Baking gluten free isn’t always easy, but if you’re also on a grain free diet, choices are more limited. This gluten free applesauce cake recipe is moist, can be made with or without starch (see tips for all almond meal without starch), and does not call for any gums, butter or oil. It is a one-layer cake, about 1″ high and about the weight of banana bread, though tossing in an additional egg will make it lighter. Some cakes may not necessarily need a springform pan, but because of this cake’s weight, I highly suggest using one, as to not break it when removing it from the pan. It was so delicious and fast to make. This gluten free applesauce cake would make a nutritious snack without any topping. Enjoy!
A grain free, gluten free applesauce cake with options for low-carb dieters. Made with almond meal flour and starch or almond meal alone. Makes a great snack or dessert.
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups applesauce, unsweetened or sweetened
- 1 cup almond meal/flour
- 1 cup potato starch*
- ¼ cup brown sugar**
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract***
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Powdered sugar, for dusting**** (optional if grain-free)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Oil an 9" springform pan; set it aside; line bottom with parchment paper and oil the top of the parchment paper.
- In the large bowl of your mixer, add the almond meal, potato starch (if using), sugar, baking soda, and salt; beat until blended, scraping bowl as needed.
- Add applesauce and eggs beat until creamy, scraping sides as necessary; add vanilla and beat on low, just until blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. The batter will be runny.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan (place on a baking sheet if you're concerned about your springform pan leaking); and bake until toothpick clean, about 40 minutes.
- Remove to a cooling rack for approximately 5 minutes; with a sharp knife, loosen crust from sides; remove the outer ring; with a knife, loosen the crust from the bottom edges of the springform pan; allow to cool for an additional 10 minutes; place upside down onto a serving platter; remove parchment paper and place right side up.
- Dust with powdered sugar, chocolate sauce, icing or whatever you desire.
Tips
*For those who do not tolerate or consume potato, substitute with additional almond flour and add 1 additional egg.
**To make refined sugar-free, use barbados sugar aka molasses sugar.
***To make a lighter and higher cake you may use 5 eggs.
****(Trader Joe's makes an Organic Powdered Sugar made with tapioca flour/starch instead of cornstarch, and is derived from evaporated cane juice, which is much less processed than table sugar. If you're on a grain free diet, coating with organic honey or a chocolate sauce is another option for garnishing.
****You can make your own sugar-free powdered sugar by grinding 1 cup of cup-for-cup sugar-free substitute with 1 teaspoon corn, potato, or tapioca starch in blender or coffee grinder.
No cinnamon was used in the photo above.
Adding additional baking soda may also make this cake lighter. I'll try it myself next time. I'll probably add another 1/2 teaspoon, and skip the salt.