Light & Buttery Gluten-Free Apple Cake
This German apple cake recipe is a well-loved recipe adapted with a light and buttery gluten-free cake base. With a sprinkle of powdered sugar, it's festive enough for a party, but humble and easy enough to be made on a weeknight!
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 45 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb apples (3-4 organic small baking apples, such as honeycrisp)
- ½ cup millet flour
- ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons gluten-free oat flour
- ¼ cup + 2½ tablespoons sweet rice flour
- 2½ tablespoons super-fine blanched almond flour
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened, plus 1 tablespoon for the pan)
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Zest of one lemon
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon apricot jam
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter then dust with almond flour.
- 2
Peel the apples and cut into quarters, removing their cores. Slice each quarter into 6-8 slices. Set aside.
- 3
In a medium bowl, mix together the millet flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour, almond flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- 4
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, vanilla, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Mix in the lemon juice and zest until just combined.
- 5
With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combine.
- 6
With the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk, and then the remaining flour, mixing until just combined.
- 7
Pour batter in prepared pan, spreading it into an even layer with a spatula. The batter should be about 3/4-inches thick. Arrange apples on top, nesting them close together into the batter. Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, until the center springs back when poked with a finger and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- 8
While still warm, brush apricot jam over the top of the cake. Let cool for a few minutes then release the cake from the springform pan. Let cool completely before sliding a knife under the cake to remove the springform bottom. Once completely cool, dust the cake with powdered sugar just before serving.