Apple Walnut Cake (grain-free + dairy-free)
One of the most powerful things you can do on a daily basis for your long-term health and well-being is to cook most of your meals at home with whole food-based ingredients. The second step in taking control of your health and using food as medicine, is to remove the foods or food groups that are irritating your immune system. Gluten and dairy are two of the largest dietary contributors to immune system over-activation. It can take up to six months or longer for antibodies made to gluten to leave your system; this is why it is very important to remove gluten 100% from your diet if you want to experiment with how you feel without wheat, rye, or barley. If you are suffering from an autoimmune disease, chronic inflammation, hormonal imbalances, chronic IBS symptoms, anemia, chronic headaches, infertility, an inability to lose weight, or severe weight loss, then challenging yourself to a six-month gluten-free and dairy-free diet can be extraordinary illuminating.
This apple cake recipe uses blanched almond flour, an array of antioxidant-rich spices, fresh apples, a small amount of tapioca flour, walnuts, eggs, and a touch of maple syrup to create a nutrient-dense grain-free cake! Serve it with a cup of Dandelion Root Chai Tea after a balanced meal!
The holidays are a time of enjoying sweet treats, so why not make them nutrient-dense? This way you are not left feeling depleted and on a blood sugar roller coaster. Replacing traditional baking ingredients like sugar and flour with nutrient-rich alternatives like almond flour, coconut flour, buckwheat flour, oat flour, brown rice flour, nut butters, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, and fresh dates will leave you feeling satisfied, but not depleted. Additionally, consuming less sugar and using smaller amounts of natural sweeteners in baked goods when you do make them....will cause you to crave less sugar! Our membership area has plenty of other cakes made with nutrient-dense ingredients such as this Orange-Almond Date Cake, or this Chocolate-Zucchini Cake, or this egg-free Blackberry-Buckwheat Olive Oil Cake. Browse all of our whole food dessert recipes here! If you are a Nourishing Meals® member, click on the "My Diet" button on the top of the page to instantly filter all of the desserts for your specific diet.
Apple Walnut Cake (grain-free + dairy-free)
Serve this healthy apple walnut cake as part of your next holiday gathering, or simply serve it after a nutrient-dense autumn meal. It can be baked in an 8x8-inch baking dish, round cake pan, or easily doubled and baked in a 9x13-inch baking dish. The walnuts add a delicious crunchiness, but they can also be omitted if desired.
It's very important to dice the apple into small pieces so it cooks and softens during the baking time!
Dry Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
Other Ingredients
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, or line the bottom of an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan with parchment (trace a circle using the bottom of the cake pan and then cut it out). If you are doubling the recipe, use two cake pans or one 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients and vigorously whisk together.
- Fold in the diced apple and chopped walnuts.
- Scoop batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for approximately 30 minutes.
- Cool cake in the pan for about 10 to 15 minutes, and then gently remove cake and place onto a plate or platter to continue cooling. Wait until the cake has cooled to slice and serve it.
Use this recipe in our Meal Planner
About the Author
Ali Segersten
Alissa Segersten holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University and a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine from the University of Western States. She is a Functional Nutritionist, the mother of five children, a whole foods cooking instructor, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is passionate about helping others find a diet that will truly nourish them. Alissa is the author of two very popular gluten-free, whole foods cookbooks and guidebooks: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. She is also the co-author of The Elimination Diet book. Alissa is the founder and owner of Nourishing Meals®.Nourishing Meals Newsletter
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Comments
I want to make this tonight. Can I substitute coconut oil for the avocado oil? I love your recipes, and the consistency is different between the oild, so not sure if it will work. Thanks
Hi Donna,
Olive oil or melted coconut oil will work. Hope you enjoy! :)
Can I use coconut oil instead or avacado oil?
I made this for Thanksgiving (we're not fans of pumpkin pie). I used pre-cooked quince from our tree instead of apple and added a pinch of cardamom. My other half who is a picky eater actually liked it.
Hi Ela,
I love the idea of using quince! Thank you for sharing this variation. :)
do you recommend peeling the apple first? thanks!
Hi there!
I leave the apple peels on when making this cake, though you could peel them if you would like. :)
This recipe was absolutely delicious! Moist, perfectly spiced, and not overly sweet! I had to make a few substitutions but generally stayed true to your recipe! I made it into muffins and had to use honey instead of maple (and just a touch less than 1/3 cup) because it was all I had on hand - and I also used pecans and olive oil. I also sprinkled the tops with additional chopped pecans too for a bit extra crunch. Everyone absolutely loves them - young children included! To make into muffins, mine took about 23 minutes in our oven. I started to check at 16 minutes but they definitely needed more time. Thanks for the perfect recipe!!
Thank you for sharing your changes, Vittoria. :)
Pecans in the cake and on top sounds delicious. Baking the batter into muffins is a great idea!
Very nice!
Hi Margaret, hope you enjoy! Happy holidays. :)
Thank you for healthy recipes.
Hi Peggy!
You are very welcome. I hope you enjoy! :)