Healthy Vegan Apple Cake Whole Wheat No-Oil WFPB
This is a yummy, healthy and satisfying plant-based vegan dessert. Or maybe you would eat it as an after school snack for kids, bedtime snack for yourself, or mid-day treat. Whatever you prefer, so many options!
Looking for healthy vegan recipe ideas to make with apples? This one is quite tasty.
To make a moist apple cake recipe that is whole-foods plant-based, this recipe uses dried coconut, soaked in water, instead of oil.
This substitution is a healthier delivery package – a small amount of whole coconut – complete with fiber and other phytonutrients, plus a nice mild flavour. Instead of a traditional apple cake recipe that uses oil.
Another tasty vegan apple recipe idea:
What Kind of Apples to Use in a Healthy Apple Cake?
Whatever you have on hand should work really. I mixed crab apples from our tree, plus some gala from the store. I didn’t bother to peel them, because the food processor makes nice small pieces.
Each type of apple will taste a little different, but still sweet.
You can taste the wet ingredients mixture, to be sure you like the flavour, and sweetness.
If you bake with apples often enough, you might learn to adjust the sugar content lower, or higher, when you know the apples are sweeter or more tart.
Whole Wheat Flour Cakes and Baking
We are loving my baking with whole wheat, it is such a satisfying snack.
Maybe it’s the extra fiber, or nutrients, but we feel so good after eating this cake.
Whole wheat does make the cake more dense, but also more filling, without that blood sugar spike and fall you get from white flour.
Whole Foods Compared to Traditional Desserts = Better Gut Health
A quick mention here about a book that made it so I can eat this cake happily.
The advice in this book about gradually exercising your gut, by eating a little bit more of a diverse range of plants, especially whole grains like whole wheat is just spot on. Rather than avoiding them.
I’ve realized my IBS goes away when I eat a little bit of the food that is bothering me for a few days in a row.
This book explains why, based on your microbiome changing to be able to digest what you eat.
Eliminating foods is actually the opposite of what we should do.
Following the advice in this book, has really made my IBS go away
It’s been an amazing read for me.
My digestive system has never felt better.
Now I can eat apples and wheat together in one lovely cake.
If you ever struggle with bloating or reactions to some plant foods (like apples, or wheat) or if you know someone who does, this book may solve that problem for you and them!
So I thought I would share. 🙂
Healthy Vegan Whole Wheat Apple Cake - Oil Free
Equipment
- 9" x 13" rectangle baking dish.
- Wax or parchment paper (optional).
Instructions and Ingredients
First, Mix the Following Dry Ingredients in a Large Bowl
- 3 cups whole wheat flour Or half whole wheat and white.
- 2 teaspoons baking soda Ensure is well mixed throughout the dry ingredients.
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 tsp cinnamon Or swap 1 tsp for ground cloves.
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
Second, food processor the following on high, until smooth, to aerate
- 1/3 cup dried coconut Soaked in water: microwave for 30 seconds with 1/3 cup water, and let sit a few minutes, then add to the food processor.
- 2/3 cup sugar I'm working on variations with frozen banana instead of sugar. Makes more of a bread, than a cake (less sweet). Also increases the moisture.
- 1 1/2 cups apples chopped, peel on is ok (these will become applesauce and be a sweetener. Keeping this cake lower sugar. Or use pre-made applesauce.
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp ground flax Whisked with 6 tbsp of water, then let sit for a few minutes, to make 4 flax "eggs"
Third, add and process nuts and apple pieces on medium speed, just until diced into small pieces
- 1 3/4 cups pecans Or walnuts.
- 4 cups apples Cored and in pieces. You can use an apple slicer, then add the slices to the food processor. Peel on is ok, if your apples are washed and organic.
Fouth, pour and mix wet ingredients into the dry
Fifth, spoon batter into cake pan
Sixth, bake at 350 for 40 minutes
Optional Vegan Applesauce Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
More Detailed Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C)
- Place wax or parchment paper on bottom of 9x13 glass cake pan, to avoid problems getting the cake out later. Lightly spray paper and sides with oil.
Mix Dry Ingredients Together in Large Bowl
- In a large bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt.
Mix at High Speed in Food Processor until Smooth - for about a minute to aerate.
- Soaked coconut
- Sugar
- vanilla
- Soaked flaxmeal / ground flax
- 1 1/2 cups apple pieces (applesauce as sweetener)
Then Add the Following to the Food Processor and Chop on Medium, Until Nuts and Apples are all in Small Pieces:
- Nuts
- Remaining cups of apple pieces / slices
Mix Wet into Dry
- Stir with a spatula in the large bowl, to get the wet and dry well mixed. The dough will be very thick, but don't worry, because the apples will create juices when they bake.
Spoon vegan batter evenly into a rectangular cake pan
- To make the cake easier to get out, first line the pan with parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil and then spray lightly with oil.
- Smooth the batter flat with your spoon. It should be thick, not runny, but all the flour should be mixed in.
Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven. Check center is cooked, by waiting until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven, cool in the dish for at least 10 minutes. Pop the cake out, and continue cooling on a wire rack or towel.
- Turn right side up before optionally frosting the top.
Optional Vegan Applesauce Glaze
- While cake is cooling upside down, make the frosting by blending the apple pieces in the food processor to make an applesauce.
- Drizzle over a piece just before serving. So the glaze doesn't seep into the cake, making it too soggy.
Notes
Nutrition
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Absolutely top notch recipe! I recently changed to a low fat starch based diet due to digestive issues and needed something to break the monotony of using fruit for sweet cravings. I am VERY fussy about flavour and so dismiss a lot of healthy treats because they just don’t taste nearly as good as real treats. This recipe is not in that category at all! Very satisfying, great texture, lovely flavour and a good level of sweetness, plus you don’t tend to overindulge because the wholemeal flour makes it so filling. The only thing I changed was to add 1 tsp of mixed spice. Delicious! This recipe deserves a stack of 5 star reviews!