This vegan apple fritter cake is loaded with fresh apples, cinnamon, and a simple glaze. Tender, cozy, not-too-sweet, and perfect for fall!

overhead shot of vegan apple fritter cake close up

Why We Love This Vegan Apple Fritter Cake

Healthier, Egg-Free, and Dairy-Free: This cake is made with whole wheat flour, fresh apples, walnut butter, oil, and half the sugar! No eggs, no butter, no milk, and no deep frying – but lots of flavor and doesn’t leave you feeling heavy or greasy.
Easy to Make: This is a single layer cake with no frosting or frills. A simple mixing method, lots of apples, cinnamon sugar, and a simple powdered sugar glaze. So much easier than deep frying fritters, and still so delicious!
Tastes and Smells Like Fall: Your kitchen will smell amazing while this bakes – think sweet, cinnamon-y, apple-y goodness, almost like apple pie. And yes, it tastes as good as it smells!

Key Ingredients

Apples ⟶ There are three medium apples in this cake. Two are diced to add a little crisp texture in each bite; one is grated into the batter for extra moisture.
Walnut Butter + Oil ⟶ The walnut butter adds a wonderful nutty, buttery flavor while oil keeps the cake tender and soft.
Whole Wheat Flour + All Purpose Flour ⟶ You can replace the whole wheat flour with more all purpose flour if you want, but I like the slightly more earthy, rustic flavor that whole wheat flour adds. I think it complements the apples and cinnamon wonderfully.
Cinnamon ⟶ Probably my favorite spice, especially in fall. It pairs so well with apples and makes this cake extra cozy.
Granulated Sugar ⟶ Usually I like to use brown sugar with apples for a deeper flavor, but I decided to use granulated sugar here to let the apple flavor shine. But feel free to use some brown sugar if you’d like!

How to Make

Whisk dry and wet ingredients separately, then fold together.
Add half the diced apples and fold into the batter.
Transfer the batter to a lined 8×8-inch baking pan.
Gently press the remaining apples on top and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over.
Bake for 45-60 minutes until the top is firm.
Glaze while still warm then cool completely before slicing.

Tips for Success

Batter should be slightly thick ⟶ This cake batter will be thicker than what you might expect since we aren’t using as much sugar as most conventional recipes. It should spread easily but won’t drip off a spoon.

Dice apples into 1/2-inch pieces ⟶ Since the apples aren’t cooked before baking, be sure to dice them small so they cook enough in the cake. The types of apples you use will also affect how soft/crisp they are after baking. For instance, Fuji and Gala apples soften more easily during baking, whereas Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples will stay more firm. In the photos, I used Pink Lady apples, so the apple pieces were still quite firm, especially the ones on top.

Adjust glaze as desired ⟶ In my opinion, the glaze is essential for a true apple fritter experience. However, I’m also not a fan of things that are super sweet, so I made the cake itself very lightly sweetened. Then you can add as much or as little glaze as you like depending on your sugar preference. (I actually like it with just half the amount of glaze.) You can also adjust the amount of (non-dairy) milk you use to achieve the consistency you like. If you’re not a fan of the simple sugar glaze, you can omit and serve this cake with ice cream or whipped cream instead! A salted caramel sauce would be dreamy as well.

Vegan Apple Fritter Cake FAQ

I recommend using sweet apples that aren’t too tart, since this cake contains less sugar than most. I prefer baking with Fuji, Gala, and Honeycrisp apples.

I haven’t tested this cake with gluten-free flour, so I can’t guarantee results if you try. However, I usually have success baking with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour* or light buckwheat flour* for a whole grain option.

If you have walnuts and an oven (or even just a stove), you can follow my recipe to make your own walnut butter. Otherwise, you can try almond butter or pecan butter, or replace the walnut butter with more oil or melted (vegan) butter for more flavor.

More Tasty Apple Recipes

If you try out this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

Prep Time:20

Cook Time:1

Servings: 9

Ingredients

Cake Dry Ingredients

105 grams (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) all purpose flour
90 grams (¾ cup) whole wheat flour or more all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp salt

Cake Wet Ingredients

120 ml (½ cup) soy milk or other non-dairy milk
1½ tsp apple cider vinegar
120 grams (½ cup) apple grated
66 grams (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
35 grams (3 tbsp) vegetable, canola, avocado, or olive oil
45 grams (3 tbsp) walnut butter
2 medium apples peeled and diced

Cinnamon Sugar

1 tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Glaze

80 grams (⅔ cup) powdered sugar
1 tbsp soy milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Whisk dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
105 grams (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) all purpose flour, 90 grams (¾ cup) whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ⅛ tsp salt
In a separate bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients except diced apples.
120 ml (½ cup) soy milk, 1½ tsp apple cider vinegar, 120 grams (½ cup) apple, 66 grams (⅓ cup) granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 35 grams (3 tbsp) vegetable, canola, avocado, or olive oil, 45 grams (3 tbsp) walnut butter
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined and no dry flour is left.
Add half the diced apples to the batter and fold into the batter to distribute.
Spread the batter into the lined baking pan. Gently drop the pan on the counter a few times to remove any large air bubbles. Distribute the remaining apples on top, gently pressing them into the top of the batter.
Mix together cinnamon sugar and sprinkle over the apples.
1 tbsp granulated sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Bake: Place on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the top is firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (but no wet batter). Tent the pan with foil if the apples on top start to burn.
Glaze: Place the baking pan on a wire rack. Mix together the glaze and drizzle over the cake while still warm. You can add more milk to the glaze if you want it thinner.
80 grams (⅔ cup) powdered sugar, 1 tbsp soy milk
Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then use the sides of the parchment paper to carefully remove the cake from the pan. Place the cake on the wire rack to cool completely.
Store: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also cut into individual slices and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Facts

**Nutrition information is a rough estimate and intended for informational purposes only. I am not a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist, and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration.

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