Sticky toffee pudding is delicious. Toffee apples are irresistible. Combine the two and you get this indulgent Vegan Sticky Toffee Apple Cake — a perfect autumnal bake. Warm and sticky, with deep treacly notes, spiced with cinnamon and cloves, studded with large apple pieces and crunchy walnuts, it’s the kind of cake that fills a kitchen with comforting aroma and invites everyone back for seconds.
I made two of these over a weekend: one for a small fireworks get-together and another for choir practice, which of course always includes tea and cake. Both disappeared fast and earned plenty of surprised comments about how rich and satisfying a vegan cake can be. If you love fruity, spiced cakes with a sticky sauce, this one is for you.
The quick microwave toffee sauce in this recipe is a brilliant time-saver. I first developed a similar sauce for a book of quick vegan recipes and now use it whenever I want a fast, rich toffee topping for dairy-free ice cream, crumbles, or puddings. It’s creamy, caramel-coloured and full of toffee flavour, and it complements baked apples beautifully.
You can serve this cake hot from the oven as a dessert with a jug of warm toffee sauce and a scoop of vegan ice cream, or enjoy it cold with a cup of tea. Either way, it’s a cosy, comforting treat that makes the most of seasonal apples.
My four-year-old collected autumn leaves and pressed them in a heavy book — such lovely colours, and a nice reminder of how this cake suits cool, colourful November days.
If you liked that…
You might also enjoy other vegan bakes with fruit and warming spices, such as bakewell tarts, lemon drizzle cake, Dorset apple cake or simple vegan shortbread. These recipes follow a similar ethos: straightforward ingredients and homey flavours.
Recipe
Sticky Toffee Apple Cake
Kate Ford | The Veg Space
A moist, spiced cake packed with apple chunks and walnuts, finished with a rich toffee sauce. Perfect served warm with extra sauce or cold with tea.
Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 55 mins | Total: 1 hr 25 mins
Course: Cake | Cuisine: British
Servings: 12 slices | Calories: 340 kcal (per slice)
Ingredients
For the Toffee Sauce
- 65 g light brown sugar
- 100 ml soya cream (or other plant cream)
- 65 g dairy-free margarine
For the Cake
- 125 g chopped dates
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 150 ml apple juice
- 100 g dairy-free margarine
- 80 g caster sugar
- 80 g dark brown sugar
- 100 g soya yoghurt
- 100 ml soya milk
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 75 g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 4 eating apples (2 thinly sliced, 2 cut into large chunks)
Instructions
Toffee Sauce
- Put the brown sugar, plant cream and dairy-free margarine in a microwave-safe jug or bowl (use a fairly large container as the mixture will bubble). Microwave on full power for 1 minute 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave for a further 1 minute 30 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly — the sauce will thicken as it cools.
Cake
- Place the chopped dates, bicarbonate of soda and apple juice in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes until the dates are very soft. Mash with a fork or use a hand blender to create a mostly smooth paste.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line the base of a 22 cm (9 in) cake tin with baking parchment. Pour a thin layer of the toffee sauce into the base and place the tin in the freezer (or fridge) to firm the sauce while you prepare the batter.
- Beat together the dairy-free margarine and both sugars until light and fluffy. Stir in the soya yoghurt and soya milk until combined.
- Peel and core the apples. Slice two apples thinly and arrange the slices over the chilled toffee layer in an overlapping pattern for a decorative top. Cut the remaining two apples into large chunks.
- Sift the self-raising flour, baking powder, ground cloves and cinnamon into the wet mixture. Fold gently until just combined. Stir in the roughly chopped walnuts, apple chunks and the mashed date mixture.
- Carefully pour the cake batter into the tin, taking care to keep the apple pattern intact. Smooth the surface. Place the cake tin on a baking tray lined with foil to catch any sticky drips, and bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 10–15 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 2–3 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and peel away the baking parchment to reveal the apple pattern. When completely cool, drizzle with some of the remaining toffee sauce and serve the rest in a jug alongside the cake.
Nutrition (per slice)
Calories: 340 kcal · Carbohydrates: 51 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 15 g · Sugar: 34 g · Fiber: 3 g
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