Spiced Apple, Ginger Cake with a Pecan Crumb Topping
A lovely spiced apple & ginger cake with an amazing crumbly nutty pecan topping – the crumble topping elevates the cake to the next level of deliciousness.
It’s apple season! And I’m feeling super inspired by all the beautiful autumnal apple recipes appearing, so it thrilled me when Abel & Cole asked me to create an apple cake with their fantastic organic apples!
I made a spiced apple & ginger cake with an amazing crumbly nutty pecan topping–oh my goodness, it’s so so good!
I tested it on my retreat day guests and they LOVED it. The combination of apples, sweet spices and that crumble topping is incredibly good.
I hope you love my cake, but in the meantime, here’s a little more about why Abel & Cole is so awesome:
Their entire business is geared around reducing food waste;
Ethical buying practices, market seasonally, using up surplus, etc..
They trade ethically;
Asking when making a transaction ‘does this work for both parties?’, lasting relationships with suppliers, helping suppliers go organic, providing technical and financial help.
Working with suppliers with social impact.
They have long-term relationships with environmental NGOs–e.g. Friends of the Earth, Marine Conservation Society.
Always minimising packaging throughout the supply chain;
What can be sent loose, will be, no extra packaging used behind the scenes, all packaging can be returned, no polystyrene.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 200 g self raising flour
- 125 g ground almonds
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 250 ml plantbased milk
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 150 g medjool dates pitted
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 2 organic apples grated
For the topping
- 100 g brown sugar
- 100 g pecans toasted and crushed a little
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp vegan butter melted
- 5 tbsp plain flour
Instructions
- Pre heat your oven to 180c
- Grease a medium loose bottom pan with coconut oil.
To make the crumb topping
- Combine the sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter.
- Add the flour and stir in. Spread out mixture on baking paper to dry until ready to use.
To make the cake
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor or high-speed blender apart from the apples and blitz until you get a smooth batter and there are no lumps.
- Now add the grated apples and blitz again–briefly just to combine.
- Spoon the batter into the cake tin, then top with the crumb topping.
- Now bake for approx 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes until turning out.
16 Responses
Hi Niki
Making this tomorrow for vegan baking club. Two questions should the topping brown sugar be demerara or would soft brown be ok.
Had planned to put some Whitworths crystalised ginger in cake mix. Would this make it too gingery. Thanks, Kate
Hi Kate
oh lovely!
soft brown is perfect!
I haven’t tried – but I love ginger so sounds good to me.
Good luck!
Niki xxx
hi, grrat recipe, will try tomorrow, but you said “mix spice” in the recipe, is it like pumpkin spice mix?
You can use either xxx
Made this yday, and it went down a treat, I’ll pull back on the ginger a bit next time I make it though. I served with yoghurt to balance out the spices (well, especially the ginger)
Hi Simone
Happy you like it!
Absolutely, adapt to your taste.
Love
Niki xx
Looks delish! Have you tried it with gluten free flours?
Hi Ginette
You could use buckwheat or I like Doves Farm gluten free.
Love
Niki xx
Do you think I could make this with parsnips instead of apples? Maybe adding a little extra moisture somewhere? This looks delicious, I just can’t eat apples, much to my dismay!
Hi Laura
I think parsnips or carrots actually.
Good luck
Love
Nikixxxx
Hi, I just wanted to say thank you so much for the recipe. I made it at the weekend and it was delicious. I will definitely make it again. (very soon!!)
so so happy you enjoyed Rachel!
love
niki xxx
Hi there :),
If I was to bake this batch in a muffin tray, do you know the difference in baking time please?
Thank you
Hi CS
I’ve nit tried in a muffin tray. But I would reduce the timings.
Love
Niki xx