With an abundant harvest of apples from a few old apple trees at our family farm, I decided to create some grain-free, "lower-carb" apple desserts. This grain-free apple cake was a huge hit in our house!
Apples are a fruit that are high in natural sugars. This makes a very carb version impossible. I will argue that this doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy an abundant apple harvest or our favorite treats from time to time.
Apples are also loaded with essential vitamins and minerals which help build up our immune system. So, enjoy this apple dessert in moderation. This grain-free apple cake is lower in carbohydrates than my apple crisp recipe. It's also a delicious breakfast option and freezes great!
Cooking Methods for Grain Free Apple Cake
I like to bake up a pan of this, slice it into single servings, and freeze it in single-serving containers. This way, the treat lasts longer and I'm not as tempted to eat a few servings per day?
This same recipe could easily be converted to grain-free apple muffins. Instead of baking it in a 9Ă—9 pan, simply bake in muffin tins. My guess on the baking time is 20-25 minutes in a muffin tin. You will be able to tell that the baking is complete by inserting a toothpick in the center. It's done when it comes out clean!
Substitutions For Grain Free Apple Cake
A word of caution with Grain Free Baking…
Grain-free baking is quite difficult— substituting ingredients will generally not work. It is one of the most frustrating tasks I've undertaken. Getting good results consistently is quite a challenge. I share these tips with you so you can avoid the mistakes I've made in the past. Keep scrolling for a specific list of tried-and-true ingredients that I personally use (or click the links inside the recipe).
Eggs:
Coconut flour requires many eggs because coconut flour loves eggs and is very absorbent. Using egg substitutes will generally yield a failed recipe.
Swapping Flours:
This recipe will not turn out well if you try and substitute the flours. Make sure you use both coconut flour and almond flour with the ratios above.
Adjusting Sweetness:
This is a pretty sweet cake. If you prefer a cake with less sweetness (or simply want to use a less expensive alternative sweetener), simply cut the sweetener above in half.
Ingredients for Grain Free Apple Cake
Here's a few ingredients to make your grain free apple cake a success:
- Xanthan Gum (Now Foods) or Bob's Red Mill (check your local grocer)
- Bocha Sweet
- Monk Fruit Sweetener
- Coconut flour
- Almond flour
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
Video Tutorial: Grain Free Apple Cake
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đź“– Recipe
Grain Free Lower Carb Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 4 cups Apples chopped
- 1 cup Bocha Sweet or Monk Fruit Sweetener
- 9 Eggs
- ½ cup Butter melted
- 1 ½ teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Pure Almond Extract
- Âľ cup Coconut Flour
- ÂĽ cup Almond Flour
- 1 cup Bocha Sweet
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ÂĽ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- Generously grease a 9x9 baking pan and set aside.
- Chop up your apples and toss with 1 tsp lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut flour, almond flour, sweetener, cinnamon, nutmeg, xanthan gum, baking soda, cream of tarter and salt and mix.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl. Blend with a mixer for a few minutes to allow the coconut flour to soak up the liquid. (Note that while coconut flour is a highly absorbent flour, almond flour is not. We also don't have to worry about over-mixing like we would with regular flours. Under-mixing will result in a 'grainy' texture).
- Mix in the chopped up apples.
- Pour your batter into your greased 9x9 pan.
- Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Keto Dessert Recipes
Here's some other keto dessert recipes we think you'll love: