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Home » Blog » Recipes » Apple Bundt Cake (Paleo, Gluten Free)

Apple Bundt Cake (Paleo, Gluten Free)

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This tender and delicious apple bundt cake is made with almond and cassava flour, but even your pickiest eaters won’t ever suspect that it’s totally grain free, gluten free, and paleo-friendly!
An overhead shot of apple Bundt Cake and three slices on white plates. There is a red banner that says that it is paleo, gluten-free, and grain-free.

This showstopper of a cake is super simple to throw together, especially if you have an abundance of apples. Better yet, my paleo version tastes like a “real” gluten-packed bundt cake, with a moist and tender crumb dotted with apples and infused with cinnamon.

Paleo and gluten-free apple bundt cake!

When autumn rolls around, I start dreaming about uncomplicated apple and cinnamon infused treats, and this paleo cake made with almond and cassava flour hits the spot!

A shot of three slices of apple Bundt Cake on white plates with forks, next to the cake.

I modified my Berry Snack Cake recipe to create this fall-inspired paleo dessert that’s pretty enough for company. Although I prefer using lactose-free ghee in this recipe, softened coconut oil or palm shortening also works great if you prefer a dairy-free version.

What are the best apples for baking?

To make sure the apple slices don’t dissolve completely into the baked apple bundt cake batter, choose an apple variety that holds its shape during the baking process. Some of the best baking apples are Granny Smith, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Mutsu, Braeburn, and Pink Lady. Feel free to mix and match the varieties, too!

Can you substitute other ingredients?

Yes, I know I’ve been baking more paleo desserts lately, but that doesn’t make me a paleo baking expert. I’m not sure if you can use an egg substitute or use another flour in place of almond flour or cassava flour in this apple bundt cake recipe because I haven’t tried out all the different possible permutations. But if you have success with any ingredient substitutions, please let us all know in the comments section below!

Where’s the glaze?

I know most bundt cakes are topped with an icing or glaze, but I think this apple bundt cake tastes perfectly sweet unadorned. It may be an Asian thing where we don’t love super sweet desserts, but give it a try, ’kay?

UPDATE: I have since created an amazing paleo and vegan cream cheese frosting that works perfectly with this apple bundt cake!

An overhead shot of an apple bundt cake with no glaze. The red banner at the bottom says that is is paleo, gluten-free, and grain-free.

How do you store the cake?

You can keep this apple bundt cake in a sealed container at cool room temperature for up to two days. However, because the cake is very moist, I like to store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for a few months. You can thaw the frozen cake overnight in the fridge and take the cake out an hour before serving it to bring to room temperature.

Let’s Make Apple Bundt Cake!

Serves 16

Ingredients

  • 1½ pounds (680.4 grams) apples (Granny Smith, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Mutsu, Braeburn, or Pink Lady), peeled and cored
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • 2 cups (224 grams) finely ground almond flour
  • 1½ cups (192 grams) cassava flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 cup (224 grams) ghee, coconut oil, or palm shortening, softened
  • 1⅓ cups (192 grams) maple sugar or coconut sugar
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • ⅔ cup (158 mL) full-fat canned coconut milk at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Equipment

  • All my favorite tools are listed here, including my favorite mixer and bundt pan.

Method

Heat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle. Lightly grease the sides and bottom of a 10-­inch non-stick bundt pan with some ghee, coconut oil, or avocado oil.

Someone using a paper towel to grease a 10-inch bundt pan with ghee.

Use the large holes of a grater or food processor to shred half of the apples.

An Asian woman grating apples on the large holes of a grater and in a food processor.

Use a sharp knife to thinly chop the other half into small thin rectangles, about the size of your thumbnail.

Slicing apples into thin rectangle slices for apple Bundt Cake.

Place the apples in a large bowl and toss with the apple cider vinegar. Set aside.

Three images that show someone mixing shredded and sliced apples with apple cider vinegar in a clear bowl.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the flours, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

Someone adding a spoonful of baking soda to a bowl filled with the dry ingredients for apple Bundt Cake.

Whisk the dry ingredients together, and set the bowl aside.

Whisking the dry ingredients in a silver mixing bowl for paleo and gluten free apple Bundt Cake

Plop the softened ghee (or coconut oil) and maple sugar (or coconut sugar) in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl if you are using a hand mixer.

Adding ghee and maple sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer.

Use the paddle attachment to blend the mixture on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until lighter in color and fluffy.

An overhead shot of ghee and maple sugar creamed together in a stand mixer. The batter is light yellow and creamy.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, coconut milk, and vanilla.

Three images showing raw eggs, coconut milk, and vanilla being added to the apple Bundt Cake batter in a stand mixing bowl

Beat the mixture on medium speed for 30 seconds or until combined.

An overhead shot that shows what the apple Bundt Cake batter looks like after all the liquid ingredients have been mixed in.

Next, add half the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined.

Two photos that show someone adding half the dry ingredients to the apple Bundt Cake batter and the second image shows it all mixed in.

Slowly add the rest of the flour and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in any dry flour with a spatula.

Two photos of a stand mixer where the rest of the dry ingredients are added and mixed into the apple Bundt Cake batter until uniform.

Carefully fold the apples into the batter.

Two photos showing someone folding in the shredded apples into the apple Bundt Cake batter.

Transfer the batter to the greased bundt pan and smooth the top.

Someone using a black silicone spatula to transfer the apple Bundt Cake batter into a greased bundt pan.

Pop the pan in the oven.

Someone placing a gluten free apple Bundt Cake in the oven.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 70 minutes.

Someone testing if an apple Bundt Cake is ready by sticking a skewer in it.

Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.

Someone using a towel to place a freshly baked apple Bundt Cake on a wire rack to cool in the pan.

Invert the cake on a wire rack and remove the pan.

Inverting the apple Bundt Cake on a wire rack and removing the pan to reveal a golden brown cake.

Cool the apple bundt cake completely, about two hours.

An apple Bundt Cake cooling on a cooling rack after the bundt pan has been removed.

Slice up and enjoy!

An overhead shot of paleo and gluten free apple Bundt Cake surrounded by three plates with cake slices


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

An overhead shot of 3/4 of an apple Bundt Cake on a white plate
Print Recipe
4.80 from 43 votes

Apple Bundt Cake (Paleo, Gluten Free, Grain Free)

This tender and delicious apple bundt cake is made with almond and cassava flour, but even your pickiest eaters won’t ever suspect that it’s totally grain free, gluten free, and paleo-friendly!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Cooling time2 hrs
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple dessert, Dairy-free, fall dessert, gluten-free, grain-free, nom nom paleo, paleo, paleo dessert
Servings: 16
Calories: 345kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

  • 1½ pounds apples peeled and cored. Granny Smith, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Mutsu, Braeburn, and Pink Lady are good baking apple varieties.
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • 2 cups finely ground almond flour
  • 1½ cups cassava flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt 
  • 1 cup ghee softened (or coconut oil or palm shortening)
  • 1⅓ cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • ⅔ cup full-fat coconut milk at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
US Customary - Metric

Instructions 

  • Heat oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle. Lightly grease the sides and bottom of a 10-­inch non-stick bundt pan with some ghee, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
  • Use the large holes of a grater or food processor to shred half of the apples and use a sharp knife to thinly chop the other half into small thin rectangles, about the size of your thumbnail.
  • Place the apples in a bowl and toss with the apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
  • In medium bowl, whisk together flours, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • Plop the softened ghee (or coconut oil) and maple sugar (or coconut sugar) in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl if you are using a hand mixer.
  • Use the paddle attachment to blend the mixture on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until lighter in color and fluffy.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, coconut milk, and vanilla. Beat the mixture on medium speed for 30 seconds or until combined.
  • Next, add half the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Slowly add the rest of the flour and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in any dry flour with a spatula.
  • Carefully fold the apples into the batter with a silione spatula.
  • Transfer the batter to the greased bundt pan and smooth the top.
  • Pop the pan in the oven and bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 70 minutes.
  • Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Invert the cake on a wire rack and cool completely, about two hours. Slice and enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • For the best results, weight out your dry ingredients with a kitchen scale. Hit the metric button to get the gram measurements for dry ingredients.
  • You can keep the apple bundt cake in a sealed container at cool room temperature for up to two days. However, because the cake is very moist, I prefer to store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for a few months. You can thaw the frozen cake overnight in the fridge.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kelly says

    September 22, 2020 at 3:57 pm

    5 stars
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I’m gonna make this cake to celebrate you 😀

    Reply
  2. Rachel McLean says

    September 22, 2020 at 4:21 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect for Fall and great idea to shred half of the apples! I can’t wait to make this!

    Reply
  3. Shawnee says

    September 22, 2020 at 4:43 pm

    Looks delicious. My mom used to make a fresh apple cake for my dad often. I always thought it was so heavy and dense, but this cake looks nice and light. I’m going to give it a try. Thanks for keeping the gf recipes coming!

    Reply
    • Terry says

      December 29, 2021 at 9:33 pm

      Made it this morning! Yum! Didn’t weigh the apples but used 4. For the ghee I used 1/2 cup of organic butter, 1/2 cup coconut oil and 1/3 cup of applesauce organic unsweetened. I used half maple sugar and half coconut sugar organic. I used organic unsweetened almond milk instead of coconut milk. And it was great! Baked it for 70 minutes!

      Reply
  4. Ellen says

    September 23, 2020 at 11:47 pm

    I just made this today and it has been a very good day. I don’t bake a lot so it took me a lot longer to prepare it and it was hard knowing how much 1.5lb of apples really is since I don’t have a food scale. The end result is so amazing!!!! pure-goodness. (also, I only use 1 cute of coconut sugar as it was what I had and it very sweet)

    Reply
  5. Amber says

    September 24, 2020 at 3:54 am

    5 stars
    This was really yummy! I used honey crisp apples and didn’t have a Bundt pan, so instead made 2 loaves. My husband and 2 year old loved it!

    Reply
  6. Tami says

    September 24, 2020 at 9:17 pm

    I cannot wait yo repeat the basic and use rhubarb!!!

    Reply
  7. Larise Charlson says

    September 26, 2020 at 12:53 am

    5 stars
    I made this yesterday and it is so yummy!!! I made it with Granny Smith apples. I wonder if nuts were added if it would make it better. We like it the way it is and it is especially good now that it is officially Fall!!!!

    Reply
  8. Andrea says

    September 26, 2020 at 5:28 pm

    My son has a nut allergy. Can I replace the almond flour with a different type of flower?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      September 26, 2020 at 8:13 pm

      I’m not sure! Some people have used tiger nut flour but I haven’t tried it.

      Reply
    • Kimberly H says

      September 27, 2020 at 11:53 pm

      5 stars
      My son has an almond allergy, I used cashew flour & it came out wonderful. I don’t know if in your situation that helps or not bc it’s still technically a tree nut, even though it’s an apple seed…

      Reply
  9. Helen says

    September 26, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    5 stars
    We made this cake for my birthday this week. So delicious! Thanks Michelle!!

    Reply
  10. Kelly says

    September 27, 2020 at 4:11 am

    5 stars
    Excellent! I didn’t have a Bundt Pam so made it in two loaves. Super moist and delicious. The apples I used were really good which I’m sure makes a difference. I left the peel on the two apples I grated.

    Reply
  11. Amy says

    September 27, 2020 at 8:33 pm

    Hi Michelle, do you think I could use all cassava flour? I have an almond allergy.

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      September 28, 2020 at 2:13 am

      A few folks have said cashew flour works well!

      Reply
  12. Blake says

    September 27, 2020 at 10:31 pm

    just made this. Took me much longer to prep but it smells amazing. I had to sub a lot of things so my end result is somewhat irrelevant here. Hope it tastes good though. Thanks for the inspiration

    Reply
  13. Kimberly H says

    September 27, 2020 at 11:48 pm

    5 stars
    Whole family loved it! It’s delicious!! I subbed cashew flour for the almond, & used coconut sugar rather than maple. Came out wonderful.

    Reply
  14. Jessica says

    September 28, 2020 at 11:00 pm

    5 stars
    Made this today and it was a huge hit! I used Tapioca Flour instead of Cassava Flour (equal measurement) and honey crisp apples. Thank you so much for the recipe and helping us to get in the fall spirit 🍁

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      September 28, 2020 at 11:03 pm

      Also I didn’t have a Bundt pan so I used three mini loaves and a 9 x 6 baking dish (which did much better than the loaf pans).

      Reply
  15. Blanche says

    October 1, 2020 at 3:52 pm

    I made this and it tastes delicious. Prep time is much longer than 15 minutes as others have said. My cake however does not slice but crumbles. I did not bake 70 minutes but longer than 55. I removed the cake from the oven as the sides were separated from the Bundt pan.

    Reply
  16. T says

    October 3, 2020 at 1:22 pm

    A question that I feel like I should already know: can I substitute maple syrup for maple sugar?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      October 3, 2020 at 10:08 pm

      I haven’t tried it! I’m not sure if you need to decrease a little liquid to compensate for the syrup…

      Reply
  17. Kathy says

    October 5, 2020 at 2:05 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe took awhile to make but was worth it! The family enoyed it without a glaze!

    Reply
  18. Kendra says

    October 5, 2020 at 8:53 pm

    It smells wonderful and tastes delicious but mine fell apart coming out of the pan. I baked in a Bundt pan greased with coconut oil for 60 minutes. Inserted a skewer and it came out clean. Cooled in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. When I went to invert it on the cooling rack, the top half stayed stuck to the pan. What did I do wrong? I’ve stayed away from my Nordicware Bundt pan because it’s disappointing to put in the time and effort for mess. I was hoping this time would be different. We will still enjoy it

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      October 5, 2020 at 9:32 pm

      Sounds like your bundt pan is not as non-stick as it could be! How frustrating!

      Reply
    • Lizzy says

      November 9, 2022 at 5:56 pm

      I had a similar problem! My bundt pan has never caused me problems, and the parts that initial stuck actually fell out onto the broken cake. I cooked it for 70 minutes, and when it just completely fell apart. I think the almond flour volume is the problem, because the recipe doesn’t provide a weight and almond flour quantity varies a lot when measured by volume.

      Reply
      • Michelle Tam says

        November 9, 2022 at 6:17 pm

        Weight measurements are in the recipe card—just hit “metric” under the ingredients.

        Reply
  19. Terri HarpLady says

    October 9, 2020 at 5:56 pm

    5 stars
    OMG, this is delicious! I don’t have a bundt pan, but I have a mini angel food cake pan that makes 6 small cakes, so I used that and gave it about 40 minutes. I had leftover batter, so I also made some mini muffins. This would also make regular muffins, or any shape you want! Everyone loves it.

    Happy belated Birthday!

    Reply
  20. leslie nixon says

    October 14, 2020 at 2:46 pm

    5 stars
    I made this cake recipe two days in a row. I’m not a baker at heart though I love cooking. It took a long time to make the first time and my kitchen was a big mess. I was cursing the whole time. HOWEVER, the cake was delicious. So, I decided to make it again the next day to ‘tame the monster’. I was much more organized, and since I had already returned the borrowed bundt pan, I used my angel food cake pan…….probably for the second time in many, many years. Again, it turned out beautifully. I like the angel food pan better as it is easier to clean. The loaf pan is a great idea, too. By the way, I froze most of it.
    This recipe goes faster if you have the right kitchen appliances and get organized before beginning. Actually, dont they all? But this one really requires being organized. I also cut back to one cup of coconut sugar which still seemed like a lot to us, but it was lovely. I used local Honey Crisp apples that were huge so three were plenty. I used my food processor to grate and then I used the chopping blade to roughly chop the other half.
    This is a wonderful cake.
    Thanks!

    Reply
  21. Candace says

    October 19, 2020 at 8:50 pm

    Do you weigh the apples before or after you peel and core them?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      October 19, 2020 at 11:12 pm

      Weigh before peel and coring them!

      Reply
  22. Jen G says

    November 16, 2020 at 6:29 pm

    5 stars
    Tasty recipe! The cooling instructions didn’t work out well for me. My cake was still very hot at 15 minutes and it broke apart quite a bit removing it.

    Reply
  23. Janine Hannis says

    November 17, 2020 at 6:01 pm

    5 stars
    Hi there ! I made this cake, but with a few minor alterations. I used apple and grated quince (as I have a HUGE quince tree and was trying to use them up), and I made it as apple/quince cupcakes/muffins. It was absolutely delicious! I probably baked it in the muffin tins for about 25-30 minutes and it was moist and flavourful. Thank you for the excellent recipe!

    Reply
  24. Nancy Madison says

    February 1, 2022 at 11:50 pm

    @nomnompaleo, #nomnompaleo
    Can we sub oat flour for the almond flour?
    Thanks,
    Nancy M

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 3, 2022 at 3:53 am

      I’m not sure because I don’t bake with oat flour.

      Reply
  25. Gill says

    February 21, 2022 at 12:57 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve made this a few times now and it always turns out perfectly! I slice into individual portions and freeze for the week/lunchboxes etc. Delicious! Thank you Michelle for all of your recipes! :)xx

    Reply
  26. Naomi Hovey says

    June 1, 2022 at 1:46 pm

    Do you think Strawberries would work instead of apples?

    Reply
    • Regina Chan says

      June 2, 2022 at 3:21 pm

      If you want to use berries, try this recipe instead: https://nomnompaleo.com/berry-snack-cake-paleo-gluten-free

      Reply
  27. Pei says

    October 22, 2022 at 5:53 am

    I didn’t have a Bundt pan so I baked in stone muffin trays for 20 min and the muffin didn’t raise much.
    Shall I adjust the baking soda amount for muffin?
    The inside of muffin is so moist that I wonder if they are undercooked? How long shall I bake them in stone muffin trays?
    I did use 1.5 lb cut up apples. Is that too much?
    Thank you very much for the recipe! Great way to use up apples.

    Reply
  28. Charlene says

    November 7, 2022 at 9:29 pm

    5 stars
    My husband and I loved this recipe!! I recently started eating paleo and have been looking for new recipes to fit my lifestyle. This was so yummy and moist! Mmm!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Bigler says

      November 7, 2022 at 11:38 pm

      We are so happy to hear you enjoyed it Charlene! We have lots of recipes here to help you on your paleo journey.

      Reply
  29. Lizzy says

    November 9, 2022 at 5:51 pm

    2 stars
    I tried this recipe, and it was way too wet and completely fell apart. What are the almond flour and cassava flour measurements in weight? Measuring almond flour by volume is extremely variable as it is a highly compactable flour. I also felt like the fat content was higher than it should be, because the exterior ended up tasting like burnt oil and almonds, while the inside was a sloppy mess. My oven does not run hot, and it is not a convection oven so I didn’t think I would need to reduce the temperature. After I realized the outside was burning but the inside was still too moist, I turned the temperature down, but the inside of the cake just never set up properly. I ended up making a faux trifle layering this with a paleo custard and nuts for presentation purposes.

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      November 9, 2022 at 6:17 pm

      I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you. For all of my baking recipes, you can hit the metric button in the recipe card to get the weight of the dry ingredients in grams. I always measure out the dry ingredients on a scale for my baking recipes.

      Reply

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