Healthy Flourless Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Cake
This healthy flourless Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Cake is the perfect, hearty and delicious breakfast choice, naturally sweetened with applesauce and a dash of cinnamon! Made with no butter, oil, flour or white sugar, It’s naturally gluten free, vegan, dairy free, refined sugar free and comes with a tested grain free/paleo option!
“Arman, you NEED to try this applesauce I just made!”
“Gross. I don’t eat baby food, thanks.”
“TRY IT!”
Alexis comes from behind the counter at Alchemy with a ladle of homemade chunky applesauce.
Up until around September last year, it had been years since I’d eaten applesauce on its own.
My entire time at primary and high school (13 years +), I was one of those kids who’d always bring a packed lunch. Every single morning, my mum would make sure I’d have a brown paper bag brimming with food. She always overpacked, with more than enough snacks to feed all my classmates too. Most of the time, I’d always ‘forget’ the banana in my bag or the boring granola bar in my locker, only consuming the sandwich and random snacks included.
I still remember the time back in fifth grade when she’d packed ‘baby food.’ One of her colleagues had just returned from America and brought all these snacks with them, including applesauce cups. They gifted my mum several packages and mum thought they’d be a delicious addition in my brown bag. That particular day, I discarded my granola bar, took out my sandwich and then was perplexed at the cup of applesauce.
At this time, Niki and I were both at the same school and I remember seeing her at her locker at lunch.
“Did mum give you baby food too?”
“No.”
“Have you eaten your lunch yet?”
“Yes.”
“What snack did mum give you?”
“I don’t know, it was in this container and it reminded me of shampoo. Yummy shampoo.”
***
I went back home and told my mum off for packing me baby food. She scolded me, telling me that I should be grateful that her friend brought Niki and I delicious things from America. She informed me it was applesauce and a very popular lunch box addition there.
I told her that her friend must have no brain for bringing those back and not Oreos.
….That didn’t go down very well.
Anyway, every since then, I’d never been a fan of applesauce on its own. It just reminded me of baby food. Until I was chased by Alexis to try it again last year, it was never something I’d willingly eat. After trying her chunky version, I must say my taste buds have definitely improved but something STILL doesn’t mesh well with me eating it as is. Luckily, it’s an amazing addition to MANY things and one of my favorite add-ins in baked goods and my own personal recipes.
In fact, this humble ‘baby food’ is the key ingredient for today’s delicious offering- This healthy flourless Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Cake!
This healthy Flourless Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Cake is fluffy and slightly dense on the inside, yet tender on the outside, packed with apple and cinnamon flavor! For such a delicious breakfast offering, you’d be surprised that no butter, oil, sugar or flour was used in the entire recipe! It’s an easy one bowl recipe which takes barely any time to prep and comes with an optional (but highly recommended!) frosting in two versions- A cinnamon cream cheese one and a high protein one! This breakfast cake is suitable for those following a vegan, gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free lifestyle and for my paleo/grain free friends, take note of the changes needed (which have of course, been tested!).
HACK! To take the cinnamon/apple flavor up a notch, I highly recommend you use all natural apple AND cinnamon applesauce- It took me a while of hunting around but I was stoked to find this one available. That, paired with my favorite Saigon cinnamon = Cinnamon overload we can approve of.
Make this healthy Flourless Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Cake and let’s raise a slice to yummy shampoo.
Silly Niki.
Healthy Flourless Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
For the original option
- 2 1/4 cups gluten free rolled oats ground into a flour (2 cups total)
- 1/2 cup granulated sweetener of choice I used a monk fruit sweetener
- 1 T baking powder
- 1 T saigon cinnamon
- 2-3 T chopped dried apples optional
- pinch sea salt
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce I used a natural apple and cinnamon mix
- 1 cup dairy free milk
- 1 flax egg can sub for 1 large egg if not vegan
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 T nut butter of choice melted (I used drippy almond butter)
Paleo option
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 T Saigon cinnamon
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup maple syrup can sub for honey or agave
- 1/4 cup drippy almond butter can sub for cashew butter or coconut oil
- vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs whisked lightly
For the high protein frosting
- 3 scoops vanilla protein powder see recommendations under 'shop' tab
- 1-2 T granulated sweetener of choice optional
- 1-2 T nut butter of choice optional
- Dairy free milk to form batter
For cinnamon cream cheese frosting
- Dairy free cream cheese softened (can sub for any cream cheese)
- 2 T granulated sweetener of choice
- 1 T cinnamon
- Dairy free milk if needed
Instructions
For the breakfast cake
- Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan (or a baking dish) with cooking spray/oil/butter and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
- In a small bowl, whisk the milk, vanilla extract and egg/flax egg. Pour into the dry mixture, along with the unsweetened apple sauce. Add the melted nut butter (and maple syrup for paleo option) and mix very well until a batter is formed.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan or baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes on clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before serving or frosting, if desired.
For the frosting
- Add all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Using a tablespoon, add dairy free milk until a VERY thick batter is formed.
Notes
Healthy No Bake Superfoods Breakfast Cookies
Healthy 1 Minute Overnight ‘Baked’ Oatmeal
Healthy Breakfast Cookie Dough for ONE
Are you a fan of applesauce on its own?
Did you have a packed lunch growing up or did you buy it?
I traveled with Neil for his work when I wasn’t working and we had to stay in a hotel Mon-Fri for a couple weeks. We were used to making smoothies every day, but didn’t have a blender and didn’t want to buy them. So we stocked up on all the baby food we could and had our fruits and vegetables that way. IT WAS DELICIOUS.
omg. That is so funny. Baby food in place of fruit and veggies.
Hi,
I cannot have eggs, and I cannot have oats either, gluten free or otherwise. The Paleo version uses too many eggs for flax egg replacer, so I wonder if I could make the regular version with the flax egg and use Tapioca or Almond flour to substitute for the oat flour??
Hi Sonya- I’ve never tried that version, but please let me know if you do- I’d love to know!
I noticed that you put 1 cups of apple sauce in this recipe twice. Just wondering if it’s a typo?
Hi Susan- Apologies, one is for the original version and one is for the paleo option 🙂
What do you think about subbing coconut oil for nut butter in the original option? I only have peanut butter on hand and am thinking the flavor might come through too well.
Hi Melissa! I have used coconut oil in place of nut butter before and it works well- It might just be slightly more tender 🙂
Is it possible to use whey protein instead of casein, as that is what I have on hand?
Hi Christina! I haven’t had success with whey, as I find it really changes up the texture unfortunately- Even making it into a ‘frosting’ has this dilemma- It’s increasingly sticky and hard to work with.
I have yet to try this, but it sounds like it’ll be great. My littlest is lactose intolerant, I’m wheat intolerant and love to bake! This recipe makes me very happy.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear about both your dietary restrictions- Hopefully this recipe can be of solace 🙂
Hi, your frosting is the only one I can find that doesn’t use a ton of confectioner’s sugar! I’m wanting to try this for my daughter’s 2nd birthday cake. I’m really hoping it works out and looks and tastes as good as your pics. I just need to know how much cream cheese to use for an 9″ pan, please.
Hi Gizella! The cream cheese can be as thick or thin as you want- I love a thick frosting, so used a full 225 gram (8 oz) tub, softened 🙂
Hello, I’ve tried to make this cake twice now and no matter how long I bake it it doesn’t set – what could be the problem??? 🙁 I want to eat this so badly!!!
Hi Meli! Did you substitute any of the ingredients at all? Also which version did you try?
I made the original version and used an egg instead of the flax replacer for all three trys – On my first attempt I used maple syrup instead of coconut sugar – I assumed it was too much liquid so for my second attempt I used coconut sugar , 2 & 2/3 oatmeal flour and 1/3 CupforCup GF flour (instead of all oatmeal to soften the texture) and I still had a gushy inside after an hour of baking. I made it again a third time and cut all the liquids in half – 1/2 cup sugar free apple sauce, 1/2 cup almond milk, and 3 T almond butter and it turned out much better, even after an hour of baking. Unfortunately it’s not as fluffy as it could be or as your photos look, but at least I can finally eat it!! I think the next time I do this (I’m determined) I will use 2/3 of the liquid not just half and see how it turns out. I’m also 1, 045 meters above sea level so I’m not sure if that makes a difference in the amount of flour I use?
I am curious- do you tell the calorie count for your recipes? Sounds way too yummy to be lowcal too.
Sometimes, but you can easily calculate them too 🙂
Hi! I’m baking this now and I’m super excited! I was wondering if you have any vanilla protein powder substitutions for the frosting? Thanks in advance!
Hi there! Simply use your favorite vanilla frosting instead 🙂