Small Gluten Free Applesauce Bundt Cake
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Craving something sweet, but only have a household of two? This small gluten free applesauce bundt cake delivers all the flavors of fall, in a smaller portion size. It’s the perfect thing to make after a trip to the cider mill!
How To Make Applesauce
No matter how old I get, I love applesauce. I eat it plain, on top of cottage cheese, or often with a bit of peanut butter mixed in. Of course, there’s nothing better than fresh made applesauce in the fall. (Need a recipe? Follow these steps on How to Make Applesauce from The Stay at Home Chef.) Whether store bought or homemade, I always keep it on hand.
However, one of my favorite ways to use applesauce is in gluten free baking. When I saw my friend Vegetarian Mamma’s Easy Apple Cake, I knew I needed to make it. However, I wanted to cut down on the amount of fat in the recipe. Therefore, I substituted a portion of the oil with natural applesauce.
Substituting Oil with Applesauce
This gluten-free Applesauce Bundt Cake has less fat and sugar and than the original recipe. There are loads of suggestions on the internet about substituting applesauce for oil in baked goods. While Musselman’s suggests a 1:1 substitution, I prefer a 50/50 swap. I do this in my buckwheat pancakes and my blueberry zucchini bread as well. Since applesauce is naturally sweet, I often reduce the sugar as well.
Another benefit of substituting applesauce for this gluten-free Applesauce Bundt cake recipe is that it provides lift. Applesauce is considered slightly acidic. When that combines with the baking soda in the recipe, it produces carbon dioxide, which allows baked goods to rise. This is ideal in gluten-free baked goods which tend to be more flat and dense than its gluten-filled counterparts.
6 inch Bundt Pans and Other Recipes
Vegetarian Mamma’s original Easy Apple Cake calls for 3 cups of flour, which is appropriate for a standard 10 inch bundt pan. They hold between 10-12 cups of batter. However, I live in a household of 2. (Three if you count the dog, but she’s not getting my cake.) That’s why I love the 6″ fluted cake pan from Wilton. It holds 3 cups of batter, approximately one quarter of a standard recipe, and is perfect for our small household.
Any recipe that uses 3/4 cup of flour should work fine in this pan. I’ve made Off the Wheaten Path’s Chocolate Banana Bundt Cake in this pan, by cutting the recipe in half. I’ve also made Gluten Free Palate’s Easy Gluten Free Lemon Bread in it, again, cutting the recipe in half. I may need to try NordicWare’s 3 Cup Vanilla Pound Cake in it next!
Can I Use A Different Pan?
You can also use a 6″ round cake pan. Learn more about Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
How To Make Powdered Sugar
Did you know you can make your own homemade powdered sugar? When recipes call for a cup of powdered sugar or less, I like to make my own. While most recommend adding cornstarch to homemade powdered sugar, I left it out for this cake.
So how do you make powdered sugar? Simply put regular white sugar in a spice grinder, and let it spin until it becomes a powdered consistency. Truth be told, I use a coffee grinder, and put it on the finest grind setting, and that’s usually long enough. To make the glaze for this cake, simply add your liquid to your homemade powdered sugar, and you’re all set!
Can I Make This Without Dairy or Eggs?
Need an apple cake without dairy or eggs? If you can tolerate eggs, but not dairy, try this Gluten-Free Apple Cake from My Gluten-Free Kitchen. Need it to be completely vegan? Try this Gluten Free Vegan Caramel Apple Bundt Cake from Sarah Bakes Gluten Free. It looks amazing!
Can I Make This With Coconut Flour or Almond Flour?
NO. These two flours have drastically different absorptive properties than gluten free all-purpose flour blends made with rice. Instead, I highly recommend specifically searching for recipes using those ingredients. If using almond flour, try this full size Glazed Apple Bundt Cake from Paleo Running Momma. Want to use coconut flour? Try this full sice Apple Bundt Cake with Apple Glaze from Keto Adapted.
Recipe
Small Gluten Free Applesauce Bundt Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 3/4 c. gluten free flour I used King Arthur for this recipe.
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
Mix Ins
- 3/4 c. thinly sliced apples cut into thirds (3/4 of a small apple)
- 1/4 c. cinnamon chips I used these instead of the butterscotch chips Cindy used.
Wet Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 4 tbsp applesauce
- 1 egg
- 1/4 c. granulated brown sugar
For the Glaze
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp apple cider
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil your bundt pan. This recipe is 1/4 of Vegetarian Mamma’s original. I used a Wilton’s Copper Retro Round Fluted 6″ Pan, which is only 2 1/2 in. deep and holds approximately 3 cups of batter.
- In a large batter bowl, combine oil, applesauce, egg and sugar. Whisk together, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to fully blend.
- Thinly slice and quarter apples of your choice. VegetarianMamma prefers Granny Smith while I prefer Gala apples. The apples do not need to be peeled, but you may do so if you wish. Add sliced and quartered apples and cinnamon chips to the dry ingredients.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and thoroughly combine. The batter will be very thick. Allow to rest while preheating the oven.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. (This is shorter than VegetarianMamma’s recipe as I’m using a smaller pan. Allow cake to cool before removing from pan. Serve with a coating of powdered sugar or a simple glaze of your preference. It’s tasty with ice cream too!
What’s your favorite cake recipe? What recipes have you converted by substituting applesauce? Please share your tips with me below!
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I didn’t want to buy a 6″ Bundt pan, or increase the recipe to fit my full-size Bundt pan (because GF cake recipes don’t always upsize successfully), so I tried baking your GF Applesauce Bundt Cake in a 3×6″ mini-loaf pan for 25 minutes. The very center under-baked, as I suspected it might, despite the sides and bottom getting as dark as I wanted them to The texture where fully baked, and the taste, though, were absolutely excellent. So, I will be toddling off to the store this week to buy a 6″ Bundt pan because I want to make it again. Delicious!!
Thank you so much for this feedback. Hopefully it helps someone else who wants to attempt this recipe, but doesn’t have a bundt pan.
My JoAnn is out of 6” Bundt pans, and I just wasn’t in the mood to put any more effort into buying one, so I made another batch and split it between two mini loaf pans and they baked up perfectly. If you try this, start checking at the 15 minute mark. I went past 20 min. to obtain a clean cake tester. I used the same amount of glaze and had plenty. A piece of this just hits the spot!
Great recipe! I’ve had success twice and plan to make another one for Thanksgiving!
So glad I’m able to share a recipe that’s a win for you!
This is a fabulous cake that I’ve made multiple times. (It’s currently in the oven!) I use the bundt cake pan that fits in my Instapot. That is the perfect size. I’ve also used Pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices. It works perfectly. I’ve found that the lunch box sized applesauce portions are easy to keep on hand and just the perfect amount. I’ve used sweetened/unsweetened/cinnamon/natural….. this recipe isn’t picky. Lovely with cream cheese frosting!
Dear Sarah, thank you so much for sharing your feedback. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. And using the applesauce cups is a brilliant idea!