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easy low carb apple cake that actually tastes like the real thing

bars, cakes and cupcakes, desserts, gluten-free, keto, low calorie, low-carb, low-sugar

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Low carb apple cake will give you all the pleasures of eating cake without the heavy, dense feeling.

This soft and tender low carb apple cake, similar to Jewish apple cake, is packed with market-fresh apples and coated with warm, sweetened cinnamon. Perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert.

apple cake with caramel

how to make low carb apple cake

apples

You can use any combination of apples you like. I enjoy using a variety of apples. You could use apples that are more sweet like Honey crisp or Fuji or those that are more tart like Granny smith, Pink Lady, Braeburn, McIntosh, Jonathan, Empire, and Cortland.

Start by peeling and slicing the apples. Place them in a bowl with cinnamon and lemon juice. Combine so all apples are coated.

low carb apple cake on platter

low carb apple cake with almond flour

Next, prepare the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. For the flours, I used almond flour and coconut flour. My favorite brands are Bob’s Red Mill or Anthony’s almond flour because they are very fine. Often I combine almond flour with coconut flour because the former is more dense and full of moisture while coconut flour is lighter and sucks up moisture. It’s the perfect flour marriage. You can purchase Bob’s Red Mill flours at any store however I think it’s less expensive to get the 5-pound bag of Bob’s or Anthony’s from Amazon.

sweetener

For the sweetener, I used xylitol because it is great in cakes, keeping them moist and fluffy. You can use a erythritol like Swerve or Lakanto as well. Lastly, you can use allulose however you should add more to taste because it’s not as sweet as the xylitol or erythritol blends.

I like xylitol because it contains 40% fewer calories than sugar, plus it doesn’t spike your blood sugar levels.

overhead of apple cake on plate with caramel

To make this, add all dry ingredients, except the sweetener, to a bowl and put aside. Next, cream the butter (or ghee) and sweetener using the paddle extension for 3 minutes on high in your stand mixer (or use a hand mixer). Creaming it for this long gets it light and fluffy.

Turn the mixer down to medium-high and add the eggs, one at a time, until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla. Add half of the lemon juice, then the dry mixture, and then the remaining lemon juice.

Fold in the apples with a spatula.

Place batter in pan and cook for about 35 minutes (until toothpick comes out clear).

can you freeze low carb apple cake?

Yes, to freeze apple cake, let it cool completely. Wrap in two layers of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil or place in a zip top freezer bag. Apple Cake can stay in the freezer for 12 months and can be thawed and served at room temperature.

how long will low carb apple cake keep?

Apple cake will stay fresh, tightly wrapped, for 3-4 days.

close angle of apple cake on platter

other low carb recipes you’ll enjoy:

low carb ebook on tablet with 2 pages

what if you could…

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Life can still be sweet without refined sugar! Whether you need to lose weight, reduce your carb intake due to medical issues, or are simply looking for healthy recipes the entire family can enjoy, we’ve got just the guide to get you started!

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easy low carb apple cake that actually tastes like the real thing
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easy low carb apple cake that actually tastes like the real thing

4 from 54 votes
Recipe by Karen Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

35

minutes
Calories

244

kcal

Everything you love about fall in one recipe! Enjoy the warmth of the cinnamon, the sweetness of the apples, and slight hints of lemon. Low carb, grain and sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup (140 g) blanched almond flour

  • 1/4 cup (24 g) coconut flour

  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda

  • 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

  • 1/2 tsp. sea or kosher salt

  • 1 tsp. baking powder

  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

  • 3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin

  • 1/4 cup (56g) butter or ghee, room temp.

  • 1/2 cup xylitol or Swerve powdered*

  • 1/4 cup juice from lemon (about 1 and 1/2 lemons)

  • 4 eggs, room temp

  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

  • Caramel sauce drizzle (optional and so good!)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch bundt pan with oil (well)
  • In a small bowl, add almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Put aside.
  • In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, add the room temperature butter and sweetener (xylitol or Swerve). Beat on high for 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy.
  • Turn the mixer to medium high and add 1 egg at a time, making sure it’s incorporated into the batter before adding the next. When all eggs are added, add the vanilla.
  • Add half of the lemon juice. Add the dry mixture to the bowl, mix and then add the remaining lemon juice.
  • Fold in the apples with a spatula. Batter should be light and airy. Add to the bundt pan and spread to even out the top.
  • Bake for 35 minutes until edges are slightly brown and toothpick comes out clean.
  • Place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take the cake out of the pan by placing the cooling rack over the pan and flipping it over.

Notes

  • Substitute Lakanto granular or baking sweetener for Swerve or xylitol. Also, you can substitute allulose for xylitol but add more to taste because it’s not as sweet as xylitol.
  • Be careful using xylitol if you have pups because it is toxic for them.

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Nutrition Facts

8 servings per container

  • Amount Per ServingCalories244
  • % Daily Value *
  • Total Fat 11.8g 19%
    • Total Carbohydrate 16.8g 6%
      • Dietary Fiber 4.1g 17%
      • Sugars 8.8g
    • Protein 6.7g 14%

      * The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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      Comments

      1. Loretta Spann says

        I made this cake this afternoon. It turned out delicious. I had to substitute the coconut flour. I used the Almond flour with flaxseed meal and a little cassava flour. I also used coconut sugar. I am at my daughter’s house so I don’t have my usual ingredients. Thank you so much for sharing this yummy cake!

        Reply

      2. Dee says

        Hi! My husband is on low carb diet and there’s something about the Fall Season looming that triggers my craving for old fashioned Apple Kuchen. I found your recipe by accident and since I had 4 Pink Lady Apples in fridge, went to work to try out your recipe. Well, I must say it did not disappoint. Moist and delicious, and you’re right, it tastes like the real thing! I followed the recipe as written, just added some chopped pecans and sprinkled with Swerve Icing Sugar. Great recipe. Hubby loved it! Will be making again & again. Thank you!

        Reply

      4. J. says

        Thank you for the link! I just wanted to also clarify what do with the apples once they’ve been peeled: You’ve wrote in the description BEFORE the recipe: “Start by peeling and slicing the apples. Place them in a bowl with cinnamon and lemon juice.” But in the instruction in the recipe itself, it doesn’t mention anything about coating the apples with cinnamon & lemon first…So I’m not sure which instruction to follow ? Also when cutting the apples, should I slice the apples legthwise then slice them again in half also (horizontally)?

        Reply

        • Karen says

          Hi, sorry for the confusion. Follow the actual recipe. I need to remove that paragraph in the post- it was the older version of the recipe. Also, with the apples, I cut the apple into 4 quarters, lengthwise and then slice up width wise because it makes slightly smaller pieces. You could do it either way, though. Let me know how it goes!!

          Reply

          • J. says

            I made the cake as instructed & it was delcious! The lemon juice in the cake was brilliant- it was subtle, yet gave the cake depth of flavor. I’ve ended up cutting the apples lengthwise only, but next time will try your advice & slice them width-wise as well. Thank you for the great recipe!

            Reply

      7. Holly Prince says

        So yummy. I did use sugar free apple pie filling instead of apples and I used pumpkin pie spice. I also through in a few walnuts, but it was so good.

        Reply

        • Karen says

          You can use either. I like the look of the bundt pan but just grease it really well (especially along the middle). If you use a square pan, it may need a little more time in the oven.

          Reply

      10. Lindsay says

        We picked apples yesterday and made this cake today. My five year old says this is the goodest cake she has ever had. High praise!

        Reply

        • Karen says

          Hi Barbara I’ve never swapped it directly so I can’t say for sure. Here’s an article I found that talks about subbing it. Looks like you would need more flour. If you try this, I’d love to know how it turns out so I can update the post to let others know!

          Reply

        • Karen says

          That should be fine! I haven’t tried it with this recipe but typically I’m able to swap Swerve easily with coconut sugar! Lmk how it goes!

          Reply

      14. Tanya says

        Could you sub coconut flour for this recipe? Any suggestions on how much would be equivalent to the almond flour? Thanks

        Reply

        • Karen says

          Hi Tanya,
          Coconut flour soaks up a lot more liquid than almond flour so you’ll need to compensate for that. The general rule is substitute 1 cup of almond flour with 1/4 cup of coconut flour, and add one egg for every 1/4 cup of coconut flour used in addition to the eggs called for in the original recipe. I’ve never tried this so it may be risky but if you do try it, lmk how it goes!

          Reply

      15. Angela says

        Omg soo good! Easy to make and delicious, I’m going to try this again and add some crushed walnuts.

        Reply

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