This Gluten-Free Apple Streusel Cake is light enough for breakfast or elegant enough for dessert.
When the air turns crisp and autumn arrives, apples come to mind. Living in the Northeast, the change of season and falling leaves make apple baking irresistible.
I was drawn to this recipe because of the clever streusel topping technique that uses grated frozen butter. Grating frozen butter lets you use far less than in traditional streusels while still getting a tender, crumbly topping. It distributes easily and reduces the overall butter content without sacrificing texture.
Greek yogurt appears in both the cake batter and the topping, which lightens the finished cake. For the creamy topping, I used a mix of Greek yogurt and a little heavy cream. You can often substitute more yogurt for cream when whipping a topping—expect a subtle tang that maple syrup and vanilla balance nicely.
This streusel-topped apple cake is versatile: serve a slice with yogurt cream for breakfast, or offer it as a cozy fall dessert.
This post is part of Progressive Eats, our virtual progressive dinner series where bloggers share recipes around a monthly theme. Each month a theme is chosen and participating bloggers contribute dishes that suit that theme. This month’s theme is Apples.
Apple Recipes
Savory Dishes:
- Apple and Pecan Stuffed Pork Chops from Never Enough Thyme
- Apple-Cheese Spread from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
- Apple Chutney from Mother Would Know
- Savory Apple Cheddar Bread Pudding from Stetted
- Tsunth Monji – Green Apple Fritters from Spiceroots
Sweet Dishes:
- Apple Butter Coffee Cake from Pastry Chef Online
- Apple Streusel Cake with Yogurt Cream (Gluten-Free) from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
- Homemade Pink Applesauce (Gluten-Free) from The Heritage Cook
- Hot Buttered Rum Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust from The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Hubba Hubba Apple Cake from The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine
- Maple Glazed Apple Tart from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Maple Roasted Apple Butter with Bourbon from Creative Culinary
Apple Streusel Cake with Yogurt Cream
Ingredients
Apple Cake
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cashew milk or low-fat milk
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup millet flour
- 1/3 cup arrowroot starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cups ~ 3 small or 2 large shredded peeled apples (Golden Delicious recommended)
Streusel Topping
- 3 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
- 2 tablespoons chopped raw pecans
- 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter, grated
Yogurt Cream
- 1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
Apple Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line the bottom of a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together coconut sugar, yogurt, milk, olive oil, vanilla and eggs until combined, about 1 minute.
- Whisk together almond flour, millet flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and ginger. Add to the wet mixture and beat on low until just combined. Fold in shredded apples. Transfer batter to the prepared pan and bake 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the pan sides.
Streusel Topping
- Combine oats, pecans, brown sugar and grated frozen butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the batter before baking.
Yogurt Cream
- Beat together yogurt, cream, vanilla and maple syrup until soft peaks form. Serve dolloped alongside warm slices of cake.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Cooking Light.