If you find yourself with a surplus of apples (hey, it happens!), you might experience a desire for apple cake. You have to get rid of those apples somehow, right? Our vegan, gluten-free cake is fun to make and tastes sweet and delicious without the addition of refined sugar (okay, there is half a cup of maple syrup, but why quibble?)

This lovely cake tastes great plain, but you can garnish it with pecans (as we did) or whip up a vegan cream cheese frosting. It’s not that hard to make — the most difficult part is grating the apples. But please persevere, because the end result will be worth it.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup melted coconut oil
7/8 cup unsweetened plant milk (we used almond, but any will do)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (a must, because it combines with the baking powder and helps your cake rise)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of sea salt
2 medium or 4 small apples, grated (any kind is fine)
1 1/4 cups ground walnuts or almonds (or you can use a half-and-half mix, as we did. Just grind them in your blender or food processor)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose, gluten-free flour
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the coconut oil and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the plant milk, vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, spices, sea salt, grated apple, and walnut and/or almond mixture.

Stir in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Go nice and slow so you don’t create any lumps.

Grease a square baking pan with some additional coconut oil and pour your mixture inside. If you have pecans, you can arrange them artfully along the surface.

Bake at 350 degrees for about half an hour. You can prick the top with a fork or other skewer to see whether it comes out clean. Remove your cake from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes, and dig in!

This cake works well as a dessert, but we’ve also been known to have it for breakfast. It’s great plain or with some Earth Balance or other vegan butter or margarine.

Six people can make quick work of this cake, but two ravenous individuals can do just as well. You can wrap any leftovers and store them in your cupboard for 3-4 days. But it’s best fresh, so why wait? We love this sweet treat, and feel confident you’ll share our sentiments.