Gluten Free Spice Cake

a slice of apple spice cake on a plate with a fork

A moist and delicious gluten-free, grain-free, and refined sugar-free spice cake recipe made with almond flour, coconut sugar, chopped apple, and cozy fall spices.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 137kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

9" cake pan
Parchment paper

Ingredients

1 ½ cups blanched almond flour *finely ground- I use Bob's Red Mill
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground allspice
4 large eggs room temperature
½ cup coconut sugar *can also use light brown sugar
1 tsp fresh orange zest *don't skip this!
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large apple peeled and finely diced *see post for variety recommendations

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper (don't skip the parchment-it's important for easy release).
In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, baking powder, salt, and spices until well combined.
In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and coconut sugar until light, fluffy, and almost double in volume. This will take about 3-4 minutes. Beating this long is important to create air pockets in the batter for the best cake texture. Add the orange zest and vanilla extract and blend until combined.
Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until just blended, then gently fold in the chopped apples.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Mine was perfect at 25 minutes in a dark metal cake pan.)
*Allow the cake to sit in the pan on a cooling rack for 30 minutes to set properly, then carefully remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Once the cake has completely cooled, dust with the optional powdered sugar topping, if desired. It can also be served with regular whipped cream or coconut non-dairy whipped cream.

Notes

This cake is even better the next day after the flavors have had time to mingle.
If it's been refrigerated, just pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to warm.
See the "recipe tips" section of the post for more helpful tips and tricks.

Nutrition