When I first mentioned to my husband that I was experimenting with a GF and DF cake, he declared he wouldn’t try it (he loves his gluten and dairy, apparently). The kids and I raved over the cake so much that he ended up caving and trying a bite. Needless to say, he ended up eating a whole slice of this oat flour-based cake because you can’t even tell it is made with oat flour. *You can make your own oat flour by grinding rolled oats (gf) if you cannot find store bought oat flour. If you or your friends have allergies to gluten or dairy, this is a great cake to try out and really not that hard to make. I also recommend Dairy Free Wacky Cake or Gluten Free Friendly Chunky M&M Cookies.
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Gluten Free and Dairy Free Spiced Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plant based butter or dairy free margarine softened *see note
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups oat flour (scant, or just enough for a wet batter)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder scant
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup golden raisins optional
For the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting:
- 1/2 cup plant based butter softened
- 1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons dairy free milk (almond, oat, soy, etc.)
- 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350:
- Cream sugar and plant-based butter (softened) until smooth. Add eggs and beat until light in color and fluffy. Mix in applesauce and vanilla extract.
- Add the first 2 cups of oat flour along with spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until combined, then add the remaining oat flour sparingly until you have a wet batter (you may not need the full 1/2 cup). More notes on texture below.
- Fold raisins into the batter (if adding), then pour the cake batter into a 11-inch half sheet cake pan or 9 by 13-inch baking dish that has been greased with olive oil or extra plant-based butter *see tip below.
- Bake the cake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until the center of the cake is set. This cake tends to sink in the center but is easy to cover up with frosting and doesn't affect the texture. Once a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Frosting:
- Using a handheld mixer, combine the butter, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. Add confectioner's sugar and milk alternately, mixing between each addition until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. If needed, more or less confectioner's sugar can be added.
- Spread frosting onto the cooled cake, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
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Ingredients needed for this Gluten Free and Dairy Free Apple Sauce Cake: Plant based butter or dairy free margarine, granulated sugar, baking powder, applesauce, salt, ground all spice, ground oat flour, vanilla extract, golden raisins (optional), ground cinnamon, eggs and baking soda. For the cinnamon buttercream frosting: Plant based butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, confectioner’s sugar and milk alternative of your choice.
Can I use real butter in this recipe if I only have a gluten allergy?
Yes, you can. The original recipe for this cake is from Land O Lakes and they use dairy based butter in the recipe.
Can I use All-purpose flour if I only have a Dairy Allergy?
Because this recipe has been adapted to accommodate oat flour, I would recommend using the original apple sauce spice cake recipe from Land O’Lakes and simply using plant-based butter instead of the butter they recommend. The texture will be a little different than this gluten free cake, but I know from a trusted source that the original recipe is also a good one.
Step 1-2: Whisk together the sugar and softened, plant-based butter, then whisk in the eggs until pale in color and creamy. Add applesauce and vanilla extract mixing again until combined. Add oat flour (sparingly), baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices mixing until combined. The batter should be on the wetter side.
Steps 3-4: Fold raisins into the batter, then pour the cake batter into a greased (with oil or dairy free butter) 11-inch half sheet cake pan or 9 by 13-inch cake pan. This recipe makes a large amount so I recommend a half sheet cake pan or 13 by 9 inch that is on the larger side. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until a darker brown color and set in the center. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean when the cake is done. Allow to cool.
Tip for greasing the cake pan:
My mother-in-law taught me this frugal hack: simply take the butter wrapper from your plant based butter and use the bits of butter left behind to grease the cake pan with. Works great and saves a few pennies!
Can I add nuts to the cake batter?
Yes, you can. For the sake of keeping this cake allergy friendly I kept the nuts out, but you can add it along with raisins if no-one has a nut allergy whom you will be serving.
For the frosting: Combine the frosting ingredients with a handheld mixer, adding the alternative milk and confectioner’s sugar sparingly until the frosting is smooth and reaches a desirable consistency for spreading onto the cake. Avoid adding too much sugar to prevent the frosting from becoming too sweet.
Last step: Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake, then serve and enjoy!
Storage tips:
This cake can be kept at room temperature for up to five days, but if it is hotter than 70 degrees in my house, I prefer to keep it refrigerated for that amount of time. I have not tested it personally, but according to multiple other blogs, oat flour cakes can also be frozen if wrapped tightly or stored in an airtight container.
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