So I just made this Coffee Cake, and it was really an experiment! But I enjoyed the way it turned out and thought that I should definitely share it with you as there are so many wonderful brunch opportunities coming up!

Strawberry Applesauce Cake (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com

The experiment part was the strawberries! I first made the cake with strawberry puree, and it just turned out too rubbery and low in real strawberry flavor, so I had to go a different route. I swapped the strawberry puree for applesauce and added freeze-dried strawberries (no added sugar- just strawberries!) for concentrated flavor without extra liquid. The combination was wonderful. But dang! The color!!!

Strawberry Applesauce Cake (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com

The freeze-dried strawberries are this gorgeous bright pink color and then it bakes up brown- what a bummer! That’s why I had to add the chopped strawberries to the top as a major nod to the inside and to make it prettier.

This cake is lightly sweet (and you can feel free to cut up to another 1/3-1/2 cup of sugar out and I think it will still hold up nicely) and has a great, moist texture and strawberry-apple flavor.

Strawberry Applesauce Cake (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com
I drizzled it with a glaze, but you could also just do a nice sprinkle of powdered sugar too and it would be wonderful. Again, this is perfect for breakfast or brunch, but the girls love it for an afterschool snack too!

Strawberry Applesauce Coffee-Cake (Gluten-free and vegan)
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • Dry Ingredients:
  • 41/2 cups all-purpose, gluten-free baking flour (I like to use Bobs Red Mill)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon xanthum gum
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 ounces freeze dried strawberries (they sell these at trader joes)
  • Wet ingredients:
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (the kind that comes in a carton in the refrigerator section)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup melted coconut oil
  • Vanilla Glaze:
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2-3 tablespoons coconut milk
  • Optional cut up strawberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large non-stick bundt cake pan with coconut oil spray.
  2. In a small bowl combine the coconut milk and the apple cider vinegar and set aside.
  3. In a small food processor or blender, crush the freeze dried strawberries until powdered. If you don’t have that, you could try crushing them in a Ziploc until powdery.
  4. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine all of the dry ingredients and combine.
  5. Add in the apple sauce and the coconut oil, mixing to combine and then add the coconut milk/vinegar combination and whisk on high until you have a smooth fluffy batter, and then transfer all of the batter to the prepared bundt cake pan.
  6. Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 75 minutes and then let sit until completely cool. It will have fluffed up way past the edge of the pan, but I just trim that part off with a serrated knife and leave it for snacking!
  7. Turn the cake out onto a cake plate when cool and then prepare the glaze.
  8. For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and the vanilla and coconut milk until smooth and then spoon over the cake. Strawberries are optional! Slice and serve!

 

Print Recipe  

So I just made this Coffee Cake, and it was really an experiment! But I enjoyed the way it turned out and thought that I should definitely share it with you as there are so many wonderful brunch opportunities coming up!

Strawberry Applesauce Cake (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com

The experiment part was the strawberries! I first made the cake with strawberry puree, and it just turned out too rubbery and low in real strawberry flavor, so I had to go a different route. I swapped the strawberry puree for applesauce and added freeze-dried strawberries (no added sugar- just strawberries!) for concentrated flavor without extra liquid. The combination was wonderful. But dang! The color!!!

Strawberry Applesauce Cake (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com

The freeze-dried strawberries are this gorgeous bright pink color and then it bakes up brown- what a bummer! That’s why I had to add the chopped strawberries to the top as a major nod to the inside and to make it prettier.

This cake is lightly sweet (and you can feel free to cut up to another 1/3-1/2 cup of sugar out and I think it will still hold up nicely) and has a great, moist texture and strawberry-apple flavor.

Strawberry Applesauce Cake (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com
I drizzled it with a glaze, but you could also just do a nice sprinkle of powdered sugar too and it would be wonderful. Again, this is perfect for breakfast or brunch, but the girls love it for an afterschool snack too!

Strawberry Applesauce Coffee-Cake (Gluten-free and vegan)
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • Dry Ingredients:
  • 41/2 cups all-purpose, gluten-free baking flour (I like to use Bobs Red Mill)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon xanthum gum
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 ounces freeze dried strawberries (they sell these at trader joes)
  • Wet ingredients:
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (the kind that comes in a carton in the refrigerator section)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup melted coconut oil
  • Vanilla Glaze:
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2-3 tablespoons coconut milk
  • Optional cut up strawberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large non-stick bundt cake pan with coconut oil spray.
  2. In a small bowl combine the coconut milk and the apple cider vinegar and set aside.
  3. In a small food processor or blender, crush the freeze dried strawberries until powdered. If you don’t have that, you could try crushing them in a Ziploc until powdery.
  4. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine all of the dry ingredients and combine.
  5. Add in the apple sauce and the coconut oil, mixing to combine and then add the coconut milk/vinegar combination and whisk on high until you have a smooth fluffy batter, and then transfer all of the batter to the prepared bundt cake pan.
  6. Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 75 minutes and then let sit until completely cool. It will have fluffed up way past the edge of the pan, but I just trim that part off with a serrated knife and leave it for snacking!
  7. Turn the cake out onto a cake plate when cool and then prepare the glaze.
  8. For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and the vanilla and coconut milk until smooth and then spoon over the cake. Strawberries are optional! Slice and serve!