Paleo Apple Cinnamon Poke Cake with Caramel Sauce
Paleo Apple Cinnamon Poke Cake with Caramel Sauce is grain-free, with low carb, and dairy-free options.
I love caramel apples but they do not love my teeth or my waistline. I wanted to get some of that caramel apple flavor into an apple cinnamon cake, but still have it be grain-free, paleo-friendly, and have a low-carb option.
I made an apple cinnamon upside-down cake, then I poked holes in the top and poured caramel sauce over it.
But of course, you can just eat it as an upside-down cake, without poking holes or making caramel sauce.
I really liked how the caramel sauce turned out, and think I might need to put it on coconut milk ice cream or on other treats.
I have been eating this cake with breakfast and it is perfect with the morning coffee.
My family (the food critiques) all agreed that this cake is a keeper. It is so much easier than making an apple pie.
The cinnamon and nutmeg in the cake smell amazing while mixing and baking.
Cinnamon and nutmeg have so many amazing health benefits, as well as adding delicious flavor to this cake. I listed some of the health benefits, so you can feel even better about this healthy cake.
Health Benefits of Cinnamon:
- Supports healthy digestion
- Can relieve congestion
- Helps alleviate stiff muscles and joints
- Stimulates circulation
- Anti-inflammatory
- Can help prevent urinary tract infections, tooth decay and gum disease
- Anti bacterial agents
(Health Benefits of Cinnamon Source)
Health Benefits of Nutmeg:
- Can help with insomnia
- Calms anxiety
- Calms muscle spasm
- Supports healthy digestion
- Eases joint pain and gout
- Can lower blood pressure
- Can improve concentration and focus
- Helps increase circulation
- Can lower cholesterol
( Nutmeg health benefit source)
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RECIPE AND DIRECTIONS BELOW:
📖 Printable Recipe Card
Paleo Apple Cinnamon Poke Cake with Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- BOTTOM FRUIT LAYER:
- 2 ½ tablespoon butter or coconut oil melted, where to buy coconut oil
- 2 tablespoon Sweetener of choice: 2 tablespoon coconut sugar, for paleo or for low carb use 2 tablespoon erythritol
- ½ large apple cored and sliced
- 2 tablespoon walnut pieces *optional
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- APPLE CAKE INGREDIENTS:
- 3 eggs beaten
- 3 tablespoon unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk
- ⅓ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ⅓ cup Sweetener of choice: ⅓ cup pure maple syrup or for low carb use ⅓ cup low carb maple syrup + 20 drops (¼ tsp) liquid stevia.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup coconut flour sifted
- CARAMEL SAUCE INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoon butter or ghee, or coconut oil
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream or full fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon Sweetener of choice: 2 tablespoon coconut sugar for paleo, or for low carb use 2 tablespoon erythritol (Swerve)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease or oil a 9 inch cake pan or 8x8 baking pan.
- Making the bottom fruit layer first. Place 2 ½ tablespoon melted butter or coconut oil in the bottom of pan and swirl around to cover the bottom of pan.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoon of sweetener of choice all over melted butter or oil in pan.
- Layer apple slices over the bottom of pan on top of the butter and sweetener. Sprinkle the apple slices with optional walnuts and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the apple cake: 3 eggs beaten, tablespoon unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk, ⅓ cup unsweetened apple sauce, sweetener of choice: ⅓ cup pure maple syrup (paleo), or for low carb use ⅓ cup low carb maple syrup + 20 drops liquid stevia, 1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, ½ cup coconut flour, sifted, adding coconut flour last.
- Stir vigorously while scraping the sides of bowl. Be sure to break up any coconut flour clumps.
- Once thoroughly combined, pour or spoon cake batter over the apple fruit layer in the pan. Spread cake batter around evenly.
- Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center of cake is done.
- Remove from oven and cool.
- Can make optional caramel sauce while cake cools, or if skipping caramel sauce then can turn cake upside down on a plate once cooled.
- In a small sauce pan over medium high heat combine and melt: 2 tablespoon butter or coconut oil, 3 tablespoon heavy cream or coconut milk, and 2 tablespoon sweetener of choice (do not add vanilla extract yet).
- Stir continuously while heating to a low boil. Once at a low boil remove from heat. Add and stir in the ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Use a butter knife between cake and side of pan to slide around and loosen cake.Take a large plate and put over the top of cake pan, and turn plate and cake pan over. Making cake upside down with fruit now on top of cake.
- Poke holes all over top of cake with metal or bamboo skewer.
- Pour or spoon caramel sauce over top of cake.
- Slice and serve. Store unused portions in the fridge.
Debbie Fleischer
My other comment was that I used maple sugar for the caramel sauce. Sorry
Stacey
No worries, I fixed it
Debbie Fleischer
This was a great cake. It was so yummy. I used maple sugar for the caramel sauce and it was so good. Definitely would make again.
Stacey
Thank you so much, Debbie 🙂
Joy H.
This sounds too good to be low carb,but I am making it for hubby
Stacey
Joy, thanks for trying the recipe. It is not a super low carb recipe, but is fairly low carb as compared to other Apple cakes.
Suzan
What can I use if I can't get low carb maple syrup? Also how much sweetness are you aiming for in each part compared to sugar? If I know the equivalence to sugar I can sub any sweetener. I like liquid sucralose. I don't live in the US and haven't seen low carb maple syrup here.
Thanks.
Suzan
SunnySky
Can't wait to try this tasty recipe. I like that it uses coconut flour since almond flour doesn't like me. 🙂
Stacey
Sunny, I think you will like it.
~Stacey
Ken Hulme
What makes this recipe "Poke"? I understand the Hawai'ian word "poke" means "to cut" and refers to an island dish of chopped raw tuna with other ingredients. I also understand "Poke Weed" and Poke Salat or Salad, both of which are now largely gone from the culinary world because prepared incorrectly they can kill you. But it seems to make no sense in connection with this recipe.
Stacey
Ken, in the post and directions, it shows that a poke cake is a cake in which holes are poked with a skewer, so that the caramel sauce, when poured over the cake will get the caramel throughout the cake. There is not "Hawaiian Poke" in this cake or the poisonous weed you mentioned.
~Stacey
Jeani
Is that really only... ½ large apple, cored and sliced... in the photo or did you use more to photograph well?
Stacey
Jeani, It was half of possibly a slightly over-sized apple, and I did slice it very thin. But I use a macro lens which makes the slices look bigger and thicker. I use it because it captures small details in food, although it does make items look bigger than the are in person. I make sure not to photograph people with that lens, lol.