This spiced apple cake is the perfect fall dessert to make on a chilly weekend. It is filled with pieces of apple and a vegan cream cheese filling. It is so easy to make and was non-vegan approved too!
I know pumpkin is the star of the show once fall starts but I have to be honest I am an apple girl. Give me apple pies, apple crisp, apple anything! I have a great recipe in the cookbook for a Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake and Baked Apple Empanadas, so as you can see sign me up for all the apple desserts. This spiced apple cake hits all the fall notes and the vegan cream cheese filling adds a little something extra. I promise, it is perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
The Baking Tin
In late August I was perusing the aisles of Marshall’s and saw this beautiful cake tin. I almost didn’t purchase it because I thought “eh, I don’t really need it” but then I decided I wanted to because why not and I am happy I did. It is from Nordic Ware and it is one of their seasonal pans. It has a 6 cup capacity and is 10 x 5 x 3 inches, so if you don’t have a pan like this I think a 9 inch loaf pan should work fine. However, if you are thinking about buying the pan I used it is really amazing and the cake came out so easily, so I do highly suggest it. Plus, it looks so pretty!
Apple Choice
Whenever I bake, I tend to go for a Granny Smith Apple. They hold their shape well and they aren’t overly sweet. They are considered one of the best apples for baking. However, I think Honeycrisp apples work great in desserts too. I am also a fan of the McIntosh which I know can get very mushy but I happen to enjoy it. So feel free to use any of the apples listed above they should work well. I also choose not to peel my apples because I find when you bake them in a cake the skin just gets very mushy and it doesn’t bother me too much so do what you like!
Apple Pie Spice
To give our spiced apple cake “the spice” I used apple pie spice. You can find it online and since it is more seasonal probably at your local grocery store. It just consists of: allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon so if you can’t find it you can just use about ½ teaspoon of each of those seasonings. It is also pretty similar to pumpkin pie spice so you can use that too. Just want to add in those fall flavors!
Vegan Cream Cheese
There are plenty of vegan cream cheese brands out there. My two favorite are Tofutti and Kite Hill. For this recipe I used Kite Hill because I do like the flavor a bit more and since it was going to be filled with it, I wanted to make sure it tasted good. I will say to avoid the Violife cream cheese because I just personally do not like it, I find the texture and flavor to be weird. Feel free to use any vegan cream cheese you like or you can leave it out too and just make a regular cake!
FAQs
- Can I make this gluten free? I haven’t tried but you can try using a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour.
- How long does this last? It will be good for up to 2 to 3 days on your counter, otherwise I would freeze it.
- Why organic sugar? Some sugars can be processed with bone char, however if it is organic it won’t be.
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Spiced Apple Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
- Cake
- Baking or cooking spray for pan
- 2 cups (240g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (10g) baking powder
- ½ cup (96g) organic brown sugar
- ¼ cup (48g) organic granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons apple pie spice seasoning
- ½ cup (127g) plain vegan yogurt
- 1 ¼ cup (300ml) nondairy milk
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- 1 Granny Smith apple chopped (about 5 ounces/140g)
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 (8 ounce/226g) container vegan cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons (28g) organic granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) nondairy milk
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- ½ teaspoon (3g) ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (5g) organic sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Spray your pan generously with cooking or baking spray of choice.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and apple pie spice seasoning. Mix with a whisk until well combined.
- Add in the vegan yogurt, nondairy milk and vanilla extract. Mix together with a whisk until smooth.
- Add in the apples and fold them in with a spatula.
- In a separate medium sized bowl combine the ingredients for the vegan cream cheese filling and mix together with a spoon until smooth.
- Take the pan and add half the batter to it, then scoop in the vegan cream cheese filling, finally add the remaining batter on top.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake looks golden brown. There shouldn’t be any cake but you may have some for the vegan cream cheese filling on it.
- In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and sugar together.
- Once the cake is done allow it to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Then add a dish to the top and flip it over so the cake comes out.
- Allow it to cool another 20 minutes before slicing. Prior to serving sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and enjoy.
Video
what vegan cream cheese do you like to use?
Hi Lea, I covered it in the section above the recipe titled Vegan Cream Cheese, but for this recipe I used Kite Hill
I had already purchased VioLife cream cheese before I read it wasn’t as good so along with the maple syrup, sugar and oat milk I added maple extract. It’s in the oven now so hopefully it’ll be good.🤞🏼
Hi Karen, aw I hope it came out okay! the violife one has a lot of coconut oil and doesn’t always yield the best result for baking :/
You’re right the VioLife just melted into the cake. Next time I’ll definitely use a different vegan cream cheese. It luckily tasted good anyway when heated up with vegan icecream.
Yes I am sorry about that but glad you still enjoyed overall!!