Apple Almond Cake

This Apple Almond Cake is dreamy and moist, and studded with apples. Topped with a cinnamon-almond crumble, it’s the perfect cake for brunch, snack time, or dessert!

When I began developing this recipe, I had in mind a traditional French apple cake. But the more I tested it, the more I wanted to add coffee cake elements to the mix. And so this Apple Almond Cake was born.

Why Make This Cake

• Easy to Make: No mixer required for this cake. Stir together the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then combine and add the topping. 
• Healthier Dessert Option: It’s odd to say healthy and cake in the same sentence, but I think this recipe qualifies as at least “healthier.” All that fresh apple goodness inside along with great-for-you almonds and almond flour in both the cake and the topping itself. 
• Perfect for So Many Occasions: This cake would be delicious as part of a brunch spread, or as a holiday dessert (why does apple pie have to have all the fun?). It’s also light enough that it’s just perfect with a cup of tea as an afternoon snack (ask me how I know). 

🥗 Ingredients

• Apples: I like to use a tart Granny Smith apple in this dish. You could also try semi-tart apples like Pink Lady, Gala, or Honey Crisp. Make sure you choose a firm apple that won’t melt into the cake itself—the chunks interspersed in the cake are the best part! And an apple that is too sweet won’t give you the balance you need for this dish. 
• Almond flour: Almond flour is made from ground raw almonds, which are low in carbs and high in fiber, protein, manganese, magnesium, and Vitamin E. Almonds are also high in omega-3 fatty acids. The almond flour in this recipe adds nutrients but also keeps the texture moist. If you don't have almond flour, you can also substitute hazelnut flour for a slightly different flavor, or replace it with more all-purpose flour.
• Sliced or slivered almonds: You can use either blanched or unblanched (raw) almonds for the topping. Unblanched almonds, which still have the skin attached, have more nutrients in them due to the skin, but will give you a slightly grittier texture.
• Cinnamon: I love the scent of the cinnamon baking in this apple cake. It’s delicious as is, though you could double-down on winter spices by adding some nutmeg, allspice, or cloves as well. Ground ginger would be a lovely addition as well. 

🥣 Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius. Use a small amount of butter to grease the bottom of a 8-inch springform pan, then dust with flour. Prepare the topping by combining sliced almonds, butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a mini-food processor.

Pulse until the almonds are chopped into very small pieces (about 6-8 pulses).

Set aside. Now start the cake. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe container, such as a glass measuring cup, then set aside to cool slightly. Peel apple and chop into roughly ¼-inch dice.

Combine the dry ingredients for the cake in a large bowl (flour, almond flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder).

In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla extract.

Then pour the slightly-cooled butter slowly into the smaller bowl as you whisk. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined, then stir in chopped apples. The batter will be very thick, almost like cookie batter.

Pour into the springform pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the almond crumb topping over the top. Bake 35-40 min, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out almost clean and the top is nicely browned.

Let cool on a rack. Cut gently around the edges of the springform pan before unmolding, then slice and serve! 

🧐 Recipe FAQs

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips

When making the topping, use quick pulses with your food processor rather than turning it on and letting it run. That way you can see how the chopping is progressing, and stop before turning the almonds into almond butter. If you don’t have a mini food processor, you can also chop almonds by hand, then stir in the sugar and cinnamon. 

When combining the liquid ingredients for the batter, be careful that your butter isn’t too hot. If you dump hot, just-melted butter into eggs, you might curdle them—in that case, the eggs will seize up and start to cook, and you will be left with a lumpy mixture with pockets of cooked egg. Not good! Wait until your butter is warm but not hot, and add the butter slowly, while whisking constantly. 

If you don’t have an 8-inch springform pan, use a 9-inch springform pan. In that case, your cake will not be as high, and will cook a bit faster. Check it after 25 minutes. You could also use an 8- or 9-inch cake pan (or even pie plate), but keep in mind that you may need to ruin the first slice a little to get it out of the pan. Because of the streusel topping, you can’t just flip the cake out of the pan and back right-side up again. Be sure to butter and flour the sides and bottom of your cake pan to help the slices come out easily. 

Other Healthy (ish) Desserts

Do you have a sweet tooth but like to sneak some healthy ingredients into your desserts? Me too! Here are a few of my favorite desserts that are still plenty satisfying, but have some nutritional value to them too.

• Strawberry Parfait with Mascarpone Cream
• Easy Lemon Ricotta Cake
• Lemony Almond Flour Muffins
• Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
• Banana Nutella Crepes
• Peach Blueberry Crisp

If you try this apple almond cake recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!

Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!