Apple zucchini snack cake is made with wholesome ingredients for a delicious but healthy afternoon treat. This cake is not too sweet and the perfect bite when you’re in need of a nourishing energy boost. Gluten free and dairy free.
NOTE: This is an older recipe of mine first published on Nourish Every Day in February 2015! I have re-tested the recipe, made some adjustments and added some (hopefully much better!) photos. A new and improved Apple Zucchini Snack Cake!
With my kitchen up and running again after a few months of renovations, I have been LOVING my new oven. Many batches of brownies have been tested already, and we’ve had a few pizza nights…all so yum! Happy days. I’ve also been taking some time to review my blog and revamp some of my very old favourites; including this apple zucchini snack cake. I’ve been making this cake for longer than the blog has existed!
This one isn’t really quite sure whether it’s a bread or a cake, but it’s got quite a nice sweet taste to it so I’ve said it’s a cake. Also the idea of a “snack cake” really appeals to me, because who wants to reserve cake just for special occasions? Snack cake can be eaten any old day, any day you need a snack.
Packing together:
- grated apple,
- grated zucchini,
- almond meal and
- buckwheat flour,
apple zucchini snack cake has a pretty nutritious base. Only 5 tablespoons of honey are used to sweeten the cake (I think you could cut this down to 3 tbsp if you want to go lower sugar), so there’s not too much sugary-ness going on here either. I do like to add a sprinkle of sultanas into the batter for little sweet bursts, but again this is optional. For texture, adding a half cup of chopped pecans or walnuts is also delish.
For convenience, I like to bake this apple zucchini snack cake in a loaf tin so that it can be sliced up and stored easily. This is something I like to make as part of meal prep; I’ll keep a few slices in the fridge and then freeze the rest. You can let it defrost and eat cold, or toast it in a pan (just cook it a minute or two on each side, SO easy) or sandwich press if you have one. I’m also partial to adding on a little butter or nut butter!
Apple Zucchini Snack Cake
A gluten free and dairy free apple zucchini snack cake made with wholesome ingredients for a delicious but healthy afternoon treat. This cake can be frozen and is great to have on hand when you need a little energy boost.
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized apple (I often use a Granny Smith apple)
- 1 medium-sized zucchini
- 150 grams almond meal - 1 and 1/2 cups
- 105 grams buckwheat flour - 3/4 cup
- 30 grams tapioca flour - approx. 4 tablespoons
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp bicarb soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 60 mL coconut oil measured melted - scant 1/4 cup
- 5 tbsp honey or other liquid sweetener of choice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup sultanas - OPTIONAL
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds - OPTIONAL (for topping the cake)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 C. Line a small baking tin with baking paper; I used a small loaf tin which has approximately a 1-litre capacity.
Grate zucchini and apple and set aside.
Combine almond flour, buckwheat flour, tapioca flour, bicarb, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, honey and vanilla.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine to form a smooth batter. It will be thick, almost like a wet dough. As the mixture is coming together, stir in the grated apple, grated zucchini and sultanas (if using them) as well.
Once the ingredients are combined, add in the 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar and stir the batter so it's just mixed in. (It will react with the bicarb, creating bubbles and giving rise and softness).
Scoop the mixture into your baking tin and smooth down the top evenly. Sprinkle over pumpkin seeds if using. Bake for approximately 45-55 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the centre of the cake feels firm to touch. (Baking time will depend on your oven, they all vary, and shape of your baking tin - a loaf tin will take a little longer as the cake is deeper).
Allow the cake to cool fully on a wire rack, then slice.
Recipe Notes
*What size baking tin should I use? As I mention in the recipe, I use a small loaf tin (1-litre capacity) to get a tall, small loaf cake. You could also use a small cake tin, I recommend using one that is no bigger than 20cm diameter or 20cm square.
*If you don't want to add in the sultanas you could also try adding in some chopped up nuts; walnuts or pecans would be super yum.
p.s. I’ve realised I have an obsession with baking with zucchini. If you wanna try some more zucchini baking recipes…
- Almond Flour Lemon Zucchini Loaf Cake
- Grain Free Zucchini Banana Bread
- Oat, Hazelnut and Zucchini Cake
- Nut Free, Grain Free Zucchini Bread
Tracy says
August 9, 2018 at 3:43 pmHi Monique, do you think I could substitute a mashed banana or some other fruit type puree in place of the rice malt syrup and honey? I’m trying to find a recipe which is naturally sweetened for a young toddler..
Monique says
August 10, 2018 at 3:13 pmHi Tracy, thank you for your message. Firstly, I apologise as there was an error in that recipe – it only needs honey, not rice syrup as well. I think you could swap the honey for some mashed banana – to stop the loaf being too wet I would reduce the coconut oil by half. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Tracy says
August 11, 2018 at 2:52 pmHi Monique,
I used a medium banana that wasn’t too ripe (just right for eating), didn’t add honey and didn’t reduce the oil. Baked them as mini muffins for 20 mins @ 180 deg. They turned out beautiful and moist and sweet enough for 2nd. I didn’t add any vanilla (in the instructions but not in the ingredients) either.
Thanks
Tracy says
August 11, 2018 at 3:09 pmSorry I meant sweet enough for me, not 2nd..
Monique says
August 16, 2018 at 11:21 amHi Tracy, thank you so much for getting back to me and letting me know how it turned out with the banana. I often have far too many ripe bananas so I will try the cake this way myself now 🙂 Oh gosh and I’m sorry about leaving out the vanilla too; I am having an absolute shocker with this recipe! I think I’m a bit too busy at the moment!
jen says
March 16, 2018 at 10:45 amcan i replace the buckwheat flour with anything? i only have almond, oat, arrowroot, or coconut flours on hand..
Monique says
March 17, 2018 at 4:03 pmHi Jen, I think you could use oat flour instead, it’s slightly drier in texture than buckwheat though so you may need to reduce the amount slightly 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!