Photography by Mendy Waits

Betsy Thorleifson of Nine Cakes shares one of her favorite plant-based recipes for a warm winter treat.

“I love working with my team to make everything extra delicious, develop recipes, and share ideas,” says Betsy Thorleifson, owner and head baker at Nine Cakes. “We also share our favorite recipes with one another. This one comes from my production manager, Emily Butler. She helped me open Nine Cakes here in Hudson, New York. When customers started asking for vegan cake options, Emily offered one of her favorite recipes. Her vegan apple cake was an instant hit and is delicious anytime of day!" 

Perfect as a winter dessert but also great with coffee at brunch, "this cake is comfort food at its finest," notes Thorleifson. "And I’m always a fan of more plant-based recipes that are truly delicious."

This cake is comfort food at its finest, and I’m always a fan of more plant-based recipes that are truly delicious.

Nine Cakes’ Vegan Apple Cake

Makes 1 single layer 8” cake; serves 6-8

Cake

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 ½ cups brown sugar

1 ½ tsp baking soda 

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 cup non-dairy milk of your choice

1 tbsp lemon juice

⅓ cup EVOO/vegetable oil of your choice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 

2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

1 large apple; peeled, cored, and chopped into approx. 1” chunks

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

½ cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp plant based butter

For the cake batter you’ll need two bowls - one for the wet ingredients, one for the dry ingredients. In the first bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and lemon juice, let sit for 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened or curdled. In a second bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the non-dairy milk and lemon juice and stir to combine. Add the chopped apples to the dry ingredients and stir to coat the apples. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined, careful not to overmix.

Spread into a greased 8” cake pan.

For the streusel topping - combine the plant-based butter, cinnamon and sugar. Mix with your fingers or a fork into a crumbled texture, sprinkle on top of cake batter.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

ENJOY!