Vegan Sheetpan Apple Bites
I recently made our vegan apple fritters and while I was happily deep-frying away in the kitchen, a friend asked me if it would work just as well in the oven. Honestly, it wasn't the first time I'd heard that — you've also been asking us in the comments under the apple fritter recipe. And as much as I love deep-frying, I totally get where this desire for baked apple fritters, apple cake bites, apple patties, little apple cakes — or whatever you want to call them — comes from. So here we go: today we're baking!
One Bowl, One Baking Sheet — It's That Simple!
The recipe turned out to be wonderfully simple, and I've already made it several times since, leaving my deep-frying pan sitting in the drawer. I hope it forgives me! You can make the apple cake bites as small or as large as you like, and they turn out like little juicy clouds with a slightly crispy sugar coating. Trust me, they'll be a hit at every birthday party, picnic, barbecue, and lazy Sunday baking session. The base batter — made from flour, sugar, baking powder, plant-based milk, vegan quark (a creamy, fresh cheese-style plant-based dairy alternative), and sparkling water — comes together quickly in a single bowl. I added chopped nuts for a little crunch, but feel free to leave them out if you have a nut allergy. Cinnamon, cardamom, and fresh ginger give the apple cake bites a little spice kick that makes them really special (and delicious).
Once you've folded the apple pieces into the batter, you can spoon it in small portions onto a baking sheet, sprinkle with a little sugar, and pop it in the oven.
Can You Make the Bites Ahead of Time? And How Long Do They Keep After Baking?
Yes, you can mix the batter a few hours in advance and keep it in the fridge. However, it does lose some of its leavening power over time. Since it comes together so quickly, I'd recommend mixing it fresh. The baked apple cake bites keep well in an airtight container for two to three days, and thanks to the vegan quark, they stay nice and moist even the next day.
Craving More? Here's More Handy Apple Baking!
If you've still got a few apples left and you're still hungry: our vegan yeast pancakes with apples are actually my all-time favorite pancakes and an essential part of a perfect weekend breakfast for me. Alternatively, you can cook the apples into a compote and serve it alongside vegan oat waffles
Vegan Sheetpan Apple Bites
Ingredients
- 300 g (2.5 cups) wheat flour (type 405)
- 100 g (0.5 cup) sugar
- 8 g (1.5 tsp) vanilla sugar
- 8 g (1 tbsp) baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 50 g (1.75 oz) chopped nuts
- 50 ml (0.25 cup) plant-based milk
- 50 ml (0.25 cup) sparkling water
- 250 g (8.75 oz) vegan skyr (quark)
- 20 g (0.75 oz) fresh ginger (alternatively ground ginger)
- 3 apples
- sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C/355 °F (fan). For the batter, first combine flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, baking powder, salt, chopped nuts, cinnamon, and cardamom. Then add plant-based milk, sparkling water, vegan quark, and freshly grated ginger and stir everything together.
Wash the apples and cut them into small pieces (but not too small). Fold two thirds of them into the batter. Spoon the batter in portions onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Distribute the remaining apple pieces on top and sprinkle the apple cake bites with an extra portion of sugar.
Bake in the oven at 180 °C/355 °F (fan) for approximately 20 minutes, until the apple cake bites are golden brown and baked through.
