Fall Cardamom Apple Cake
Have you been enjoying your haul of fresh apples from the orchard or the farmers market? Looking for ways to use them? Well, today I have for you a scrumptious Cardamom Apple Cake. It is gluten- and dairy-free, and it is absolutely delicious. Read on to learn how to make it.
The Apples
We went apple picking a couple of weeks ago, and are still enjoying these crisp, seasonal varieties. We picked Winesap, Mutsu, and Golden Delicious. I used the Winesap variety to make this cake, since they are less sweet, but you could also use Granny Smith, Braeburn, Jonathan, and Cortland.
I chose to leave the skins on for the cake, since it is less work, it adds color, and it contains a lot of the nutrition from apples. I used a mandolin slicer to slice the apples very thinly. If you don’t have a mandolin slicer, do your best to slice the apples very thinly and evenly.
The Cake
For the cake, I went with a combination of almond flour and cassava flour. Cassava flour acts a lot like regular white flour, even though it is gluten free. It comes from the cassava root. If you don’t have almond flour, you can grind toasted walnuts in a food processor, stopping when it turns flour-like, but before it turns into nut butter. This is what I did the first time I made this cake.
The cake is sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with cardamom. So many fall desserts have cinnamon in them that I wanted to do something a little different. The cardamom pairs perfectly with the apple and maple syrup flavors.
I added fine flaked coconut for extra moisture, and for those of you who don’t like coconut, you can’t even tell it’s there. However, you can omit this if you like and still end up with a great cake.
It’s best to use a spring-form pan to bake this cake. If you don’t have one, just be sure to generously oil a regular cake pan and place a round of parchment paper on the bottom.
Other Fall Apple Recipes
- Fall Frisee Salad: This salad features tart Granny Smith apples and blue cheese. It goes well with toasted walnuts, and some whole grain bread on the side.
- Celery Root and Apple Puree: This is a great side dish to a special fall meal or Thanksgiving.
- Overnight Apple Butter: An easy way to use a lot of apples – make this slow cooker apple butter, flavored with cinnamon and spice.
Cardamom Apple Cake
Equipment
- A springform pan would be helpful.
- A mandolin slicer would also be helpful.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup cassava flour
- 1 cup fine flaked coconut
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 4 tbsp coconut oil, melted plus extra for greasing pan
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 large tart apples very thinly sliced, about 4 cups
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds optional, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Use coconut oil to grease a 9-inch springform pan. (If using a regular cake pan, generously grease it, trace a round of Parchment, cut it out, and place it in the bottom.
- Slice apples in half. Dig out core with a paring knife. Using a mandoline (or really precise knife skills), thinly slice the apples.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients (almond flour through salt).
- Mix together the wet ingredients (eggs through apple cider vinegar).
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet, then stir in the apples. You may need to use your hands to fully incorporate the apples, but don't worry if they don't fit in. It will bake up beautifully.
- Pour/nudge cake batter into the greased springform pan. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake for 45-55 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool, then gently run a butter knife along the edge of the pan and loosen the sides of the pan. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
