This sugar free apple cake has a soft and moist texture from the Granny Smith apples and tangy sour cream. Filled with warm, seasonal spices, it smells like a homemade apple pie. But with no added sugar, it is a healthy choice for dessert.
Why this recipe is just so good....
- Low carb, keto and diabetic friendly, this healthy, fresh apple cake has no sugar added. The cake only needs two shredded apples to give it great flavor and moist texture.
- Bundt cakes are so easy to make with simple ingredients. Try some of our favorite bundt cakes: Lemon, Pumpkin, Strawberry.
- It's soft but never mushy. The cake keeps fresh for days and freezes beautifully.
- Tastes delicious plain or with a dollop of whipped cream or spoonful of sugar free ice cream!
Recipe Ingredients
The following ingredients are needed for the apple cake:
- Granny Smith apples
- brown, white sugar substitute
- ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt
- butter
- vanilla
- eggs
- sour cream
- fine almond and coconut flour
- baking powder, soda, xanthan gum, salt
- vanilla extract
- apple extract (optional)
Ingredient Notes
Granny Smith are the best apples for a low carb apple cake. According to Medical News Today, they have the least amount of sugar compared to other apples with about 10.6 grams of sugar per 100 grams of apple.
And because the recipe has only two raw, grated apples, I wanted add more apple flavor, but without adding sugar. Amazon actually has a 12 pack of imitation fruit flavors and I decided to try a green apple. I asked 3 testers to sniff and taste the extract and they were pleasantly surprised how realistic they were!
How to make sugar free apple cake
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars until combined. Stir together the remaining dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
In the mixing bowl, add eggs slowly and beat low/medium speed to mix in. Mix in the extracts and sour cream. Beat in the dry ingredients just until combined.
Hand mix the grated apples into the batter.
Scrape bowl and pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer come out clean.
Let cake cool for 15 minutes. Then remove from pan to allow cake to fully cool.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar substitute if desired.
Baking Tips
- Room temperature dairy and eggs are recommended since they create the best texture in baked goods.
- I store my gluten free and grain free flours in the refrigerator or freezer to keep them fresh. They tend to get lumpy when cold so it's always best to sift before measuring for the recipe.
- Cool the cake completely before slicing. Low carb and keto cakes tend to crumble if they are cut too soon. They are actually better tasting and have a finer texture the day after they are baked.
FAQ
An apple cake can stay out at room temperature for up to one day according to Food52. After that, it is recommended to store it covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. This will help prevent the apple from turning a bit slimy and begin to ferment.
If you are adding apples and they will be mixed into the batter you don't need lemon juice. The apples won't get brown since they will be baked.
If you are adding raw apples to a baked cake as garnish or decoration then you should dip them in some lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
Also if your apples are tart enough for the recipe, such as Granny Smiths, then you don't need lemon juice. If you are using sweeter apple like a Macintosh and you want a tarter flavor, add a few teaspoons of lemon juice to the recipe.
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MORE cake recipes to try!
Sugar Free Apple Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This sugar free apple cake has a soft and moist texture from the Granny Smith apples and tangy sour cream. Filled with warm, seasonal spices, it smells like a homemade apple pie. But with no added sugar, it is a healthy choice for dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, grated and strained
- 2 cups fine almond flour, sifted
- ¼ cup coconut flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger*
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup softened unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar substitute*
- ¼ cup granular white sugar substitute *
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple extract (optional)
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar substitute (optional topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 inch bundt pan with non-stick baking spray.
- Combine all the dry ingredients, except sugars, in a medium bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.
- Lower speed and slowly add eggs and mix into the batter. Add the extracts and sour cream.
- Pour dry ingredients into batter and mix just until combined.
- Remove cake batter from mixer and pour in the grated apples. Fold into the batter by hand with a spatula.
- Pour into the bundt pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 30-40 or until a wooden toothpick or wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of cake.*
- Cool cake on rack for 15 minutes and then remove from pan to finish fully cooling.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
*After you have peeled and grated the apples, place them in a strainer and press down to remove any liquid. If you don't have a grater, just chop the apples into small minced pieces.
*If you have apple pie spice, use that instead of the individual spices.
* I used Swerve brown sugar substitute (erythritol based) and Allulose for the granulated sugar. Allulose is not as sweet as other sugar substitutes, so taste a bit of batter and add an extra tablespoon if needed.
*Lightly cover cake with foil if it is browning too quickly.
*Make sure you push the toothpick as far down as possible so you can see if cake is done all the way through.
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