Apple Maple Walnut Cake (Vegan)

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I did not originally intend to make this as a cake.

A slice of cake is on the plate with the remainder of the loaf-shaped baked good on a serving tray in the background, with a sugar glaze on top, printed with orange and white text.

It started as apple maple walnut bread, but somehow the whole bread bit got lost along the way, and it turned into a cake instead.

A soft, buttery, utterly delicious cake.

And you know, I like cake, and I’m going to damn well eat it for breakfast because I do what I want. Take that, bread.

Top-down vertical shot of a loaf-shaped apple quick bread on a piece of parchment paper on top of a rectangular serving board, with sliced fruit, a jar of almond milk with a stainless steel straw, on a blue cloth background.

I’m kind of grumpy because I have a to-do list that is a million miles long, and I have gotten exactly none of it done over the past two weekends.

It’s been grrrreat because we’ve done a lot of hanging out with friends. But our house is a disaster, I am way wayyyy behind on my blogging, and the wedding has not been planned yet. I know, my life is hard. SO HARD.

So, to make me feel better, CAKE! Yup, I just did that.

Vertical image of a hand holding a glass bowl of sugar glaze with a spoon in it, and pouring it onto a breakfast apple cake, on top of a piece of parchment on a brown wood platter, with half of an apple, on a folded light blue cloth on top of a white painted wood surface.

I made a similar recipe a few years ago and scribbled it down in my little recipe notebook that I like to keep. I’ve gone back to it occasionally over the years, but the urge to bake it really only strikes when there is a bit of a chill in the air, and when the apples are at their prime.

This time, I was out of a couple of my standard ingredients, so I changed it up a bit and I am in love with the result. Super tender and just sweet enough, with chunks of apple and walnut throughout.

Vertical image of a loaf-shaped cake with sugar icing poured on top and running all over the parchment paper and board beneath it.

Just to take it over the top, I made a quick icing. And as you can tell, I also made a complete mess. (Photographic evidence of this is provided here).

If you do this, make sure your icing is rather thick before pouring, considerably thicker than you might think it actually needs to be.

I don’t have a recipe for it, but you just need to combine a bunch of powdered sugar with a bit of vanilla extract and some almond milk, and stir stir stir until it’s smooth. And thick. Make sure it’s thick.

A hand holds a knife and slices into a brown loaf-shaped vegan cake topped with a thin, white sugar icing, with a cut apple and a mason jar of almond milk on a light aqua cloth surface.

The slices are really perfect just on their own – no butter or jam or even icing required. I ate some for my morning snack and again for my afternoon snack today because 1. I had a rough day, and 2. cake. Need I say more?

Oh wait, yes. It’s vegan!

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Closeup closely cropped image of a loaf-shaped breakfast cake, on a rectangular piece of parchment on a slightly larger brown wood board, on a pastel aqua-colored cloth on top of a white wood surface, with half an an apple to the left that is cut side up.

Apple Maple Walnut Cake (Vegan)

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  • Author: Raquel Smith
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 1 loaf 1x
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Description

A quick bread recipe that’s pretending to be cake! Flavors of fresh fall apples, pure maple syrup, and crunchy walnuts come together in this delicious breakfast or dessert. You’ll be in love!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake:

  • 2 Tbsp ground flax seed
  • 5 Tbsp water
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup vegan margarine, melted (I used Earth Balance)
  • 3/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup chopped apple
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

For the Icing (optional):

  • Vegan powdered sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Almond milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×4″ loaf pan.
  2. Combine the flax seed and water in a small bowl to make a flax egg, and set aside to thicken for about 5 minutes.
  3. Combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
  4. Place the melted margarine, the flax egg, and the maple syrup in a large bowl and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir until almost combined, then stir in the apples and walnuts (you want these to be in small-ish pieces). The batter is going to be a bit loose, but you can add a bit more flour if needed, just be careful not to overmix.
  5. Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (check at 40 minutes). Make optional icing while the cake is baking, if desired.
  6. Let cool completely, then carefully remove from the pan. Pour glaze over the top and let it set before slicing and serving, or serve as is.

Notes

Nutritional information below does not include the optional icing.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Desserts

Keywords: vegan, cake, vegan desserts, apple, walnut

What’s your favorite way to enjoy delicious seasonal apples for breakfast or dessert? Tell us all about it in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out our full archive of other delicious vegan recipe options!

Here are a few of our favorites:

Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on September 30, 2014. Last updated: July 13, 2021 at 20:06 pm.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Raquel Smith

Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).

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