Last Updated on April 14, 2026 by Deliciously Organic
I posted a whole wheat recipe for this apple cake a couple of years ago and now I’ve adapted it so it doesn’t include grains!
What a whirlwind week! I spent the last six days in North Carolina working for Lisa on her upcoming cookbook (due to be released by Harper Collins, January 2014). Lisa hired me to shoot the food photography (pinch me!) and Kelly – a long-time friend – is shooting the lifestyle shots. My girls traveled with me and had a blast playing with Lisa’s daughters while we worked like mad for a week.
Here are a few behind-the-scenes Instagram pics:
We spent a few evenings in the backyard by the fire, Vani stopped by a couple times to check in, and we even found a bit of time for some zip-lining. I’m thrilled to contribute to Lisa’s book and will update you on the progress as time gets closer.
And now for this delicious apple cake. Almond flour, coconut flour, apples, coconut, butter, and spices all come together for one dynamite cake. The cake is extremely rich, and should serve at least sixteen.
Apple Cake (Grain Free, Paleo, Gluten Free, Gaps)
Keep in mind – you need to pour the sauce over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. This is a very rich and moist cake and best served warm. For a less rich cake, omit the sauce poured on top. Adapted from Paula Deen.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 3/4 cup honey (I used clover)
- 3 large eggs
- 10 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 3 cups almond flour (I purchase mine from Honeyville)
- 6 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (I used Bernard Jensen)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups grated fuji apples, placed on a clean dish cloth and patted dry (I left the skins on)
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
For the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and adjust rack to middle position. Stir together honey, eggs, oil, coconut milk, almond flour, coconut flour, gelatin, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon and vanilla in a large bowl. Fold in apples, coconut and pecans (if using).
- Pour the batter into a buttered bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour until cake tester comes out clean and cake is a deep golden brown.
- Place butter, honey, coconut milk, lemon juice and baking soda in a medium pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour butter mixture over hot cake (you might need to do this in 2 stages, as it can take a few minutes for the sauce to soak into the cake). Let the cake stand for 1 hour and then invert it onto a cake stand. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- The cake freezes very well. To freeze, place in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Serves 16-20
Carrie, where in NC were you? I’m in Greenville SC and we were just in Asheville last weekend for our anniversary. Would love to meet you and share ideas sometime!
I was in Charlotte. It was a lovely place! It would be great to meet you someday!
I’m only an hour away, in Greenville SC. You’d love it here, too. There are a number of great local farms that focus on growing organic, and a wonderful dairy (Happy Cow). We really are fortunate to be so close to so many healthy food choices. I’m going to pick up some grass fed beef tomorrow that I get from a local small beef producer.
Sounds lovely! I do hope the Air Force will move us away from the desert soon. I miss trees. 🙂
All so exciting! Ps love the looks of this cake 🙂
Looks so delicious! Any substitute for gelatin?
You can omit the gelatin if needed. I’ve never tested it with guar gum or xanthan gum, so I’m not sure what the end result would be. Gelatin, from a good source such as Bernard Jensens provides benefit for the cartilage, bones, skin, digestive tract, immune system, heart and muscles. Of course, gelatin from bone stock is the best form of gelatin to consume, but Bernard Jensens offers a nice alternative and it helps give gluten free cakes and breads extra stability.
Hi Lisa and Carrie,
I made this cake yesterday and it is pretty amazing, especially if you like honey. It was a little too sweet for me, but the texture was great. I think the next time I make it I’ll use maple syrup instead of honey (I’m not a big fan of honey) and leave off the syrup. It’s a great base cake that I think I’ll be able to create other cakes from. Thanks so much for all your hard work and experimentation!!!
Sharon Powell
do you think guar gum or xanthan gum works?
This sound delicious, but I can’t have dairy. Do you know of a substitute that could be used in place of the butter?
Coconut oil might be a good substitution, or also ghee.
Isn’t ghee made of butter so it’s dairy?
Ghee has the milk solids removed, so all that is left is the oil. Ghee is paleo “approved” and many who can’t tolerate dairy are able to consume ghee. Here’s a great brand that is casein, whey, lactose and gluten free: http://www.pureindianfoods.com/Grassfed-Organic-Cultured-Ghee-p/cg.htm
Love apples and love cake. This looks like a winner!
Great post Carrie! The cake is beautiful and I love the behind the scenes shots! 🙂
Thanks, Amanda!
I love you, in a foodie sort of way :o) This cake looks so amazing! I still have some of those little Julian organic empire apples I picked a couple weeks ago. I was wondering how long it would take me to peel enough of these mini apples to make a cake, but you just made my world rock, cut em’ throw em’ in the food processor, no peeling, YEA! I’m going to make this today! Thank you so much.
I can’t wait for the cookbook to come out, please keep us posted.
K
Quick question, can I use the TJ’s almond meal? maybe I should process it for a bit to make it finer and then sift it? what would you recommend? 🙂
TJ’s almond meal would work great for this recipe. I think sifting it is a great idea. Enjoy! 🙂
I ended up using Bob’s, I didn’t have enough of the TJ’s so I thought I would see if Whole foods had Honeyville, they did not, only Bob’s. Next time I will use TJ’s it’s half the price of Bob’s, unfortunately the two stores are at opposite ends of the community and gas is $4.50 a gallon so, I bit the bullet. 🙂
Great recipe! Dang, I really need to get a bundt pan… how do I not have one yet??!!
Oh this sounds so very GOOD!! Love all the pictures. What a Blessing it is to be able to have your girls travel with you, they will have memories that will last a life time. 🙂 Thank you also for the link to the Almond Flour, I have been looking for a better brand.
Have a great up coming weekend!
Angelina
YUM!!!! YUM!!!! YUM!!! I am hoping to make this very soon!! I can’t eat almonds, can I use all coconut flour or flax meal? Thanks for the inspiring, yummy recipes that are grain free!!
I don’t have a good substitution for the almond flour in this recipe. I don’t use flax meal in my baking because the flax oil is very sensitive to heat and will oxidize in the oven. Coconut flour is very tricky and I’d need to test it before giving any recommendations. If you can’t use almond flour, you should check out my almond cake! It’s perfect as a b-day cake, snack cake, etc. https://deliciouslyorganic.net/grain-free-gluten-free-coconut-cake-recipe-lemon-curd-strawberries-cream/
OH MY GOODNESS! I just had my first slice, it is so moist and you can’t even tell there are NO grains it it. You amaze me. I made one slight modification, I’m not a real fan of shredded coconut, but I didn’t want to leave it out. Then I remembered my grandma used to make these cookies with almost powder-like coconut so I spun the cup of shredded coconut in my coffee mill till it was like coffee grounds :o). It worked perfectly! Not a hint of coconut overpowering the cake, just enough, it’s perfect!
My husband just said, “I love a moist cake! Awesome.” It’s truly an amazing Apple Cake. Thank you!
K
This looks sooooo amazing!!!! Looks like I’m going to need to invest in a bundt pan too!
Any idea how long this would keep in the fridge?
Thanks 🙂
It will keep in the fridge for 3 days.
Waw,
Since I switched our diet to mostly whole foods, I love when I find this kind of recipes.
Thank you so much for sharing!
I definitely will try it ASAP.
Thank you and very delicious recipes.
Hi Carrie – ooooohhhh I love these pictures! Thanks so much for sharing and I can’t wait to try this cake. I think I will have it with some ice cream, please?!
Ann I lover her site! I thought she looked familiar. How great the two of you combined together. Dynamic duo! Can’t wait to get the book
Thank you! She has such an informative and helpful site. It’s going to be a fun project!
Sounds like a fun week. And this cakes looks delish. I have to bake a cake for our big halloween carnival this coming weekend at school. Going to give this one a try!
Thanks, Susan!
What a fabulous trip — you got in great work and some fun playtime too!
Go you shooting a cookbook!! How exciting. Love the looks of this grain free cake!
Crazy, right!? We’ve come a long way from iPhone pics, huh? 🙂
No need to pinch yourself or be surprised your photos are always glorious and inspiring – as is this cake…
LL
Such a pretty cake!
This looks delicious and might just have to be on my Thanksgiving menu! I hope you enjoyed my home state of NC. It’s a great state! You were a long way from home!
Thank you! Yes, I throughly enjoyed it! What a beautiful state!
Does it need to be refrigerated? Awesome, awesome blog! Although I’m wondering how I’m going to afford to keep reading it (although wondering the same about you as I am also the wife of an AF pilot ;).
If you’re not going to serve all of the cake within 48 hours, I’d store it in the fridge, or freeze the rest.
Carrie, I made the cake this weekend following your recipie and directions. I had problems with it. First, after sitting for more than an hour (after the sauce was poured on) I flipped it and it fell apart. Plus, it was very rich/heavy. I don’t have a good word for it. Did you really use 1 1/2 cups of coconut oil on it plus the butter in the sauce? My cake was more than moist but not yet greasy. Did I do something wrong? I also was not sure if the grated apple amounts should be packed or fluffy in the measureing. My grated apple was very juicy and I poured off a fair amount of juice but not all of it. By the way, the cake is awsome with honey cinnamon ice cream. Thanks for any tips you could offer!
I’m sorry to hear that it fell apart. First of all, did you make any substitutions to the recipe? If not, I’m thinking the apples may have been too juicy since you said you had to pour “a fair amount of juice” out. Also, if the cake fell apart, it might not have been baked long enough. Ovens can be quite temperamental. 🙂 I’m glad you all enjoyed it though! Pairing it with honey cinnamon ice cream sounds perfect!
What type of bundt pan do you use? We got rid of all of our previous cook/bakeware when we got away from aluminum and nonstick and went with stainless/corningware, etc. I haven’t seen bundt alternatives.
Thank you!
what can I use instead of almond flour in your recipes as I’m allergic to almonds, but not other nuts?
I currently don’t have a firm 1:1 substitution for the almond flour in the recipes. If you can tolerate grains, you might find some of my gluten free recipes (that contain grains) helpful: https://deliciouslyorganic.net/category/index-categories/gluten-free/
Any idea if egg replacer works in this cake? Looks great!!!
Okay people! THIS looks great. Making-over all my baking recipes, in hopes of getting them to lean in a more paleo direction. Was able to do it with carrot cake, and now have some Fujis that I was thinking could do the trick for an apple cake. Love love love your site. Fab photos and super classy. Best to you~
Thank you for the kind words! I hope you enjoy the cake!
I just realized I left my bunt pan at the cottage! Do you think I could make this in a 9×13 pan and just poor the stuff over the top?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it should work. You probably need to cut down on the baking time a bit since a 9×13 isn’t quite as deep as a bundt pan.
I just took my cake out of the oven and put the sauce on.
Of course I won’t know till later, but, what is the reason for the sauce? I fear it is going to be mushy.
It adds a nice moistness and lots of flavor. I hope you enjoy it!
I absolutely loved the flavor of the cake, pre cooking. After putting the sauce on – it was way too wet – still held it shape though – so I put it into the fridge to allow the fats to solidfy. Which it did. No longer wet – but I found the flavor of butter to be very overpowering. I have every intention of making this again but omitting the butter sauce. Have you done this?
I haven’t done that, but I think it would make for nice/less rich cake!
I am very excited about your web site…the cake tastes good, but fell apart. Sometimes this happens to these GAPS diet recipes. If using as a birthday cake put in the fridge first. I find adding twice to three times as many eggs and a banana or two seems to help. I really appreciate your work and willingness to put together a place to get recipes. THANK YOU!
Do you mind telling me what brand of almond flour you used? I’ve recently discovered that Bob’s Red Mill almond flour creates a very crumbly cake/cookie, so I’m curious if this was the brand you used. Thanks!
Hello, no sorry it was not…I used the Trader Joes brand. In spite of the cake fracturing it was absolutely wonderful and a big hit. I will try again and maybe use a different brand!
Thank you for your reply.
Thanks for letting me know! The almond meal was probably the culprit. I tested this with almond flour which has the skins removed. I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
The cake looks amazing. Is knox gelatin okay, or does it have impurities? Or, could tapioca be used to gel things together?
thanks
White, Knox will work well in this recipe, Knox gelatin doesn’t explicitly state where their gelatin comes from, so it’s hard to know if it’s coming from a good source. I prefer to use Bernard Jensen or Great Lakes. I don’t recommend tapioca flour as a binder for this recipe.
Hiya I was looking for an apple cake recipe and this looks perfect. I was wondering is it possible to freeze some of the cake for later?
Yes, this cake freezes very well!
How lucky is that? I am sure you had a blast as all the photos indicate. I am SOOOOO making this cake soon.
I made this for my 24 year olds’ birthday cake/dessert – it was brilliant – thank you so much. I reduced the honey in the batter to 1/2 cup and had to use Royal Gala apples….. some of the sauce stayed on the ‘top’ of the cake and didn’t soak it – but it made for a deliciously sticky bottom of each slice. Served with greek yogurt 🙂
I love the addition of the Greek yogurt! Great idea. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Will this recipe be in your new cookbook?
It’s not. I did include several reader favorites in the book though! 🙂
Do I have to use the sauce? My husband isn’t used to a sauce on his apple cake…
You can omit it, but keep in mind the cake won’t be as sweet.
I was so disappointed in this cake. I made it today for Thanksgiving. The sauce made it so moist that it wouldn’t release from the pan. It was really more like bread pudding than cake texture. I decided to “slice” it as best I could and make a plate of cake to try to save it but when I tasted it, it was a let down. For all of the ingredients and time and steps, it just tasted liked almond flour. Bummer.
I’m sorry to hear the cake didn’t turn out well. It’s very odd that it just tasted like almond flour. Did you make any substitutions? It’s also possible that the cake didn’t bake all the way through if it was so moist it wouldn’t come out of the pan.
I am excited to try the recipe. What size bundt pan did you use?