Juicy cinnamon apples, fluffy cake and crunchy hemp seed crumble make this vegan, gluten-free apple cake irresistible!

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I can never resist a fragrant, cinnamon-spiced apple cake hot out of the oven. I hadn't had one in a long while, but with plenty of apples on hand, I decided it was the perfect day for baking. This time, I wanted to try my luck with a gluten-free version, and I was super excited when the dough turned out beautifully!
Don't expect the usual golden crumble topping, though! The recipe calls for brown rice flour, which gives the crumble topping a darker color and rustic look - but that's part of its charm.
A Gluten-Free Apple Crumble Cake That Actually Works
Gluten-free baking can be tricky (I've had my share of fails!), but a few special ingredients make all the difference. Rice flour, starch, and a little xanthan gum give this cake its soft, fluffy texture. They might not be pantry staples yet, but if you bake gluten-free more often, they're worth having on hand.
The Secret to the Perfect Apple Crumble Topping
I use stevia powder alongside coconut sugar to sweeten the cake. If you don't have stevia, you can experiment with using regular sugar instead.
The apples are the real stars, though: a generous layer of sweet, tender apple slices with warming cinnamon. They become wonderfully juicy as they bake and pair perfectly with the soft cake base.
And finally, everything is topped with crunchy crumbles featuring a special ingredient: coarsely ground whole hemp seeds! Yes, the whole seeds. They add a lovely nutty crunch and bring extra nutrients (and fiber, yeah).
Bottom line: Just my cup of tea - I mean, my piece of cake!
🍽 Recipe
Gluten-Free Apple Crumble Cake with Hemp Seed Streusel
Equipment
- Cake tin or springform pan (26 cm / 10 inches)
- A grinder to grind the whole hemp seeds
Ingredients
Filling
- 1,5 kg apples
- 1 tabelspoon lemon juice
- 1 tabelspoon cinnamon
Dough
- 250 g brown rice flour
- 130 g starch e.g., cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 1,5 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons stevia powder
- 1 teaspoons vanilla powder
- 200 g coconut sugar
- 100 g apple sauce
- 150 ml rapeseed oil or any other neutral oil
- 50 ml water
Crumbles
- 50 g whole hemp seeds
Instructions
- Peel the apples, remove the cores and cut the apples into thin slices. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
- Mix all the dry dough ingredients. Add apple sauce, rapeseed oil and water to the dry ingredients and knead the dough well.
- Line the cake tin with baking parchment and layer it with two-thirds of the dough. Make sure to pat some dough up the sides.
- Distribute the apples slices evenly on the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Coarsely grind the whole hemp seeds and mix up with the remaining dough to make the crumble topping. Sprinkle over apples in small chunks until completely covered.
- Bake on the middle rack of a fan-assisted oven at 160°C (320°F) for 40-45 minutes. Check the cake after 20 minutes. If the topping gets too dark, move the cake to a lower rack and continue baking until done.
Notes

More Vegan Cakes & Fruity Muffin Recipes
If vegan cakes are up your alley, you might also enjoy these recipes:
- Gluten-Free Rhubarb Cake With Polenta
- Mocha Coffee Cake With Dalgona Frosting
- Raspberry Muffins With Hazelnuts
- Romanian Pear & Walnut Cake
- Ginger Muffins With Pears & Chocolate
- Apple & Quinces Crumble
Enjoy,
Ramona
♥







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