Gluten-Free Mini Caramel Apple Cakes

These sweet cakes just sing fall. Chock full of sweet tart apples and smothered in a rich caramel glaze, it’s hard to stop after just one.

Intro and recipe card updated 9/12/23

What does this gluten free apple cake recipe taste like?

Caramel apples are a fall favorite everywhere. But devastatingly, one cannot consume them whilst wearing braces (like my almost teen and her brothers before her). The solution? These gluten-free mini caramel apple cakes! I know that they aren’t exactly the same as a sticky caramel apple, but the flavor profile is. The cakes are moist and full of sweet tart apple chunks, and the sauce that’s drizzled over the top is, as my husband put it, like crack (as if he’d know).

How to Make Gluten-Free Mini Caramel Apple Cakes

These apple cakes are truly easy to make (no stand mixer required) and your kitchen will smell of sugar and spice and everything nice. You’ll need these ingredients for the cake batter:

• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour blend
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already contains it)
• 1/2 teaspoon each sea salt, baking soda, nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced granny smith apples

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini bundt pan (the kind with 6 wells) with cooking spray. (Alternatively, make cupcakes and line a muffin pan with liners). Set aside.

Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown and fragrant. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugars, cinnamon, xanthan, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and allspice in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, oil, apple sauce, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Gently mix in the apples and pecans by hand.

Spoon the mixture equally into the wells of your prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

How to Make the Most Amazing Caramel Glaze Ever

The secret is really no secret at all – you’ll need butter and brown sugar. This glaze is obviously great on this cake, but I’ve also  used it as an ice cream topper or for dipping sliced apples into. Yum! Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 a stick)
• 3 tablespoons milk or half and half
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Heat the butter and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly, and remove from heat. Stir in the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar and beat with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cakes.

These would be perfect to make for your fall bake sale, or a fantastic dessert for adults on Halloween night. Don’t forget about Thanksgiving…and Christmas…and Tuesday (because really they are easy enough to make on a weeknight). I made a larger version of this in my bundt pan (just double the recipe) and served it to the ladies on book club night.

And you know what? It was perfect for that too.

Need more gluten free apple recipes in your life?

• A Delicious Gluten Free Irish Apple Cake – The Perfect Comfort Dessert
• Gluten-Free French Apple Cake
• The Best Gluten Free Apple Pie Recipe with Crumb Topping
• Winter Salad with Radicchio, Apple, and Walnuts

If you make this gluten free apple cake recipe, or any other recipe from my blog, drop a comment below and be sure to tag me on Instagram, and use the hashtags #agirldefloured #deflouredrecipes! Thank you!

Gluten-Free Mini Caramel Apple Cakes

These sweet cakes just sing fall. Chock full of sweet tart apples and smothered in a rich caramel glaze, it’s hard to stop after just one. If you don’t have a mini-bundt pan, make cupcakes instead. To feed a larger crowd, double the cake recipe and use a large bundt pan.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 6 cakes

Calories 508 kcal

Equipment

• Mini Bundt Pan

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ½ cup finely chopped pecans
• 1½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1½ cups peeled and diced granny smith apples

For the Caramel Glaze

• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup butter 1/2 a stick
• 3 tablespoons milk or half and half
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini bundt pan (the kind with 6 wells) with cooking spray. (Alternatively, make cupcakes and line a muffin pan with liners). Set aside.
• Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown and fragrant. Set aside.
• Mix the flour, sugars, cinnamon, xanthan, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and allspice in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, oil, apple sauce, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Gently mix in the apples and pecans by hand.
• Spoon the mixture equally into the wells of your prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
• Make the glaze. Heat the butter and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly, and remove from heat. Stir in the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar and beat with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cakes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cakeCalories: 508kcalCarbohydrates: 104gProtein: 7gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 357mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 5gSugar: 78gVitamin A: 147IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 95mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Gluten-Free Apple Cake

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