Gluten-Free Cinnamon Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

I often hear people say, “I don’t normally like gluten-free cakes, but this one is amazing.” While flattering, that comment highlights a common misconception: gluten-free cakes are not automatically dry or dull. With the right flours they can be light, tender and packed with flavour.

This Apple and Cinnamon Cake is a good example. The chosen flours work together to enhance the gentle spice mix and deliver a soft, fluffy crumb you wouldn’t expect from a gluten-free bake.

Fresh autumn apples, warm spices, brown sugar and buckwheat combine to create a deeply flavoured sponge. The method is straightforward and doesn’t rely on complicated techniques.

Gluten-Free Flours Needed

Buckwheat Flour – A naturally gluten-free flour with a distinctive, nutty flavour that pairs beautifully with apple, spices and salted caramel.

Sweet Rice Flour (glutinous rice flour) – A starchy flour that brings structure and spring to gluten-free sponges. Use it in moderate amounts to avoid chewiness.

Potato Starch – A neutral filler that balances texture and prevents other flours from dominating the crumb.

You can substitute all the flours for a tested homemade gluten-free flour blend, but I don’t recommend swapping in a generic all-purpose gluten-free flour without checking the balance first.

How To Make Gluten-Free Cinnamon Apple Cake

The summary below outlines the main steps. Full measurements and detailed instructions are in the recipe card further down.

Make a smooth apple sauce by cooking diced apples until they break down into a pulp, then cool.

Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.

Sift the flours with spices and salt, then add the flour and apple sauce alternately until the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter between two 8-inch (20cm) round cake tins and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool the sponges completely before filling.

Expert Tips

• Use a flavourful eating apple for the apple sauce—Cox, Braeburn or Pink Lady work well.
• For creamed cakes, start with room-temperature butter and cream it well with the sugar until light and airy.
• Add eggs one at a time to protect against a bad egg and to keep the batter aerated.
• Add flour and apple sauce alternately (three additions of flour and two of apple sauce) for even mixing.
• Bake in the centre of the oven and let the sponges rest for a few minutes before removing from the tins so they spring back.

Homemade Salted Caramel

Filling and covering these sponges with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream elevates the cake. Homemade salted caramel is simple to make and far tastier than store-bought versions—just watch the hot sugar carefully while it melts.

How To Make It

1. Heat caster sugar in an even layer in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until it melts and turns amber.
2. Carefully add double cream and butter, stirring until smooth (it will bubble vigorously).
3. Stir in salt and vanilla, then remove from the heat and cool.

Salted Caramel Tips

• Use a heavy-bottomed pan to avoid hot spots and burnt sugar.
• Do not walk away while the sugar is melting; swirl the pan rather than stirring initially.
• Stand back when adding cream and butter, as the mixture can bubble up vigorously.
• If the caramel hardens after adding cold cream or butter, continue stirring—the heat will re-melt it.
• Pour out the caramel and immediately fill the pan with hot soapy water to soften any residue.

The recipe below makes a little extra caramel—use the surplus for drizzling when serving.

To finish the cake, easy decorative apple slices make a striking garnish and are quick to prepare.

How to make dried apples for cake decoration

This quick method produces pretty, slightly pliable apple slices that last 3–4 days on the cake.

1. Preheat oven to 140°C fan.
2. Slice apples very thinly across the core.
3. Place slices in water with lemon juice to prevent browning.
4. Dry on kitchen towel, arrange on parchment-lined trays and bake for 1 hour.
5. Turn off the oven and leave the slices inside to cool completely.

Tip: Don’t bother peeling or coring—the skins and core create an attractive star pattern.

How to freeze

Freeze sponges individually, wrapped well. Thaw in the fridge overnight then bring to room temperature before decorating.

How to store

Because the buttercream contains cream cheese, store the cake in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. Remove 1–2 hours before serving to come to room temperature for the best flavour and texture.

More Delicious Gluten-Free Apple Cakes

If you enjoy this recipe, try other apple bakes that are naturally gluten-free or easily adapted with similar flour blends for great texture and flavour.

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream

A layered Apple and Cinnamon Cake where buckwheat complements cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg. The cream cheese buttercream spiked with homemade salted caramel makes this cake special.