Very soft and fluffy sponge cake made with fresh apples. It is so good that you won’t believe it’s a gluten-free cake.
This gluten-free apple sponge cake was created during apple season. I used this really good gluten-free pandan chiffon cake recipe and tweak it a bit to make this sponge cake. It turned out great. It is soft and spongey. Because this is baked using a regular round pan, I baked it using the water-bath method to avoid the cake from cracking on top and collapsing during cooling down. The water-bath method takes longer to bake, but it produces a very stable, light, airy, and moist cake at the same time.
The recipe rundown
Taste: Lightly sweetened
Texture: Soft, airy, and spongey
Level: Intermediate
Pros: This cake is gluten-free but you don’t need to get a store-bought gluten-free flour mix
Cons: The water-bath method takes longer to bake
What kind of apples to use?
I only had Granny Smith apple and so that’s what I used. You can use honey crisp, Braeburn, pink lady, and Fuji apples.
How to make gluten-free apple sponge cake
1. Thinly sliced apple, aim for 8 slices and toss them with some cinnamon powder
2. Preheat oven at 325 F (160 C). We will bake this cake using a water bath method if you bake it using a round pan. Get 2 pan, one 7×3 inch round pan to bake the cake and another larger pan so the 7 inch pan can sit inside. Line the bottom of the round cake pan with a parchment paper
3. Mix the yolks, oil, apple puree, sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
4. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet and stir to combine.
5. It will be a bit lumpy because of the apple puree, but that’s fine as long as there is no loose flour in the batter. Set aside
6. Make sure the mixing bowl and the whip attachment are clean and grease-free. Beat the egg whites on medium speed (speed 4 on KA) until frothy. Add the vinegar and beat again for another minute then gradually add sugar in 3 batches. Whip until the meringue reaches a stiff peak with a slight bent on the tip. You can always stop to check halfway
7. Gently fold 1/3 of the meringue into the cake batter
8. Using a rubber spatula or a whisk (I actually prefer to use a whisk now), swipe from the side and gently fold over to mix and then continue. Repeat this motion several rounds
9. Continue on with the second 1/3 of the meringue again to mix. Continue to do this until you are done with the meringue and the batter and meringue are nicely mixed
10. Pour the batter into an UNGREASED cake pan. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the surface. Gently drop the cake pan from about 10 cm height on the counter 2-3 times. This helps to pop large bubbles inside the cake batter
11. Very gently arrange the apple slices on top of the cake
12. Put the cake pan inside another larger pan. Fill the large pan with hot water, about 1 inch high. Gently transfer to the oven and bake on the middle rack for 1 hour 30 minutes.
13. The cake should bounce back when you gently touch it. It should be dry to touch. The cake shouldn’t jiggle when you gently shake the pan. A cake tester should come out clean
14. Take the pan out from the oven. Wipe the bottom of the pan because it’s wet and drop the pan from about 10 cm height several times to minimize shrinkage. Run an offset spatula or rubber spatula around the side of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert the cake onto the cooling rack to release the cake
15. Flip the cake back. Let it cools down completely on the cooling rack before slicing
Can I bake this recipe in a chiffon tube pan?
Yes, you can use this recipe to bake in a chiffon cake tube pan. The recipe will fit into a 7-inch (18 cm) tube pan. Simply bake at 330 F for 45 minutes and then 5-10 minutes at 300 F and then immediately invert the pan to let the cake cools down completely.
Tips for success
1. Make sure ingredients like eggs are at room temperature
2. Make sure the mixing bowl and whip attachment are grease-free or you will have trouble whipping the meringue
3. Do not use non-stick pan as the cake needs to cling to the pan to rise
4. If you are using a round pan, using a water-bath method is the best to prevent cracks on the surface of the cake
Did you make this gluten-free apple sponge/chiffon cake recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Soft and Fluffy Gluten-Free Apple Sponge/Chiffon Cake
Ingredients
Cake batter:
- 60 gr egg yolks (room temperature) about 3 yolks (please go by weight)
- 45 gr cooking oil
- 60 gr apple
- 20 gr granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
Dry ingredients:
- 70 gr rice flour
- 30 gr corn starch
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
Meringue:
- 90 gr egg whites (room temperature) about 3 egg whites (please go by weight)
- 60 gr granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vinegar
To decorate:
- 8 thin slices of apples
- ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
Instructions
- Peel and core one medium to large apple. You only need 60 grams for the puree and 8 thin slices to decorate. Blend the apple into puree texture. You can also use an equal amount of unsweetened apple sauce
- Coat the apple slices with about 1/4 tsp of cinnamon powder
Prepare the cake batter:
- Preheat oven at 325 F (160 C). We will bake this cake using a water bath method if you bake it using a round pan. Get 2 pan, one 7x3 inch round pan to bake the cake and another larger pan so the 7 inch pan can sit inside. Line the bottom of the round cake pan with a parchment paper
- If you are using chiffon tube pan, do not grease the pan and you don't need to line the bottom of the pan either. We won't be using a water-bath method with chiffon tube pan
- Whisk to combine all the dry ingredients
- Mix the yolks, oil, apple puree, sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet and stir to combine. It will be a bit lumpy because of the apple puree, but that's fine as long as there is no loose flour in the batter. Set aside
Make the meringue:
- Make sure the mixing bowl and the whip attachment are clean and grease-free. Beat the egg whites on medium speed (speed 4 on KA) until frothy. Add the vinegar and beat again for another minute then gradually add sugar in 3 batches. Whip until the meringue reaches a stiff peak with a slight bent on the tip. You can always stop to check halfway
Fold the meringue into cake batter:
- Gently fold 1/3 of the meringue into the cake batter. Using a rubber spatula or a whisk (I actually prefer to use a whisk now), swipe from the side and gently fold over to mix and then continue. Repeat this motion several rounds. Continue on with the second 1/3 of the meringue again to mix. Continue to do this until you are done with the meringue and the batter and meringue are nicely mixed
Baking in a round pan:
- Pour the batter into an UNGREASED cake pan. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the surface. Gently drop the cake pan from about 10 cm height on the counter 2-3 times. This helps to pop large bubbles inside the cake batter. Very gently arrange the apple slices on top of the cake
- Put the cake pan inside another larger pan. Fill the large pan with hot water, about 1 inch high. Gently transfer to the oven and bake on the middle rack for 1 hour 30 minutes. The cake should bounce back when you gently touch it. It should be dry to touch. The cake shouldn’t jiggle when you gently shake the pan. A cake tester should come out clean
Baking in a chiffon tube pan:
- Pour the batter into an UNGREASED chiffon cake pan. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the surface. Gently drop the cake pan from about 10 cm height on the counter 2-3 times. This helps to pop large bubbles inside the cake batter. Very gently arrange the apple slices on top of the cake
- Bake at 330 F (165 C) for 45 minutes and then 300 F (150 C) for 5-10 minute or until cake tester comes out clean.
Cooling down:
- If using round pan: Take the pan out from the oven. Wipe the bottom of the pan because it's wet and drop the pan from about 10 cm height several times to minimize shrinkage. Run an offset spatula or rubber spatula around the side of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert the cake onto the cooling rack to release the cake and then flip it back. Let it cools down completely on the cooling rack before slicing
- If using chiffon pan: Once out of the oven, drop the cake pan from about 10 cm height on the counter several times to prevent shrinkage. Then carefully invert the pan upside down. Please don't be tempted to remove from the pan if it's still warm. It takes about one to two hours to cool down completely
- Remember to use a serrated knife and using a sawing motion to cut the cake to prevent squishing the cake
2 comments
Hi Marvellina. Love your recipes and blog. Am looking forward to making this delicious sounding apple chiffon cake. Would it be possible to substitute the rice flour and cornstarch with an equal amount of cake flour? Thank you.
Hi Jean, thank you for your kind words. The rice flour and cornstarch can’t be 1:1 substitution with cake flour, unfortunately. Gluten-free flour behaves a bit differently from flour with gluten. You are certainly welcomed to try though, it might work.