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Vegan Spice Cake. 1 Bowl Super Moist Spiced Applesauce Cake with tons of winter spice flavor and Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. Vegan Nutfree Recipe. Glutenfree option. Jump to Recipe
Holiday Baking Alert! This Moist Spice cake is all things delicious. Everyday Ingredients like Applesauce, cinnamon, ginger spices, flour, optional grated apple, some dried fruit such as dates and done.
This spice Cake needs 1 Bowl and needs minutes to put together. The cake is super delicious on its own. Top it with nuts or a streusel. The Spices develop even more flavor a day later. Use whichever spices you have. Add a vegan cream cheese frosting if you like. Make it into muffins or a loaf!
More Fall Winter Cakes
- Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Pumpkin Frosting.
- Cinnamon Swirl Cake
- Eggnog Pound Cake
- Easy Coffee Cake – Cinnamon Streusel Cake
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Cake
- Lemon blueberry pound cake
Gluten-free
- GF Cashew Butter Chocolate Marble Cake.
- Gluten-free Cinnamon Roll Bread yeast-free.
- GF Carrot Banana Bread – Also grain-free.
- Sweet Potato Crumb Cake. GF
How to make Vegan spice cake with step pictures
Tips to bake a Moist Vegan Cake
- Volume wet ingredients such as applesauce, pumpkin puree etc make amazing moist cakes. They also can tend to add more invisible moisture to the batter which can lead to gummy cakes. The batter will feel somewhat stiff because of these purees, but it still might need more dry to have the right amount to absorb the moisture and bake a fluffy cake. When in doubt add a bit more flour. See video for reference on how thick the batter should be.
- This ratio is more of a problem when baking a loaf than if you bake the batter into muffins or a less height cake pan. If baking a loaf, you want the batter much more stiff. Add more flour until there is good resistance.
- If your cakes are drying out too much, they might need less baking time or need to cool under a thick kitchen towel. Thick frosting layer will help return moisture to the bake as it chills.
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, Then add the wet ingredients and mix well. Use room temperature applesauce. You want slightly thick batter close to a muffin like batter than a float vanilla cake. Bake then cool for 20 minutes or so then add a frosting
Vegan Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Vegan Spice Cake. 1 Bowl Super Moist Spiced Applesaucec Cake with tons of winter spice flavor and Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. Vegan Nutfree Recipe. Glutenfree option
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon flax seed meal
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1.5 - 1.75 cups of flour, , (I use 3/4 cup spelt/whole wheat and 3/4 cup or more all purpose), see Notes for glutenfree
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, , or coconut sugar. (2 tbsp more for sweeter)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/3 cup chopped dates, or other dried fruit or cranberries
- 3/4 cup room temperature applesauce, ( I use lightly sweetened)
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 tsp vanilla, , optional
- 1/3 cup grated apple or carrot or zucchini, , optional - Grate, lightly squeeze in a paper towel to remove exess moisture before using
Instructions
- Grease or line a cake pan or brownie pan(8 by 8 inch). Preheat the oven to 360 F (185 C)
- Mix the flax seed meal with water and set aside. In a large bowl combine 1.5 cups of flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg. Whisk well. Fold in the dates.
- Add the applesauce, flax seed mix, oil and vanilla if using. Mix to just about combine into a slightly stiff mixture. (Mix in grated apple if using). If batter is not stiff add flour 1 to 2 tbsp at a time and mix it. Transfer the batter in a prepared cake pan and spread it using a spatula.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick from the enter comes out clean.( 20-22 mins for muffins, 45 to 50 mins for a loaf).
- Cool the cake for 5 mins and then remove from the pan. Mix a tablespoon of maple syrup with 1 tsp of water and brush it all over the cake. Frost with frosting of choice once the cake is cooled.
- Optional Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting: Mix 6 oz vegan cream cheese(store bought or homemade, see homemade option in notes), a good pinch of salt and 1/4 cup maple syrup until smooth. Taste and adjust flavor, sweet with a tbsp of sugar if needed.
- To Store: Just the cake can be stored in a covered container on the counter for upto 2 days. With the frosting, it needs to be refrigerated if not getting consumed in a couple of hours. Refrigerate them separately for upto 4 days.
Video
Notes
Gluten-free: To make this gluten-free, Mix 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/4 oat flour(or other glutenfree flour), 1 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup potato starch. Use 1 1/2 cup of the flour and add more as needed and bake into brownie pan or cupcakes.
Oil-free: Use 2 tbsp non dairy milk and 1 tbsp applesauce.
Maple Syrup: If using maple syrup or date syrup instead of sugar, use 1/3 cup maple syrup and reduce applesauce to 1/2 cup.
Homemade Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese: Blend 1/2 cup cashews (that have been soaked for an hour then drained), 1 teaspoon or more lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt with a few tbsp of water until creamy.
Nutrition is for 1 piece
Nutrition
Calories: 194kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g, Sodium: 169mg, Potassium: 174mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 5IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 1.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!
How long will this keep for? And, does it need to be refrigerated? Thank you!
Just the cake will be fine outside in a covered container for upto 2 days. with the frosting, it needs to be refrigerated if not getting consumed in a couple of hours. You can refrigerate them separately for upto 4 days
For the second time in three weeks, one of your recipes popped into my Facebook feed at the exact time I needed it!
I make a spice cake for my husband’s birthday every year, but the recipe I’d been using had more sugar and more oil then I like to use. Your recipe is perfect. We like it so much that I’m making another one to take to a holiday gathering this week.
My frosting was more like a glaze, but it really added to the cake.
I posted the photo on Instagram (@lakevillaguatemala).
awesome!! the thickness would depend on the cream cheese consistency. You can chill it for a bit to thicken and then spread it.
The cream cheese was homemade, per the recipe. It chilled overnight, but was still quite thin.
ah yes the cashew version is thinner. you can use less water to blend for thicker.
If I sub date syrup for the sugar would that work?
yes, add a bit less applesauce depending onthe date syrup amount
Richa, I am just loving all your recipes! Love all the options and substitutions provided. If I were to make these into cupcakes what temperature for oven and approximately how long to bake?
360° (which is unusual, but it’s in step 1 to preheat the oven to that temp). You never want to put a cake into a cold oven, a preheated oven helps the leavening.
20 to 22 mins at 360 F. Same as muffins as mentioned. Check at 20 mins with a toothpick from the center
Can I use maple syrup in place of sugar?
yes, reduce applesauce to 1/2 cup
This looks simple and yummy! So there’s no sugar in the Cream Cheese frosting? Is it sweet?
1/4 cup maple syrup adds enough sweetness.you can taste and add a few tbsp powdered sugar for sweeter frosting.
Thanks! I overlooked that ingredient 😉
i was wondering the same thing, it looked like the cashew cream was only with soaked cashews and lemon juice… i was like hm – not sure how that will taste on the cake 🙂
the cream cheese is not sweet, but the frosting is sweet with the maple syrup 🙂 i’ll bold the frosting so its clearer
Can I use anything else in exchange for potato starch for gluten free version? I’ve got tapioca starch and rice starch.
tapioca should work.
what are the dimensions of the pan?
8 by 8 inch
Amazing recipes!
I too was wondering if I could up the applesauce or something to replace the oil…
-Thanks
1 tbsp applesauce and 2 tbsp non dairy milk or yogurt instead of the oil
What can zi substitute for the oil?
I am wondering the same thing. One substitution I have noted is prune puree as an oil replacer in a recipe: If the recipe calls for 1 cup of oil, use 1/2 cup of the puree. I have made this:
Combine 1 cup prunes and 2/3 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until very soft, about 10 minutes.
Carefully transfer prune mixture to a food processor and purée until smooth.
The purée will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I think the puree would compliment this spice cake too. Maybe someone else can give us their ideas.
i just added the oilfree option in the notes.
2 tbsp non dairy milk and 1 tbsp more apple sauce will work
Thanks.
Applesauce,any idea to make it by own?im not sure where to get this in my country.
its just cooked apples that have been mashed/blended. You can chop and cook them and then mash or blend into a thick puree and then cook for 15 mins or so to thicken https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/quick-homemade-applesauce-no-sugar-added-201473