Before you ice the cake, allow frosting to come to room temperature and whisk once more until desired consistency is achieved.
If you loved this Apple Spice Cake I would appreciate it if you would give it a rating and review. Be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious and using the hashtag #healmedelicious.
Looking for similar AIP baked treats? Try:
Paleo Lemon Olive Oil Cupcakes
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Apple Spice Cake (AIP, paleo, coconut-free)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This Apple Spice Cake is made with extra virgin olive oil for a soft, fragrant and absolutely delicious treat that is AIP, paleo and coconut-free. It’s paired with a vanilla frosting that beautifully compliments the apple and spices for the perfect Fall treat.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup + 2 TBSP unsweetened applesauce
- 2 TBSP maple syrup
- 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 TBSP tigernut flour
- 1/2 cup cassava flour
- 1/2 cup + 2 TBSP tapioca starch
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
- pinch cloves
- 1 gelatin egg (see below)
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup apple (any variety), peeled and grated
Gelatin Egg
- 1 TBSP gelatin powder
- 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 2 TBSP hot water
Frosting
- 1 cup palm shortening
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, add olive oil, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl combine tigernut flour, cassava flour, tapioca starch, sea salt, baking soda, cinnamon, powdered ginger and cloves.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in 2-3 batches mixing to combine fully between each addition.
- Make gelatin egg by combining gelatin with apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly add in hot water and use a fork to whisk until the mixture becomes frothy and gelatin is fully combined.
- Fold gelatin egg into cake batter.
- Finally, fold in lemon zest and grated apple.
- Evenly distribute batter across three 4-inch cake pans (or desired pan of choice and grease pan if necessary)
- Bake in middle rack of oven for 20 minutes*
- Once baked, remove from heat and allow to cool 10 minutes before removing cakes from springform pans and longer if using a larger pan. Allow to cool completely before icing.
Frosting
- In a stand mixer or food processor, combine palm shortening with tapioca starch, maple syrup, vanilla extract and pinch of sea salt. Whisk or pulse until combined.**
Assemble Cake
- Once cakes have cooled completely, use a large knife to even out the top of each cake.
- Place the first cake on a plate and top with a large dollop of the frosting. Repeat with the second and third layers of cake. Use an offset spatula to finish frosting the outside of the cake with remaining frosting. Be freeform with it to give it a rustic, unfinished look.
Notes
*Baking time will vary if you choose to use a different sized pan.
**If making in advance, store in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature and whisk once more before icing the cake.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breads + Cakes
I’ve tried several AIP “cake” recipes with sad, dry, crumbly results. This is the first recipe that actually had the texture of cake. I didn’t make the frosting, and just making the cake wasn’t too complicated. Amazing.
Eating AIP to manage my RA. This is the third recipe I’ve made of yours. You had me at the trini stew (I’m Trini). I Was skeptical when I took it out the oven (was lazy and baked in a loaf pan). Frosted it and currently very happily eating a slice. Fantastic thank you! If you had an AIP cookbook I’d buy it
Made this today! I used arrowroot starch instead of tapioca but it was still good! Thank you 🙂
This looks delicious 😛 I recently went apple picking and I’m thinking I might make my own apple sauce as well. I do have a question though, can I freeze this cake?
Yep!
So yummy! Thanks for making me excited about food again!
I am excited to try this recipe…wondering though, if I use a real egg, should I still add the apple cider vinegar?
Hi Sara, the acv helps activate the baking soda, so yes!
Hi! this looks amazing! I want to try to make it for my husbands birthday. Could I use eggs instead of gelatin eggs?
I don’t eat eggs so haven’t tested to say for sure. I suspect it will though. Let me know if you try!
I made this for my birthday and substitute a real egg and it was totally fine! Texture was great 🙂
Hi Becky! I’m glad the egg worked for you in this recipe! When did you add it? When it suggests to add the gelatin egg or did you mix it in with the wet ingredients? Thanks for your help!
Another hit for Nicole! This is the second recipe I have tried, and it is also fabulous! I made it for my husband’s birthday. I used one torte/pie pan and just frosted the top. I also sprinkled ground tigernuts on top of the frosting. Thank you again Nicole for making another occasion fun, delicious, and still healthy!
p.s. I signed up for the Cake Course 🙂
Hi Mindy, we’re so glad you enjoyed it, and we hope you’ll love The Cake Course. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Looks Delish!
So moist!
What’s the difference between making a gelatin egg with ACV and water instead of just water? Would it work the same?
I just add the acv in there to the egg because I like to add it last and the egg goes in at the end too. Both are necessary for the recipe, but not necessary to be mixed together.
Could I use arrowroot starch instead of Tapioca starch?
I haven’t tested that substitution in this recipe so can’t guarantee the same results!
This recipe is great! Super easy to make and tastes delicious! I left out the vanilla and didn’t make the icing. I also baked it in a loaf pan and left it in the oven for 37 minutes and it came out really well. I can totally see doubling this and making muffins and then freezing them. This recipe will definitely go into the rotation.
This cake will blow away your grain/dairy/egg-eating friends and family! I’ve taken it to several BBQs and nobody can believe it’s AIP. The flavor of the cake is gently sweet and spicy with a hint of nuttiness from the tigernut, the texture is dense and moist, and the frosting is like a lighter, fluffier buttercream. I use an 8” round pan and it is done at 22 minutes. I like a pretty spicy cake so I make a couple of modifications to the batter – using cinnamon applesauce, being quite generous when measuring out the spices, and adding 1/4 tsp. Cardamom and 1/4 cup raisins. This cake is on permanent rotation at my house.
As someone who loved to bake before my new diet I have really struggled to find dessert recipes I like. THIS ONE IS DELICIOUS!! It was a big hit with my family and it will certainly be made over and over! We are OK with eggs so I did use one egg and also used a regular muffin pan for 20 minutes as mentioned in an earlier comment. Thank you for this!!!
Life is better with cake! I am so glad it was a hit with your family. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review.
I love this cake! This is my second time making it (both without the frosting) and it just hits the spot. Usually in baked goods I have a sweet tooth, but this cake is perfectly lightly sweetened and flavourful enough that I didn’t adjust the syrup. I added more cinnamon and also made the apple sauce with a cinnamon stick and some sliced ginger to add (even more!) of that spiced flavour.
Oh! And I’ve baked it in a pie pan and an 8″ pan and both turned out great! It took ~20 minutes in the pie pan.
Thanks so much!!
Thanks so much Maya and thanks for sharing your experiences with baking in a larger pan!
Thank you so much for the recipe. I made a birthday cake for my husband who has Hashimoto and he loves it so much. It was really delicious too.
Thanks for taking the time to leave your review Girley! Much appreciated and I’m glad you and hubby enjoyed.
I used this recipe to make breakfast muffins. the only difference is that I didn’t make the frosting, and I baked them in a cupcake tray, for about the same 20 minutes, yielding just over 12 cupcakes. I peeled and grated my apple the night before and stored it in the fridge, i think it helped add some moisture to include the cold, moist shredded apple! love this recipe.
Hi! Really hope I can try this with some type of modification….I’m having a weird reaction to gelatin…can I use anything else in its place? Thanks in advance !
Hi Karen, can you tolerate eggs or have you reintroduced flax or chia to try a flax or chia egg?
I’ll be trying to reintroduce eggs soon, fingers crossed! Any idea if agar would work?
Hey Karen, I can’t tolerate agar so I haven’t tried myself, sorry
Hi! Thank you so much for this recipe. Do you have any suggestions for the icing if one can’t have palm shortening?
Hi Megan, you can use whipped coconut cream that you can sweeten with maple syrup or coconut sugar
I can’t have cinnamon. Is there anything I could substitute?
Hi Karen, you can add a bit more vanilla and ginger if you’d like but don’t go too heavy on the ginger.
This is hands down the best AIP cake I’ve ever made. The process is quite involved but worth it!! I think that the cake would be delicious even without the frosting. Mmmmmm, tea time with a nice spiced cake! I tweaked the frosting a bit by adding cardamom and a bit of concentrated coffee. The full process is a rare treat, but I will be making the cake a bunch. Thanks for another fabulous recipe!!
This cake is delicious both with the frosting and without! I didn’t have the exact size pans listed so I used medium ramekins and they came out beautifully! I also had a few substitutions for my personal health journey (unable to do vanilla extract – used vanilla powder instead) and came out perfect! Thank you Nicole for creating such wonderful recipes to share with the world!!!!
I made this cake today and it was AMAZING!! I can’t wait to see if you have other AIP cake recipes because this was so good!
I have been so nervous to try an AIP cake but this one was AMAZING. So moist and light. We added spices to the icing too. So delicious. Thanks, Nicole, for another home run!
Just wondering how it would freeze
I haven’t tried myself but should freeze well wrapped and in a sealed container. I’d freeze it uniced.
I made this cake today and it was AMAZING!! I can’t wait to see if you have other AIP cake recipes because this was so good!