This easy vegan apple cake is reminiscent of German apple cake. With a fluffy vanilla sponge and seasonal apples baked into the batter. It's the perfect tea cake for fall.
Preheat your oven to 175°C (347°F). Line the base of a 9" cake tin with parchment paper. Lightly grease the sides with some oil or vegan butter, and dust the sides with flour until lightly coated.
Prepare the ingredients: To make the vegan "buttermilk" add the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to a medium bowl or jug, stir and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Add the butter and sugar to a stand mixer or large mixing bowl and cream them together with an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in yogurt and vanilla and mix again to combine.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Prepare the apples: Wash, peel, and remove the cores from the apples. Quarter them, then slice each quarter thinly, keeping the slices intact to create a fan shape.
Make the batter: Switch to a regular whisk or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, and add the buttermilk and dry ingredients to the creamed butter in 2 increments. Whisk to combine between each one, being careful not to overmix the batter.
Assemble: Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top of it with a spatula (expect the batter to be pretty thick). Press the apple slices into the surface of the batter.
Bake: Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown. Check the cake is done by piercing it with a toothpick or a knife, the knife should come out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15-20 minutes. Then carefully remove the tin, and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely for another 10-15 minutes.
Storage: This cake is best served at room temperature to ensure it keeps its fluffy consistency. If you don't plan on eating it on the day it's baked, seal it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Then remove the cake from the fridge about 1-2 hours before serving to bring it back to room temperature.
Notes
Measure the recipe in grams. Using a kitchen scale will always give you the best results. If you must use measuring with cups, follow the scoop and sweep method.
Vegan butter: Take this out of the fridge to sit at room temperature for 30 mins to 1 hour. Make sure you use vegan block butter NOT spreadable butter from a tub. I use flora plant butter which is nut-free, coconut-free, and gluten-free.
Some white sugar in the US is not vegan, if in doubt use organic sugar.
Apples: If you're not a fan of apple skins, you can peel them - but I love the color they give to the finished cake.
If you like you can add a crumble topping, like in my pumpkin muffins.