This healthy apple cake is made with five ingredients: ground almonds, eggs, fat free Greek yogurt, sweetener and one apple. It’s a flourless apple cake, naturally gluten free, has no added sugar and comes in at 96 calories a slice, with a soft, custardy middle and a fan of golden apple on top.
I made this cake for the first time over three years ago, with one lonely apple in the fruit bowl, and it has been my go to apple cake ever since. Not because I’m lazy (ok, partly), but because nothing has beaten it. No flour, no butter, no mixer, no baking skills needed. You stir, you pour, you fan a few apple slices on top and the oven does the rest.
It also covers a lot of dietary restrictions in one go, which makes it my favourite thing to bake when friends come over and I’ve lost track of who’s avoiding what.
- A gluten free apple cake with five ingredients
- 96 calories and 5.6g protein a slice, with no added sugar
- A cake that works with a morning coffee or an afternoon tea
Key ingredients
Ground almonds do the job flour normally would, giving structure and a soft, slightly nutty crumb, which makes this an almond flour apple cake at heart; don’t swap in coconut flour, it drinks up the liquid and turns the cake dry.
Fat free Greek yogurt keeps it moist and adds protein, so it’s technically a yogurt apple cake too (or yoghurt, if you’re British like me); a thick Greek style holds together better than runny plain yoghurt.
Eggs bind everything and give that custardy, almost clafoutis style middle.
Apple, thinly sliced with the skin on, half folded into the batter and half fanned on top; a slightly tart eating apple like Pink Lady or Braeburn gives the best contrast.
Granulated sweetener keeps this a no sugar apple cake in the added sugar sense; 2 tbsp honey or maple works too and adds about 20 calories a slice.
A note from your nutrition coach
Most healthy apple cake recipes still lean on oat flour or a cup of sugar to hold together. This apple cake with almond flour gets its structure from eggs and almonds instead, so each slice brings protein and fat that can help keep you fuller than a typical sponge. Almonds are calorie dense, though, so the slice size matters more here than the ingredient list: cut it into six and it sits nicely next to a coffee as a breakfast or snack. It’s a cake, not a meal replacement, and that’s completely fine.
If you’re in an apple mood, try my Rice Paper Apple Danish or my Crispy Apple Spring Rolls, or browse all my dessert recipes for more lighter bakes.
Enjoy it with a cuppa,
Alex 🙂
Healthy Apple Cake (Flourless, Almond Flour, Gluten Free)
A healthy apple cake with no flour, no butter and no added sugar, just almond flour, eggs, Greek yogurt and a fan of thin apple slices. Soft and custardy in the middle, golden on top, and only 96 calories a slice, so it's an easy almond flour apple cake you can bake on a weeknight.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly grease an 18 to 20cm round tin or silicone mould. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, Greek yogurt and sweetener, then stir in the ground almonds until you have a thick, smooth batter.
-
Thinly slice the apple with the skin on, about 2 to 3mm thick. Fold roughly half of the slices into the almond flour batter.
-
Pour the batter into the tin and spread it level.
-
Fan the remaining apple slices over the top in a circle, pressing them in lightly.
-
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the middle is set and the edges are golden. A skewer in the centre should come out clean.
-
Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing into 6. It firms up as it cools, so don't rush it.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 ServingCalories:96kcalTotal Fat:6.2gSaturated Fat: 0.8gSodium:30mgTotal Carbohydrate:4.1gDietary Fiber: 1.1gSugars: 3.9gProtein:5.6g
Note
- Gluten free: every ingredient is naturally gluten free. If baking for someone with coeliac disease, check your ground almonds for a "may contain" warning.
- Allergens: tree nuts (almonds), egg and milk.
- Sweetener: honey or maple syrup both work (about +20 kcal a slice), but the cake is then no longer no added sugar.
- Easier version: finely chop the apple and stir it all through the batter instead of fanning it on top, which is how I first made it.
- Slice thin: 2 to 3mm apple slices bake soft and jammy, thicker ones stay crunchy.
- Storage: covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Lovely cold or at room temperature.
- Almond meal (with skins) works in place of blanched ground almonds; the crumb is just a little darker and coarser.
