This apple coffee cake is luscious and rich, spiced with cinnamon and cloves and topped with toasted walnuts and a vegan coconut caramel sauce! It's paleo, gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free.
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a separate bowl mix in the almond flour and arrowroot starch along with the ground cinnamon, ground cloves, grated nutmeg, baking soda and cream of tartar (or baking powder), and salt. If you want to keep it strictly paleo use baking soda and cream of tartar, because baking powder typically has cornstarch in it.
Peel and grate the apples and squeeze out all of the excess moisture. Measure one cup of the grated and squeezed apples and add it to the batter.
Bake in 375F oven for 38-40 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. The edges of the cake should be deep brown in color.
For the caramel sauce, place the coconut milk, coconut sugar and a couple of pinches of salt in a small pot and bring to boil.
Turn the heat down to low and simmer on low for about 40-50 minutes while stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. The sauce will reduce and turn deep caramel color. It’s done when it coats the back of the spoon. Keep in mind that it will thicken a little more once it cools down.
Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla paste or extract and set aside to cool. Makes about 8oz of caramel sauce.
Once both cake and sauce have cooled down, drizzle the caramel sauce all over the cake and serve!
Cake will keep for 4 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Apple cake can not be frozen. Vegan caramel sauce will keep for 7-10 days stored in the fridge.