This Gluten-Free Apple Honey Cake is perfect for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, but can absolutely be enjoyed any time of year. You are welcome to substitute regular all-purpose flour for this recipe.
Holy moly, how is it September already!? I don’t know about you, but I am in denial that summer is over. Summer is my favorite time of year, so I am going to soak up every minute of good weather that I can before NYC is covered in snow and ice again (waaaah!).
The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is at the end of the month, and this Apple Honey Cake is perfect for the holiday. On Rosh Hashanah, it is customary to dip sliced apples in honey to signify a “sweet and fruitful new year”. It’s also common to enjoy apples and honey in other ways, like in apple muffins, breads, and cake.
In recent years, it seems that more and more of my friends and family have discovered food allergies/intolerances (myself included!), and this can make it difficult to determine what to serve at holidays and family events. This year, for Rosh Hashanah, I was determined to develop a festive Apple Honey Cake that would suit many different dietary needs.
This apple cake is gluten-free and dairy-free, and you can leave out the chopped walnuts to make it nut-free as well. For this recipe, I used my favorite gluten-free flour, which can be used as a direct substitution for all-purpose flour and doesn’t require additional thickeners such as xanthan gum.
It took a few iterations to master a gluten-free, dairy-free cake that had the right texture and taste, but I am SO proud of how this recipe turned out! Even my husband, who doesn’t care for dessert (I know, the HORROR!) really loved this Apple Honey Cake.
It’s a delicious fall recipe that can be enjoyed as dessert or served with coffee for breakfast or brunch. It certainly isn’t limited to Rosh Hashanah! If you are observing the Jewish New Year, Chag Sameach and I wish you a sweet new year.

This Apple Honey Cake is both gluten and dairy free. It is perfect for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, but can absolutely be enjoyed year round.
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2/3 cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups 1-for-1 gluten-free baking flour*
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped into ¼-inch pieces (I recommend using a mixture of green and red apples)
- 2/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped (optional)
- Unsweetened plain almond milk (optional)
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch bundt pan (nonstick, if you have one).
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In a stand mixer, beat together the sugar and olive oil. Beat in the eggs, then the honey and vanilla. Turn off the stand mixer.
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In a separate large bowl, stir together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and allspice.
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Turn the stand mixer back on, and very slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, ensuring that all of the ingredients become well incorporated.
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Fold in the diced apples and walnuts. If you find that the mixture is too thick, you can add a bit of almond milk, one tablespoon at a time, not to surpass ¼ cup.
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Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Check the cake at the 50 minute mark. It is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Once done, allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan for 15 minutes. Then, place a cake plate on top of the bundt pan, and while holding the pan and the plate together, very carefully flip the bundt pan so the cake lands directly onto the cake plate.
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Allow the cake to cool completely and then dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
*I highly recommend Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour for this recipe. If you use a different GF flour, ensure it contains xanthan gum or another thickener. You are welcome to substitute regular all-purpose flour for this recipe. The amount will be the same, 2.5 cups.
Shann
I made this cake. It was AMAZING! My family loved it. I made a honey glaze to drizzle over the top not to sweet, really blended. Definitely adding this into our family recipe box.
Thank you!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
Shann, I am SO happy you all loved it! Thank you for letting me know!