This gluten free apple cake is a deliciously light and fluffy apple cake that is quick and easy to make. It has been on my list of things to make for a while now. Luckily for me, Remedy Kombucha asked me to develop this recipe, so here we are. A low lactose and gluten free apple cake without xanthan gum.

An aerial sunlit image of a gluten free apple cake on a wire cooling rack atop a white marble table. The cake is golden brown and topped with extra apple slices and sliced almonds. It is surrounded by green apples and a sunlit glass of water

Gluten free apple cake without xanthan gum

Name: Gluten free apple cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 160 g (1 cup) fine white rice flour; 30 g (1/4 cup) tapioca flour; 50 g (1/2 cup) almond meal (see notes); 5 g (1 1/4 teaspoon) baking powder; Zest of 1 lemon (optional); 1/4 teaspoon (1g) fine salt; 60ml (1/4 cup)* oil; 50 g room temperature butter (salted or unsalted); 2 extra large eggs (45-55g each, weighed out of shell); 100 g light brown sugar; 75 g caster sugar (or all caster sugar); 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional); 125ml (1/2 cup)* milk of choice or kombucha; 1 Granny Smith apple (very finely sliced and chopped into small rectangle pieces (reserve a few slices for garnish)); Flaked almonds (for garnish (optional))

This apple cake is xanthan gum free and has a nut free option. It is low lactose, and can be lactose free, too. I have tested the cake with varying amounts of apples to account for different preferences and dietary needs.

The cake uses a simple mix of white rice flour, tapioca flour and almond meal as the flour mix. It can also be made without the almond meal, for a nut free option.

White sugar and light brown sugar work together to create a full flavoured and nuanced sweetness which contrasts against the tart apples.

Similarly, butter and oil work together to bring the best of both worlds to this gluten free apple cake. Butter brings the flavour and creamy mouthfeel, while oil brings the longer lasting moistness and soft crumb.

A sunlit view of the ingredients used for a gluten free apple cake in small white ceramic bowls atop a white marble table. The ingredients are surrounded by apples and sunlit water glasses sit to the left of the image

FODMAP notes for your gluten free apple cake

I wanted to get this out of the way before we dive in. No, apples are not low FODMAP. No, this is not an explicitly low FODMAP recipe. I have been broadening the remit of my recipes for a while. I want to develop recipes that help as many people as possible, and not everybody is or needs to be low FODMAP.

If you are here to write a comment and say ‘THiS iSnT lOw FoDmAp’ – firstly, read on. Secondly, if apple really doesn’t work for you in any capacity, may I direct you to some of my low FODMAP cake recipes? This olive oil cake or my chocolate cake, for example.

It might surprise you that this gluten free apple cake can indeed be FODMAP aware. A medium Granny Smith apple weighs around 150g once the core and tough parts are removed. As of May 2024, Monash states that Granny Smith apple is low FODMAP in 25g serves. This cake serves 8-10, meaning each slice has an average of around 15-18g of apple. This puts the apple within a FODMAP appropriate serve.

Of course, if apples or fructose and sorbitol give you no issues, you can add as many as you like. More on that below.

An aerial view of a gluten free apple cake on a white speckled ceramic plate atop a white marble table. The cake is golden brown and topped with slices of apple, sliced almonds and icing sugar

Which sort of apples should I add and how many?

I have tested this cake with Granny Smith apples. I like their tartness, and I think they play off nicely with the sweetness of the cake. A sweeter variety might make the cake too sweet.

In terms of how many apples to add, I have tested the cake with 1, 2 and 3 medium apples. This equated to 150g (1 apple) 300g (2 apples) or 435g (3 apples). All worked well. I would say that cakes with more apples really need to cool almost fully before slicing, and closer to 50 minutes to cook. I recommend covering the cake with foil after about 30-40 minutes so the top doesn’t brown excessively. I also recommend using a sharp knife with small serrations to cut through the slices of cake, as it’s better as slicing the apple without dragging it.

Difficulty slicing brings us to our next topic: apple skins. I like to leave the skins on, mostly because I am lazy. Thinly slicing three apples is enough work for me. However, the skins are generally what make the cake harder to slice. Do with that information what you will.

I haven’t tried it yet, but grating some of the apple might also work nicely. The post will be updated if I give this a go.

An aerial image of the slices of apple used for a gluten free apple cake. The slices sit in a white bowl on a white marble table.

Tips for your gluten free apple cake

Using a cake pan significantly larger or small than the one the recipe specifies (20cm or 8 inches) usually spells trouble. Larger cake pans result in a thinner cake that is more likely to be dry and burnt. Smaller cake pans generally result in a cake that takes longer to cook in the middle and ends up with a raw centre but a browned outside. I advise against it – 20cm cake pans are available at the supermarket here in Australia. I always use 20cm, so if you use my recipes often you will get good use out of it.

Slice the apple really really finely. This will ensure the cake bakes evenly around the apple and it’s not too difficult to slice. A mandolin helps here, if you have one. If not, take your time and save yourself the headache later.

The more apple you add, the longer you might need to cook your cake. Keep that in mind. I found a cake with 3 apples (435g) needed an hour or even a little longer (some of that time topped with foil to prevent over browning).

Allow the cake to cool fully and slice with a small serrated knife for even slices. I found that slicing the cake too early made for a crumbly end result.

If you choose the nut free option, use 80ml (1/3 Australian cup) oil instead of 60ml (1/4 Australian cup). This will replace the fat from the almond meal.

A little bit of cinnamon or nutmeg would be lovely in this cake.

An aerial image of a gluten free apple cake on a white speckled ceramic plate. The cake sits on a light stone backdrop and a slice has been taken from the left side. It is topped with sliced apple, a sprinkle of crushed pistachio and icing sugar

Substitution notes

For a nut free option, use 25g rice flour and 25g tapioca in place of the almond meal. Use 80ml (1/3 Australian cup) oil instead of 60ml (1/4 Australian cup) and omit the optional almond topping. Make sure you use a non-nut containing milk too.

For a lactose free option, use a good quality plant based butter and a plant milk.

If you don’t have access to kombucha, use a milk of choice in it’s place.

More gluten free dessert recipes