If you love the apple and cinnamon combo, then you will absolutely love this warming and comforting loaf ! It is my new go-to recipe for an easy to prepare cake that I’m sure everybody will love – and take a second slice. It comes with a wonderful sweet maple and tahini dressing that perfectly pairs with the apple and cinnamon flavors. Not only it is delicious, but also gluten free and low sugar.

Remember my last carrot cake recipe ? Well, I’m happy to announce that this one has marked the beginning of a new love story with vegan baking ! As I already let you know, I’m not especially a very good baker. I absolutely love baking, I admire all the beautiful creations I can see on social media and would love to do the same, but there might be something wrong between me and baking powder.  I think baking is a very complex and technical field of cuisine that requires a lot of practice and perseverance. My first experiences with vegan and gluten free baking were lots of failings, cakes that don’t want to raise, dry and heavy doughs … and at this moment of my life, I didn’t have the time to make a lot of testings to adjust the recipes and find what was wrong, so I just scrapped the idea. Now I have more time and more practice behind me, I better understand how everything work and finally found my perfect cake recipe !

This apple and cinnamon loaf is a variation from the carrot cake and I absolutely love it ! The apple cinnamon and raisins combination is a big classic that everybody loves, and one of my favorite too. And what is interesting with this kind of classics is that you can be creative and add a little twist that brings something different, unexpected. In this case it is the delicious maple and tahini dressing that comes along. Tahini is a sesame cream that is traditionally used in the Middle Eastern cuisine, like hummus and falafels. But I love to use it everywhere, in any sweet or savory preparation, just like any other nut or seed butter. You can spread it on toast, use as a binder in your cookies and granola or make a dressing just like we are doing here. Tahin can sometimes have a little bitter taste so not everybody likes it. Adding maple syrup and a pinch of salt totally remove the sourness and create a well balanced super creamy sauce.

Another great point with this loaf is that it’s gluten free. I found chestnut flour to perfectly work in this recipe because of its pleasant sweet and nutty flavor that pairs very well with cinnamon and walnuts. However chestnut flour has a marked flavor and is pretty nourishing so it is always a good idea to combine with other more neutral flours. Anyways if you don’t have or don’t like chestnut flour you can sub for all purpose flour or any gluten free flour mix. Adding some almond meal which is a little fatty makes the cake smooth and so yummy!

Also this loaf is a good healthy version of regular apple cinnamon cake. There is no refined sugar, no added oil and most of the sweetness and moisture is brought by the apple sauce. Apple sauce, like mashed banana, is a great alternative to oil and sugar in cake recipes. Make sure you are using unsweetened and additive-free apple sauce.

I hope you will love this cake ! Don’t forget to tag me if you do it at home, I would love to see your creations ! Also comment on this post below to share your feedback and let me know all your comments, would love to hear from you. xx

APPLE CINNAMON LOAF & MAPLE TAHINI DRESSING

Prep time : 20 minutes
Baking time : 40 minutes
Serves : about 8 servings

INGREDIENTS :

For the loaf :

– 3 tbsp ground flax seed
– 1 cup chestnut flour (substitute for all purpose flour or whole wheat flour)
– 1 cup buckwheat flour
– 1/2 cup almond meal
– 3 tsp baking powder
– 2 tsp baking soda
– 2 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1 tsp ground ginger
– a pinch of salt
– 1 cup apple sauce, unsweetened
– 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
– 2 tbsp maple syrup
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/2 apple
– 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
– 1/4 cup raisins

For the toppings :

– 1/2 apple
– 1 tbsp coconut sugar or maple sugar (or canne sugar)
– A handful of crushed walnuts

For the maple tahini dressing :

– 1/4 cup tahini (sesame cream)
– 1/4 cup maple syrup
– 2 tbsp almond milk
– A pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS :

For the cake :

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease or line a loaf mold with parchment paper (using parchment paper will make it easier to remove from the mold). Set aside.

2. Prepare the flax egg by mixing the ground flax seeds with 8 tbsp of water and set aside for 5 minutes. The ground flaxseeds will absorb the water and make the mixture thicken.

3. In a large bowl combine the flours, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the apple sauce, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Add in the flax egg preparation and stir to combine.

5. Pour the liquid preparation over the dry mixture in the large bowl and stir until perfectly combined and no lumps remaining. At this moment, you should obtain a homogeneous pretty thick batter, not too liquid but not to dry neither (the mixture should not be dry or crumbly). If the batter is too dry, add a little apple sauce.

6. Fold in the apple diced in small cubes, raisins and chopped walnuts and stir.

7. Pour the loaf batter in the prepared mold, spread using a spatula and smooth the surface. Garnish with thin apple slices, coconut sugar and a handful of roughly crushed walnuts.

8. Bake for around 40 minutes or until the top of the loaf is lightly golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow the loaf to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the mold, while you prepare the maple dressing.

For the maple tahin dressing :

1. Mix all the dressing ingredients either by hand in a bowl using a whisk or a fork, or by quickly blending in a high speed blender. Allow the dressing to cool down in fridge for 15 minutes to set and firm up. Note : if you want your sauce to be thicker add more tahin or if you prefer a more liquid one add a little almond milk.

Assembly :

1. Once chilled, remove the loaf from the mold and place on a serving plate. Either drizzle some dressing directly on top or slice the loaf and serve the dressing as a side in a small ramekin. Enjoy !

CAKE POMME CANNELLE & SAUCE TAHINI ET SIROP D’ERABLE

Temps de préparation : 20 minutes
Temps de cuisson : 40 minutes
Quantité : environ 8 parts

INGREDIENTS :

Pour le cake :

– 3 c. à s. de graines de lin moulues
– 100 g de farine de châtaigne
– 120 g de farine de sarrasin
– 50 g de poudre d’amande
– 3 c. à c. de levure chimique
– 2 c. à c. de bicarbonate de soude
– 2 c. à c. de cannelle en poudre
– 1 c. à c. de gingembre en poudre
– une pincée de sel
– 250 g de compote de pomme sans sucre
– 1 c. à s. de vinaigre de cidre
– 2 c. à s. de sirop d’érable
– 2 c. à c. d’extrait de vanille
– 1/2 pomme
– 20 g de noix concassées
– 15 g de raisins secs

Pour la garniture :

– 1/2 pomme
– 1 c. à s. de sucre de coco ou de sucre d’érable (ou sucre de canne)
– Une poignée de noix concassées

Pour la sauce au tahini :

– 120 g de tahini (crème de sésame)
– 4 c. à s. de sirop d’érable
– 4 c. à s. de lait d’amande
– Une bonne pincée de sel

INSTRUCTIONS :

Pour le cake :

1. Préchauffer le four à 180°C et graisser ou chemiser de papier cuisson un moule à cake (je conseille d’utiliser du papier cuisson pour faciliter le démoulage du cake).

2. Dans un petit bol, mélanger les graines de lin moulues avec 8 cuillères à soupe d’eau, bien remuer et laisser reposer pendant 5 minutes. Les graines de lin vont absorber l’eau et épaissir le mélange.

3. Dans un grand saladier, mélanger les farine, la poudre d’amande, la levure chimique, le bicarbonate de soude, la cannelle, le gingembre et le sel.

4. Dans un autre bol, mélanger la compote de pomme, le vinaigre de cidre, le sirop d’érable et l’extrait de vanille. Ajouter le mélange de graines de lin moulues épaissi et bien mélanger pour incorporer tous les ingrédients.

5. Verser la préparation liquide dans le saladier avec les ingrédients secs et bien mélanger à l’aide d’une spatule jusqu’à obtenir une pâte bien homogène et sans grumeaux. A ce stade, la pâte doit être assez épaisse (comme une pâte à cake), pas trop liquide mais pas sèche non plus (en particulier elle ne doit pas s’émietter). Si la pâte est trop sèche, ajouter un peu de compote de pomme en plus.

6. Incorporer la demie pomme coupée en petits cubes, les raisins et les noix concassées dans la pâte.

7. Verser l’apparel à cake dans le moule, bien répartir et lisser la surface à l’aide d’une spatule. Garnir avec de fines tranches de pomme, un peu de sucre de coco et une poignée de noix concassées.

8. Enfourner pour 40 minutes jusqu’à ce que le cake soit légèrement doré sur le dessus. Vérifier la cuisson en insérant la pointe d’un couteau: si elle ressort sèche, alors il est cuit. Retirer du four et laisser refroidir complètement avant de démouler.

Pour la sauce au tahini :

1. Mélanger tous les ingrédients de la sauce soit à la main dans un bol à l’aide d’un fouet, soit en mixant rapidement dans un blender. Transférer la sauce dans un bol et placer au frais pour 15 minutes afin qu’elle se raffermisse un peu. Note : pour une sauce plus épaisse ajouter un peu plus de tahini, et pour une sauce plus fluide ajouter un peu plus de lait d’amande.

Montage :

1. Une fois refroidi, démouler le cake et le déposer sur un plat à service. Verser la sauce directement au dessus avant de servir ou découper des tranches et servir la sauce à côté dans un petit ramekin. Bon appétit !