Recently, my eldest sons school asked for recipe submissions for a cookbook they are putting together.. I asked him if he wanted me to submit one, and without hesitation he asked for the honey apple cake. This recipe started as a desert for a Rosh Hashanah Dinner   but has quickly become a family go to for celebrations and birthdays. It has a nice spice flavor which reminds me of my wedding cake, and I love that it is allergy friendly as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Honey Apple Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • Nonstick cooking spray, for the pans
  • 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) Bobs Redmill Gluten Free Flour, plus more for the pans
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup soy milk
  • 1 3/4 cups finely diced peeled apples, such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady

For the Crumble:

  • 1 cup quick-cooking gluten free oats
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon vegan butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine salt

For the Frosting:

  • 1 cup vegan butter
  • 1 cup vegan cream cheese 
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp honey 

Directions:

To make the cake:

  • Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F  Grease and flour 2 (8-inch) round cake pans and set aside.
  • Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil, sugar, and lemon zest on medium speed for 2 minutes. Turn the mixer to medium-low and add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
  • Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the soy milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix on medium for no more than 30 seconds after the last streaks of the dry ingredients are combined. Fold in the apples.
  • Evenly divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 24 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let them cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.

To make the frosting:

  1. In a stand mixer combine the vegan butter and cream cheese,
  2. Add in honey, followed by the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Set Aside

Make the oat crumble:

  1. Dry roast the oats in a skillet (5-8 minutes), stirring intermittently
  2. Add the honey, vegan butter and honey and coat the oats.Cook for 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove the mixture from the heat and spread on parchment paper and allow to cool

Assemble the Cake:

  1. Once the cakes have completely cooled, Level the cakes and choose which layer will be at the bottom. Place it on a cake plate or serving dish.
  2. Spread on a quarter of the frosting with an offset spatula. Top with the next layer of cake. Frost the top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Garnish the top with a generous handful of the skillet oat crumble. Drizzle with honey, if using.

This recipe was inspired by one from https://www.thekitchn.com a site that I highly recommend!