Indulge in the flavors of the season with this Apple Snack Cake. This delicious treat captures the essence of autumn in every bite, with warm notes of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg complementing the sweetness of the applesauce and maple syrup. Crafted with a blend of wholesome ingredients like rolled oats, coconut sugar, and unsweetened almond or oat milk, this cake is both vegan and gluten-free friendly. But what truly elevates it is the creamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting, adding a layer of velvety decadence. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or just craving a deliciously moist apple cake, this recipe will not disappoint.
Apple Snack Cake Recipe Ingredients
Apple Sheet Cake:
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup melted vegan butter (if not vegan, regular butter will work)
- 1 cup plant-based milk (almond or oat, if not vegan, regular milk will work)
- ½ cup coconut or light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon each: baking powder & baking soda
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoon organic maple syrup
- Spices: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (regular or gluten-free variety)
- ½ cup whole rolled oats
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 ½ cup organic powdered sugar
- 4 oz vegan cream cheese
- 4 tablespoon melted vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
How To Make This Apple Snack Cake
Preparation: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Either line your baking pan with parchment for easy lifting or lightly grease it.
Wet Ingredients: In a spacious bowl, whisk together applesauce, melted vegan butter, milk, sugar, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup.
Dry Ingredients: Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Gradually mix in the flour and oats, ensuring a smooth batter.
Baking: Transfer batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake for roughly 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched and edges are lightly browned.
Cooling: Allow the apple snack cake to rest and cool. If using parchment, carefully lift the cake out.
Frosting: With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese, melted butter, powdered sugar, and cinnamon until creamy. Generously frost the cake. Slice, serve, and savor!
Frequently Asked Questions
To store leftover apple sheet cake, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or place it in an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If it's frosted with cream cheese icing, it's especially important to keep it refrigerated. Before serving again, you can let it come to room temperature for a better texture and flavor.
Yes, you can leave the oats out of the Apple Sheet Cake recipe. If you omit the rolled oats, you might want to slightly increase the amount of all-purpose flour to compensate for the missing dry ingredient. An additional ¼ to ⅓ cup of flour should suffice. This will ensure that your cake still has a good structure and isn't too wet. Adjust the baking time if necessary, checking for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake.
Yes! Although, I recommend trying this Apple Bread Recipe. There are a few slight variations in the recipe but it always comes out delicious! 
Apple Snack Cake
Equipment
- large sized mixing bowl
- electric hand mixer or whisk
- measuring cups and spoons
- medium sized mixing bowl
- 10 to 12 inch rectangular baking dish
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Apple Sheet Cake Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup melted vegan butter regular butter will work if not vegan
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or oat milk regular milk will work if not vegan
- ½ cup coconut sugar or light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- a pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 1 ½ cup regular or gluten-free all purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 4 oz vegan cream cheese regular cream cheese will work if not vegan
- 4 tablespoon melted vegan butter regular butter will work if not vegan
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Apple Sheet Cake Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 350. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or use baking spray to grease the pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the apple sauce, melted vegan butter, milk, sugar, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, salt, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together. Once the combination is well mixed, add the flour and oats and mix until a silky batter is formed.
- Pour the batter into the lined baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the center has fully risen and the cake is golden on the edges.
- If you used parchment paper, allow the cake to cool and then lift the paper and cake out of the pan gently. If you greased the pan, allow the cake to cool in the pan and then leave it in the pan.
- Use an electric hand mixer to mix the vegan cream cheese, melted butter, powdered sugar, and cinnamon together to make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Frost the apple sheet cake and enjoy warm or cool.
Lauren says
This is great! Simple and quick to mix together and very tasty! Instead of cream cheese for the icing I used peanut butter.
jaci says
super delicious, just had a hard time with keeping the cake together. was super crumbly and I couldnt spread the icing on easily because when I put the icing on it stuck to the cake and lifted the breading up. so maybe melt the icing in the microwave next time? otherwise tastes great and seemed really easy!!
Rebecca Goff says
Can I make these into muffins? And add protein powder?
Jillian Glenn says
Definitely can do muffins! I've never added protein powder but that is a great idea! I'd reduce the flour by maybe 1/2 a cup and add a few scoops of your protein. If making muffins I'd bake on 350 for about 30 minutes.