If you love apple-based cakes, then our vegan apple bread recipe will fill you with joy. Juicy apple bits and crunchy hazelnuts are waiting for you, hidden inside a wholesome and vegan sponge cake.
Whether you are a passionate vegan or suffer from dairy and egg allergies, we have selected the right mix of ingredients to bring you a healthy and satisfying breakfast.
We have replaced eggs with a "flax-egg", made by soaking ground flaxseeds in water until jelly-like. These seeds are incredibly nutritious as they provide a plant-based source of omega-3 essential fatty acids.
Also, we have used oat milk instead of cow milk for a zero-cholesterol and low-fat alternative. And we have swapped butter with creamy cashew butter, a vegan alternative that has five times fewer saturated fats than butter.
The result is a super healthy breakfast loaf cake that is low in sugars and fats, and naturally sweet thanks to apples, raisins, and a little maple syrup.
Each slice has only 200 calories and provides only 8% of your recommended daily intake (RDI) for carbs, 6% of your RDI for saturates, and 17% of your RDI for fibres.
This homemade apple loaf a hearty breakfast treat that will satisfy your sweet tooth and fuel your day with plant-based, wholesome goodness.
What can I use to replace apples?
This vegan loaf recipe is so easy that can you substitute apples with any fruit that can be sliced, chopped or shredded.
For example, pears, plums, apricots, peaches, kiwi fruit, pineapple, and mangoes are all excellent choices.
We suggest you try to slice the fruit of your choice, as thinly as we sliced the apples, to get a similar outcome.
You can also use bananas, which would make this cake a banana bread recipe, or experiment with vegetables like zucchini or pumpkin - as we did in this chocolate chip pumpkin bread.
What is the best apple for this loaf cake?
There are many apple varieties you can use in your bakes. In this recipe, we selected the Pink Lady variety, also known as Cripps Pink, to get that delicate pink tone that makes the cake look so cute.
The Granny Smith apples are also an excellent choice, as they are among the most nutritious[1].
Other good options are the Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Red Delicious, Braeburn, and Jazz.
What other egg substitutes can I use in this vegan loaf?
To make this apple bread vegan, we have replaced each egg with a "flax-egg", made with ground flaxseeds soaked in water.
If you're out of flaxseeds or want to try other vegan egg substitutes, here are some great options to try:
Silken Tofu - great to give structure without affecting the taste.
Mashed ripe bananas- to add a hint of sweetness too, like in these lemon muffins.
Unsweetened yogurt - use coconut or soy yogurt for extra creaminess, as we did in this avocado muffins recipe.
Sugar-free applesauce - for a moist batter. We have some tasty recipes with applesauce here.
If you use any of the above options, make sure you adjust the other ingredients to get the right cake batter consistency.
How can I make this apple loaf gluten-free?
In this recipe, we have replaced plain wheat flour with wholemeal flour for a boost of fibres in fewer calories. However, you can swap it with gluten-free alternatives if you're following a low-carb diet or you're celiac.
You can use oat flour, buckwheat flour, or rice flour, and then add a binding agent like potato, arrowroot, or maize starch to help the batter hold together. For best results, make a loaf cake mix with using a combination of different gluten-free flours.
Also, almond flour and coconut flour make a great option if you want to cut on carbs. They can add richness and flavour to this apple bread thanks to their high-fat content.
Check out these avocado muffins, pineapple cake, or matcha cake recipes to see how we've made them gluten-free, or use our Smart-Search tool to easily filter our gluten-free treats and dessert.
Ingredients
| Hazelnuts | 50 g |
| Ground Flaxseeds | 2 tbsp |
| Water | 5 tbsp |
| Apples | 2 |
| Wholemeal Flour | 250 g |
| Baking Powder | 15 g |
| Raisins | 60 g |
| Cashew Butter | 90 g |
| Maple Syrup | 80 g |
| Oat Milk | 230 mL |
Step 1
Although optional, you can toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet or in the oven at 160°C (320°F) until fragrant. This way, they will add an extra nutty flavour to the cake batter.
Finely chop the nuts or blitz them in a food processor, pulsing in short bursts.
Meanwhile, combine the ground flaxseeds with water and leave them to soak for 10 minutes until they form a thick jelly-like mixture.
While the vegan "flaxegg" soaks, shred 1 apple - skin on- using the broad side of a cheese grater. Alternatively, blitz the fruit in a food processor.
Step 2
In a mixing bowl, add wholemeal flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Stir well to ensure the baking powder is evenly distributed.
Next, incorporate the prepared "flax egg", nuts, raisins, cashew butter, maple syrup and oat milk.
Mix the ingredients with a hand mixer or whisker until you have a creamy and smooth cake batter.
If the mixture feels too dry, then add a splash of milk. If it's too wet, add a few tablespoons of flour.
Step 3
Transfer the batter into a loaf tin lined with parchment paper or greased and floured.
Gently spread the mixture flat with the help of a spatula.
Then, thinly slice the remaining 1 apple and arrange the slices to garnish the loaf.
You can dip the apple slices in lemon juice to prevent them from browning while you decorate the cake.
Step 4
Bake the loaf in the oven for 50 minutes at 180°C (355°F) for static ovens or at 160°C (320°F) for fan ovens.
The cake is ready when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Leave the tin in the oven turned off for 10 minutes. This way, the cake will cool down gradually and won't collapse due to a sudden change of temperature.
Finally, transfer the apple loaf onto a wire rack to cool evenly before cutting it into slices.
Tips
As this recipe is prepared without eggs, you can add 40g (1.4oz) of potato starch, arrowroot starch, or corn starch to the batter to give the cake more structure.
Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. This way, they will better incorporate one into another.
You can replace oat milk with any other plant-based milk like soy, coconut, hemp, rice, and almond milk using the same amount.
Instead of raisins, you can use cranberries, Goji berries, or dried apricots.
Store this apple bread in an airtight container for up to four days or freeze it on the day layering the slices with baking paper to prevent them from sticking to one another.