this grain free, gluten free apple “shortcake” makes the perfect birthday cake for anyone who is obsessed with apples.
The idea of an apple “shortcake” started as a hilarious joke between my boyfriend and myself. I actually have a couple of different birthday cake-inspired recipes to put up on the blog that I created before the apple shortcake, but you know, life is getting in the way. So for now, I’m going to start with the most recent birthday cake creation: an apple shortcake.
Okay back to the joke– well, I started with making a strawberry shortcake for my brother’s birthday (one of the cake recipes I have yet to upload because of the aforementioned life getting in the way), and my boyfriend, being obsessed with all things apple crisp, asked that his birthday cake be an apple shortcake. It was really just a troll, because is apple shortcake even a thing?? I attempted to Google “apple shortcake” before I made this one and I didn’t really find any results, so pretty sure it’s not a thing. But I was determined to make his birthday wishes come true. AND BOY, DID I!!
This cake is basically templated off the same strawberry shortcake I made, and I honestly can’t decide which one is more delicious. They were both so yummy.
The cake itself is made out of coconut flour, and it results in the perfect cake-meets-shortbread style base for this beautiful dessert. I also cannot lay claim to the invention of this cake recipe itself, it’s one I found on Instagram, however it has become a trusted base for almost any cake creation you can imagine, so definitely feel free to use it outside of this recipe, even if you’re just looking for a simple vanilla cake. I can definitely see myself making this for another special occasion, even if it’s not a birthday, like perhaps Rosh Hashanah when we’re all about apples and honey.
The cake is layered with an apple pie filling and meringue frosting, with additional frosting and apple pie filling saved for decorating the top of the cake too. You can feel free to experiment here, next time I may decide to double the apple pie filling and cover the whole top of the cake with it too! The more apples, the merrier, that’s what I always say…Yeah.
The meringue filling, is also not my own entirely– it’s a recipe based from @elanaspantry, however I give it my own flare by making it SCD friendly and by adding a couple of tablespoons of the apple pie filling folded into it, which really brings everything together. My boyfriend absolutely loved this cake, and I cannot wait to make it again!!
Please tag me on Instagram @grainfreee if you end up trying the recipe below!
apple shortcake: ingredients
cake
- 1 cup of coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 1 cup of melted coconut oil
- 1 cup of honey
- 8 eggs
- 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
apple filling
- 6 apples
- 2 tbsp of avocado oil
- 1 + 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
- 3 tbsp of honey
- 1/4 cup of water
meringue frosting
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 2-3 tbsp of your apple pie filling
apple shortcake: how to
cake
- in a large bowl, mix your wet ingredients.
- add your dry ingredients, and mix well.
- pour the batter into two round cake tins, approx 8 inches each, lined with parchment paper (I cut it into a circle to fit the tin).
- bake at 350 for 30 mins.
apple filling
- peel and dice all apples into small pieces.
- mix the apples in with the spices and honey.
- add the avocado oil to a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- add the apples mixture into the skillet once hot, and sautee for 25 minutes at medium heat.
- lower heat and add 1/4 cup of water, stirring, and allow to simmer for 10 more minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool.
meringue frosting
- once you’re ready to prepare your cake, then make your frosting
- heat the honey in a saucepan, stirring constantly. once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and allow to simmer for 6-10 minutes.
- while the honey heats, whip your egg whites using a hand mixer or stand mixer, forming stiff peaks.
- once the stiff peaks have formed with your egg whites, slowly drizzle in your hot honey and continue to mix, allowing it to become fluffy.
- allow to cool to room temperature before you fold in to the meringue frosting two to three tablespoons of your apple pie filling.
prepare your cake
- once you have everything prepared, place one of the vanilla cakes on a cake stand, and cover it in a layer of the meringue frosting.
- from there, add in a layer of the apple pie filling, and place the second cake atop it.
- finally, use up the remaining meringue to coat the top layer of the cake, and for decorative purposes, place the remaining apple pie filling on top of the cake.
- enjoy!!!
apple shortcake
Ingredients
vanilla cakes
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 8 eggs
apple filling
- 6 apples, peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp avocado oil sub coconut oil
- 1 + 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup water
meringue frosting
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2-3 tbsp apple pie filling
Instructions
vanilla cakes
- in a large bowl, mix your wet ingredients.
- add your dry ingredients, and mix well.
- pour the batter into two round cake tins, approx 8 inches each, lined with parchment paper (I cut it into a circle to fit the tin).
- bake at 350 for 30 mins. remove from oven and allow to cool completely (you could leave them in the fridge to get them cold).
apple pie filling
- peel and dice all apples into small pieces.
- mix the apples in with the spices and honey.
- add the avocado oil or coconut oil to a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- add the apples mixture into the skillet once hot, and sautee for 25 minutes at medium heat.
- lower heat and add 1/4 cup of water, stirring, and allow to simmer for 10 more minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool.
meringue frosting
- once you're ready to prepare your cake, then make your frosting.
- heat the honey in a saucepan, stirring constantly. once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and allow to simmer for 6-10 minutes.
- while the honey heats, whip your egg whites using a hand mixer or stand mixer, forming stiff peaks.
- once the stiff peaks have formed with your egg whites, slowly drizzle in your hot honey and continue to mix, allowing it to become fluffy.
- allow to cool to room temperature before you fold in to the meringue frosting two to three tablespoons of your apple pie filling.
put your apple shortcake all together
- once you have everything prepared, place one of the vanilla cakes on a cake stand, and cover it in a layer of the apple pie filling.
- from there, add in a layer of the apple pie meringue frosting, and place the second cake atop it.
- finally, use up the remaining meringue to coat the top layer of the cake, and for decorative purposes, place the remaining apple pie filling around the cake in a circular fashion.