Sugar Free Apple Cake
You may have noticed we’ve been a little light on recipes on Raising Sugar Free Kids the last few weeks. My beautiful sister got married a few weeks ago, and in my eagerness to do well as a bridesmaid and the official wedding cake baker and decorator, I totally forgot I had even brought a camera with me, and sadly left it in my father’s car when we headed home! But I have been reunited with my beloved DSLR and am going straight back into recipes with a cake. One that has been in the back of my mind for a while, but was kicked to the forefront by my daughter, who is making life seem way too fast by turning three next week! We had a family celebration for her, and when I asked her what cake she wanted, her immediate response was: “apple“. There is nothing in the world that kid loves more than an apple. Seriously, I think it goes: Apple. Daddy. Mummy. Yep, she’s a daddy’s girl, but even he couldn’t beat an apple! So apple cake it was, and there was really only one I could make…
When he was little, my husband used to go skiing with his extended family annually. They would stay in a local hotel in Italy, ski as much as they would let him, and soak in the eccentric hilarity that is Italian mountain life. There is one hotel in particular that they frequented and came to love, largely because of one man: Gigi. Now, I never met Gigi, but the family stories make me feel like I have. A larger-than-life, gregarious character, he is remembered in the family for his stories and eccentricities, but also for one other thing: his apple cake. A delicious, sweet, moist apple cake that was hard to describe.
I discovered these stories by accident when I once made an apple cake for my husband, unaware of Gigi, only to be told that I had somehow re-created this classic cake. I have made it many times since, and somewhere in the eating, laughing and story-telling, it has become “Gigi’s cake”. And I get it. I get why Gigi is remembered for the cake. Because guys, this is too good not to share. It’s light, moist, soft, fluffy and just plain delightful. It may not be quite as exciting as a skiing trip to Italy full of loud, fun characters, but serve yourself up a big slice with an espresso and sit in the sunshine with your eyes shut, and you may just feel like it!
And if birthdays and parties are a problem for you and you would like some help getting on top of low sugar parties and celebrations, why not check out my 7-day Party Survival e-course? It’s on sale right now, so make the most of a half price deal!
This delicious cake is inspired by an Italian dessert. Sugar free and packed with fibre-rich and dental-protecting apples, this moist and yummy cake will wow everybody.
- 3 apples, cored + chopped into small bite-size cubes (no need to peel unless you want to)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp xylitol (or use 1-2 tbsp sugar for a low sugar cake, or try without for sweeter apples!)
- 1 tbsp flour
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 175 g (1 1/4 cups) flour (a mix of wholemeal and plain is best)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- decent pinch of salt
- 150 g (3/4 cup) xylitol (*it's easy to halve this, and I've even heard of someone leaving it and the syrup out completely and adding in a little milk - about 150-200ml - for moisture instead --> you could use a little applesauce in place of milk for added sweetness)
- 120 g (1 cup) coconut oil, melted (you could replace with melted butter if you wish)
- 2 tbsp rice/maple syrup or honey, optional
- 1 tsp sugar free vanilla extract
- 2 medium eggs
- large handful chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Grease and line a 23cm (9 inch) cake tin. In a bowl, mix the chopped apples with the cinnamon, 2 tbsp xylitol and 1 tbsp flour. Squeeze the lemon juice over it all and set aside.
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In a separate large bowl, mix the flour and baking powder with the salt and xylitol. Stir in the melted coconut oil, rice syrup and vanilla extract. Mix in the eggs and stir until combined. Stir through 2/3 of the apple pieces and finally, add the chopped nuts. Mix until just combined and pour into the cake tin. Top with the last of the apples. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. If at any point it starts to catch on the top, cover with foil for the rest of the baking time.
