Whole Grain Apple Cake

This wholesome Whole Grain Apple Cake is packed with spelt flour and maple syrup for flavor and extra nutrition. A layer of cinnamon-infused apples makes this recipe stand out!

Whole Grain Apple Cake Recipe

This whole grain apple cake is a classic! To help a bit in the health department I swapped in whole grain flours, reduced the sugar, used some maple syrup, and subbed half the butter for applesauce. In an apple cake, already plummy and rich with apples, applesauce makes sense from a flavor perspective and you can cut down a bit on the butter.

Same goes for the sugar: the original recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar, which has made me quake every time I’ve made it. Using a combination of brown sugar and maple syrup, which is sweet enough that you need less of it, as well as relying upon the natural sweetness of the apples in the sauce and sprinkled throughout the batter, helps with this.

What You’ll Need to Make Whole Grain Apple Cake

See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.

• Apples: Apples make the cake! You could also use pears or a combination.
• Honey: To bring a hint of natural sweetness.
• Ground Spices: Cardamom and cinnamon.
• Butter: For richness and depth of flavor.
• Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce.
• Brown Sugar: For a deep flavor note.
• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup brings flavor and natural sweetness to this cake.
• Eggs
• Whole Grain Flour: You can use whole grain flour or whole grain pastry flour interchangeably.
• Spelt Flour: You’ll find spelt flour readily available in most supermarkets.
• Baking Powder
• Salt: Use fine grain sea salt or table salt.
• Apple Juice
• Pure Vanilla Extract

How to Make Whole Grain Apple Cake

• Prepare the pan. Heat oven to 350℉. Grease and flour a tube pan or a springform cake pan.
• Mix the apples. Chop the apples into rough chunks about ¼-inch across. Put in a small bowl and drizzle with the honey, ground cardamom, and ground cinnamon.
• Cream the butter. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup, beating well until they are incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well to combine.
• Whisk the flours. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour and spelt flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to the butter-sugar-syrup-egg mixture and beat well to combine.
• Add the apple juice. Add the juice and vanilla, and continue beating until a smooth batter forms.
• Pour into the pan. Pour about a third of the batter into the prepared pan. Layer with one-half of the apples. Repeat for one more layer, finishing with the batter.
• Bake the cake. Place in oven and bake for about 1 ½ hours until lightly browned and a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Cool the cake. Remove from oven and let cool in pan on a rack for 20 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.

Substitution Options

It’s easy to make substitutions! Here’s how:

• For the whole wheat pastry and spelt flours – You can use all-purpose flour or a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose.
• For the maple syrup – Substitute brown sugar.
• To make dairy-free – Swap melted coconut oil for the butter.

Storage Options

Store the cake, tightly wrapped, in the fridge for up to 5 days.