Last Updated on August 27, 2025 by Carrie Korem, FNTP
Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a perfect dessert for the fall!
This apple cake is gluten-free and dairy-free and can be mixed together in just one bowl. It’s packed with fresh apples, cinnamon and honey to sweeten. It definitely pairs well with hot tea or coffee with raw cream!
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the apple cake:
Light-colored honey – I prefer to use this one for all of my baking because of its sweet and light flavor.
Large organic eggs – to bind the cake together.
Coconut oil – you can also substitute with 8 tablespoons of butter if you prefer.
Coconut milk – make sure and use a pure coconut milk and not a coconut “beverage”
Finely ground almond flour – I always use finely ground because it gives the cake a tender crumb.
Coconut flour – I’ve learned thorughout the years that differnet brands of coconut flour give different results, so I always test my recipes with Bob’s Red Mill.
Unflavored, grass-fed gelatin – this is my favorite all-natural binder for gluten-free cakes!
Baking soda – to give the cake the lift it needs.
Coarsely ground Celtic sea salt – Using a coarse ground salt in desserts is so good because you get that little hit of salt!
Ground organic cinnamon – for the fall flavors!
Vanilla extract – I prefer to use my own homemade vanilla, or this is my favorite organic one.
Fuji apples – this is one of my favorite apples for baking.
Pecans – for some crunch!
If you’d like, you can omit the frosting and then serve the cake as a less-sweet, snaking cake.
I prefer baking with glass or ceramic dishes to avoid any aluminum or other heavy metals leaching into my cakes. This one from pyrex is a great option for an 11×7 dish. Or this one from Le Creuset is a beauty!
The cake is good for about 2 days on the counter, and if you want to keep it for longer, I suggest keeping it in the fridge. I hope you enjoy this apple cake it as much as I do!
Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Grain-Free, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup light colored honey
- 3 large eggs
- 10 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (you can sub with 8 tablespoons butter if preferred)
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 3 cups finely ground almond flour
- 6 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon unflavored grass-fed gelatin
- 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 chopped pecans (optional) For the Frosting (see dairy-free option below):
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
- 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
- 1 cup palm shortening
- 1/4 cup raw honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
- 1/2 teaspoon unflavored grass-fed gelatin
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°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 and pecans.
Pour the batter into a buttered 11×7” baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes until cake tester comes out clean and cake is a deep golden brown. Cool completely.
For the frosting (see dairy-free option below):
Place the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the frosting on medium until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Spread evenly over cooled cake.
For the dairy-free frosting:
Place the palm shortening, honey, vanilla extract, arrowroot, and gelatin in the bowl of a standing mixture and whisk for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
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