Vegan Apple Breakfast Cake

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Are you guys ready for a photo extravaganza? There is just something about baked goods that makes me love photographing them.

Closely cropped shot of a white plate topped with a slice of vegan apple cake with a drizzle of white sugar icing on top, with a green plate topped with more pieces of the baked good in the background, with a red apple on a white cloth, printed with orange and white text.

They are usually nice and pretty, they stay put, and they can be photographed whenever I have the time.

Vertical overhead shot of a pale green plate and a white dessert plate of roughly square slices of vegan apple cake topped with a drizzle of white icing, with a red and yellow apple, a green glass of almond milk, a white cloth, a fork, and a wood-handled knife, on a rustic unfinished wood background.

Dinner, on the other hand? Not nearly as fun.

Every minute I spend shooting photos, it gets colder. It loses its just-cooked luster almost as fast. And AJ is usually sitting at the table, waiting for his food to stop being a model.

A slice of homemade vegan apple cake is on a white dessert plate in the foreground, on a folded white cloth with an apple, a serrated knife with a wood handle, and a fork, with a light green and white ceramic cake stand topped with more slices of the cake and a green glass of almond milk with a stainless steel straw and a spoon in the background, on an unfinished brown wood surface.

I think I should make more baked goods.

Creating this cake was actually a bit of a mishap. It started out as a blueberry buttermilk cake, but then I realized I had no blueberries, and no buttermilk…

Overhead shot of a square glass baking dish of vegan apple cake, on a folded white cloth with a slotted serving spoon and a serrated knife with a wood handle, with a red and green apple on a brown unfinished wood surface.

I decided to switch to apples, and proceeded to measure out a whole cup of flour more than I originally intended. Whoops!

A red apple is in the foreground on a white cloth, with a pastel green and white ceramic cake stand of sliced homemade breakfast cake and a green glass of milk with a stainless steel straw, on a wood surface.

However, I did use my fancy new KitchenAid scraper beater to cream the butter and the sugar, and I am so in love! If you’re in the market for a convenient new kitchen gadget that makes using your beloved KitchenAid mixer even more of a breeze, you’ve gotta get one of these. They’re available on Amazon.

KitchenAid Flex Edge Beater for Tilt-Head Stand Mixers

AJ got me the KitchenAid a few years ago, so I could use it to knead dough. And it has done a fair share of that. But most of the time, it sits on the counter unused because I don’t like having to scrape the bowl to actually get everything mixed together.

BUT! I received a scraper paddle for my bridal shower, and my KitchenAid world has been flipped upside down. This thing is amazing. I am now planning to use it for any batter that I make that calls for use of the paddle attachment, because it mixes things without making them tough, and there’s no extra scraping with a spatula required. Amazing!

So, back to the recipe. Despite finding myself mid-recipe with what I thought was too much flour and the wrong kind of fruit, this cake turned out exceptionally well.

Closeup vertical shot of a slice of vegan apple cake with white sugar icing on a stack of two white dessert plates, with an apple on a white cloth beside a green glass of almond milk in the background, on a brown unfinished wood surface.

It’s not too sweet, so if you like your morning meals on the sweeter side, I’d recommend adding a little extra sugar to the mix. I also sprinkled a few teaspoons of sugar on top, which gives it a nice crunchy texture on the top crust of the moist cake.

The apples are little morsels of flavor, and in my opinion these are best with the skins left on. The skins have extra nutrients, and they add an extra dimension of texture as well. But, if you insist on peeling them, the cake will still be superb.

A slice of vegan apple breakfast cake on a stack of two small white plates in the foreground, with more on a pastel green and white ceramic cake stand in the background, with a whole apple and a white cloth on a brown surface, against a white backdrop.

I also made a little bit of sugar frosting to top it with, which was a good decision, if you ask me. I didn’t measure anything (who does, when it’s just frosting?), but I would guess it was about 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of almond milk.

Add more sugar and milk as necessary to reach the right texture, and pipe through the clipped corner of a plastic bag or a piping bag with a fine tip if you want to get fancy with your design.

Overhead shot of a square piece of homemade vegan apple cake with a zig-zag drizzle of white icing on top, on a white plate, on a wood background.

I’m definitely planning to make another batch (or two!) of this breakfast cake in advance of all the craziness that I know I have coming up next week. We’re going to need some quick bites to go, and this will definitely do the trick.

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Overhead shot of a white plate topped with a slice of vegan apple cake to the left and a larger light green plate with more pieces of the baked good to the right, with a green glass of almond milk, an apple, a serrated knife with a wood handle, and a fork on an unfinished wood background.

Vegan Apple Breakfast Cake

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  • Author: Raquel Smith
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

This Vegan Apple Breakfast Cake has a tender, soft crumb, just enough sweetness to get your day going, and a bit of nutritious whole grain flour to round it out.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 Tbsp ground flax seed
  • 5 Tbsp water
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 6 Tbsp vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)
  • 2/3 cup + 1 1/2 tsp vegan granulated sugar or coconut sugar, divided*
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, divided (plus more for optional frosting)
  • 1 small apple, cored and chopped into 1-cm cubes
  • Vegan powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Combine the flax seed and water in a small bowl to make a flax egg. Set aside.
  3. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
  4. Cut the margarine into 1-tablespoon chunks and add to the bowl of a stand mixer with 2/3 cup sugar. Beat on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes, until creamy and a bit fluffy. Add the vanilla and flax egg and beat again. Add 1/4 cup of the almond milk and beat to combine.
  5. Add about half of the flour mixture to the margarine mixture and beat on medium-low until just combined. Add the remaining almond milk and beat it in, then add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined (don’t overmix).
  6. Add the chopped apple and gently fold in with a spoon. The batter should be rather stiff, but not dry.
  7. Transfer the batter to a greased 8×8″ baking pan and spread to the edges with the back of a spoon or spatula.
  8. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 tsp sugar on top, then bake for 35 minutes, rotating halfway through.
  9. Test for doneness with a toothpick, and cook an extra 5-10 minutes if necessary.
  10. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Frost with a simple powdered sugar and almond milk icing if desired.

Notes

If you prefer a sweeter cake, add an additional 3-4 Tbsp sugar to the batter.

Nutritional information below does not include the optional icing.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Baked Goods
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Breakfast

Keywords: vegan, apple cake, breakfast, apple

Have you ever had a kitchen incident where you initially intended to cook one thing, and wound up with something else entirely? What are some of your favorite ways to enjoy apples with breakfast. Tell us in the comments below, and don’t forget to give this recipe a five-star rating if you loved it!

Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published March 10, 2015. Last updated: July 13, 2021 at 20:07 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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