Apple Crepe Cake with Caramel Sauce
This apple crepe cake with caramel sauce is made with layers of thin crepes and a soft cinnamon apple filling, then finished with crunchy walnuts and a drizzle of homemade caramel. All gluten-free and dairy free.
It has all the cozy flavors of caramel apple crepes but stacked into a beautiful layered cake. The apples and dried fruit provide much of the sweetness, while honey lightly sweetens the filling and maple sugar gives the caramel its deep flavor.
The cake is both gluten free and dairy free, requires no oven, and can be made ahead, making it especially nice for fall gatherings and holiday dessert tables.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Crepe Cake
- Layers of texture: thin flexible crepes, soft apple filling, crunchy walnuts and silky caramel.
- Gluten and dairy free: the crepes use sorghum and rice flour, while the caramel is made with coconut cream.
- No oven needed: everything is prepared on the stovetop.
- Not overly sweet: apples, raisins and cranberries provide natural sweetness with a little honey added to the filling.
- Make-ahead friendly: the cake actually benefits from chilling before slicing.
- Perfect for apple season: cinnamon, apples, walnuts and caramel make it especially good for fall and winter.
What Is a Crepe Cake?
A crepe cake, often called a mille crêpe cake, is made by stacking many thin crepes with filling between each layer. Mille means “thousand” in French, although the name refers to the appearance of many delicate layers rather than literally using a thousand crepes.
This version uses about 12–15 gluten-free crepes with a soft apple-cinnamon filling instead of the cream usually found in traditional crepe cakes. The result is somewhere between apple crepes with caramel sauce and a layered cake – soft enough to cut with a fork but sturdy enough to slice once chilled.
For a summer version made with fresh berries and cream, try my strawberry crepe cake.
A Healthier Take on Crepe Cake
This is still dessert, but I make this crepe cake a little differently from the typical cream-filled version.
The crepes are made with gluten-free whole-grain flours, while the filling is mostly fresh apples with raisins, cranberries, cinnamon and a small amount of honey. Instead of a heavy dairy-based caramel, this one uses coconut cream and maple sugar.
I don’t consider honey, dried fruit or maple sugar “sugar free”, they all contribute sweetness. I prefer this combination because it lets the apples remain the main part of the filling and keeps the cake flavorful without needing thick layers of frosting or cream.
Ingredients You’ll Need
There are three main parts to this apple crepe cake: gluten-free crepes, apple cinnamon filling and dairy-free caramel sauce. Exact quantities are in the recipe card below.
Gluten Free Crepes
The crepes are made with sorghum and rice flour, eggs, ground flax, water or plant milk, oil and vanilla. The batter is intentionally thin so it spreads quickly across the pan and makes flexible crepes suitable for layering.
If you want more tips on getting thin, flexible crepes, see my gluten free dairy free crepes recipe.
Apple Cinnamon Filling
Fresh apples are cooked until soft enough to mash and spread between the crepe layers. Raisins and dried cranberries add texture and sweetness, while cinnamon and honey bring everything together.
Dairy Free Caramel Sauce
The simple caramel is made with full-fat coconut cream, maple sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. It thickens as it cooks and even more as it cools.
Best Apples for Apple Crepe Cake
Unlike apple pie, where you usually want the slices to hold their shape, the apples in this recipe should become soft and spreadable.
McIntosh works especially well because it breaks down easily when cooked. You can also use Cortland, Fuji, Honeycrisp or a combination of sweet and tart apples.
If your apples stay fairly firm after cooking, simply mash them a little more with a fork. The filling should be soft enough to spread in a thin layer without tearing the crepes.
How to Make Apple Crepe Cake
1. Make the Crepe Batter
- Add the sorghum flour, rice flour, eggs, water or plant milk, oil, ground flax, salt and vanilla to a blender.
- Blend until completely smooth.
- Cover and let the batter rest for at least 1 hour. You can also prepare it the night before and refrigerate it.
- The rested batter should be very fluid, roughly the consistency of melted ice cream. If it becomes too thick while resting, add a little water.
2. Cook Thin Crepes
- Preheat a 9-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the center. Immediately lift the skillet away from the heat and swirl it so the batter spreads into a thin, even circle.
- Cook for about 1 minute, until the edges begin to release. Flip and cook the second side for about 20 seconds.
- Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
- You should get about 17 crepes, although you’ll usually need only 12–15 for the cake depending on how tall you want it.
3. Make the Apple Crepe Filling
- While the batter rests, prepare the apples.
- Cut the apples into cubes and place them in a large pot over medium heat with a small splash of water if needed.
- Cook for about 15 minutes, or until very soft.
- Mash the apples with a fork. Stir in the cinnamon, soaked raisins, soaked cranberries and a pinch of salt.
- Allow the mixture to cool, then stir in the honey.
- The finished apple crepe filling should be soft and spreadable rather than watery.
4. Layer the Crepe Cake
- Place a small spoonful of apple filling in the center of your cake platter to help hold the first crepe in place.
- Lay down one crepe and spread about 3 tablespoons of apple filling evenly over the surface.
- Place another crepe on top and repeat.
- Continue layering the crepes and apple filling until you’ve used the filling, usually about 12–15 layers.
- Finish with apple filling, chopped walnuts and a light dusting of cinnamon.
I also have the original version of this recipe on YouTube. If you’re a visual person, you can watch the step-by-step video here to see the general process and assembly. I’ve updated the recipe since then and made a few improvements, so you may notice some differences, follow the written recipe here for the current version.
5. Make the Dairy Free Caramel Sauce
- Add the coconut cream and maple sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a gentle boil, add the lemon juice, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, until the caramel begins to thicken.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Let the caramel cool before serving. It will continue thickening as it cools.
- Drizzle it over the whole cake or over individual slices just before serving.
If caramel is your favorite part, you may also like my vegan chocolate caramel slice with chewy dairy-free caramel and hazelnuts, or these salted caramel bliss balls made with dates, peanut butter and maple butter.
6. Chill Before Slicing
- Cover the assembled cake and refrigerate it for at least 1–2 hours, or overnight. This gives the crepes time to absorb a little moisture from the apples and helps the layers hold together when sliced.
- Drizzle with caramel just before serving.
Tips for the Best Crepe Cake
➤ Let the Batter Rest. The resting time gives the gluten-free flours and ground flax time to hydrate. This makes the batter easier to work with and helps the crepes stay flexible.
➤ Keep the Batter Thin. Crepe batter should be considerably thinner than pancake batter.
If it thickens as it sits, add a small amount of water and blend or whisk again.
➤ Swirl the Pan Immediately. As soon as the batter touches the skillet, lift and rotate the pan to spread it into a very thin layer. Waiting even a few seconds makes it harder to get an even crepe.
➤ Don’t Make the Apple Layers Too Thick. A thin, even layer of filling is better than packing lots of apples between each crepe. Too much filling can make the cake slide when you cut it.
➤ Let the Apples Cool Before Assembly. Hot filling can soften the crepes too quickly and make the finished cake less stable.
➤ Chill the Finished Cake. This is one of the most important steps. The cake becomes easier to slice after the apple filling and crepes have had time to settle together.
How to Serve Apple Crepe Cake
Serve the cake chilled or let it sit at room temperature briefly before slicing. Add the caramel sauce just before serving so you can control how much goes onto each slice.
For extra texture, add:
- chopped walnuts or pecans
- thin fresh apple slices
- a little extra caramel sauce
For another apple dessert with a more traditional baked texture, try my gluten free apple pie with crumble topping, made with cinnamon apples, an oat-flour crust and crunchy oat-walnut topping.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make Ahead
- This recipe works especially well for entertaining because all three components can be prepared ahead.
- The crepes can be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen. The apple filling and caramel can also be prepared separately and chilled.
- For the best texture, assemble the cake at least 1–2 hours before serving or make it the night before.
Storage
- Cover the assembled cake and refrigerate.
- It keeps well for about 2–3 days. Because the gluten-free crepes absorb some moisture from the apples as they sit, the layers soften without immediately becoming mushy.
- Store leftover caramel separately in a covered container and warm it gently if it becomes too firm.
Freezing
- For best results, I recommend freezing the crepes separately rather than freezing the fully assembled apple cake.
- Stack the crepes with parchment between them and wrap well. Thaw before assembling with fresh apple filling.
Tried this apple crepe cake? Tap the ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below the recipe card and let me know how it turned out. If you changed the apple variety or filling, I’d love to hear what worked for you.
Apple Crepe Cake with Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
For gluten free crepes
- ¼ cup white rice flour - or cassava flour
- ¼ cup sorghum flour
- ¼ cup almond flour - or tigernut flour
- 1¾ cup plant milk - nut or seed milk
- 3 medium eggs
- ⅓ cup avocado oil - or melted vegan butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
For apple filling
- 8-9 large sweet and sour apples - like Mcintosh apples
- ½ cup dried cranberries - soaked and softened
- ½ cup raisins - soaked and softened
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp honey - or maple syrup
- 1 tsp cinnamon
For caramel sauce
- ⅔ cup coconut cream - full fat can
- ⅔ cup maple sugar - or coconut sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Toppings
- 3 tbsp chopped walnuts - or pecans
- 1-2 tsp cinnamon - dusting
Instructions
Prepare the Crepe Batter
- Add all of the crepe ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth with no lumps.
- Cover and let the batter rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature or in the refrigerator. You can also prepare it the night before.
- If the batter becomes too thick after resting, add a little water until it has a very fluid consistency similar to melted ice cream.
Cook the Crepes
- Preheat a 9-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for 3–5 minutes.
- Pour about ¼ cup batter into the center of the pan. Immediately lift and swirl the skillet to spread the batter into a thin circle.
- Cook for approximately 1 minute, until the edges begin to release. Flip and cook the second side for about 20 seconds.
- Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
- The recipe makes approximately 17 crepes. You'll usually need 12–15 for the cake.For more detailed crepe troubleshooting, see my gluten free dairy free crepes recipe.
Prepare the Apple Filling
- While the crepe batter rests, cut the apples into cubes and transfer them to a large pot over medium heat.
- Add a small splash of water if needed to prevent sticking.
- Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the apples are very soft.
- Mash them with a fork and stir in the cinnamon, soaked cranberries, lemon juice and soaked raisins.
- Allow the mixture to cool, then stir in the sweetener.
Assemble the Apple Crepe Cake
- Place a small dollop of apple filling on a flat cake platter and set the first crepe on top to help keep it in place.
- Spread approximately 3 tablespoons of apple filling over the crepe.
- Top with another crepe and repeat until the filling is used, usually about 12–15 crepe layers.
- Finish with apple filling, chopped walnuts and a light dusting of cinnamon.
Make the Caramel Sauce
- Add the coconut cream and maple sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the lemon juice, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, until thickened.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Let cool. The caramel will continue thickening as it cools.
Chill and Serve
- Cover the cake and refrigerate for at least 1–2 hours, or overnight, to allow the layers to set.
- Drizzle the caramel sauce over the whole cake or individual slices before serving.
Notes
- Batter consistency: The crepe batter should be thin and fluid. Add a little water if it thickens after resting.
- Crepe yield: The recipe makes approximately 17 crepes; use 12–15 depending on how tall you want the cake.
- Apples: Softer varieties such as McIntosh work well because the filling needs to be spreadable.
- Filling: Don’t leave excess liquid in the apples or spread the filling too thickly between layers.
- Make ahead: Assemble the cake the night before and refrigerate until serving.
- Storage: Keep covered in the refrigerator for about 2–3 days.
- Freezing: Crepes can be frozen separately and thawed before assembling.
- Caramel: The sauce thickens as it cools. Gently warm it if needed before serving.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
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It was so goooooooooooooooood
I made this Apple Crepe Cake last week for my family where some are gluten or dairy sensitive and they raved about finally being able to eat good crepe cake without suffering.
Hi. Thank you so much for this very lovely looking dessert. Will get some apples today to try this! Just wondering how well does the assembled ‘cake’ keep in the fridge? Will it get all mushy? Many thanks for sharing.
Since the crepes are made with gluten free flours they tend to be a little dryer so they are absorbing some moisture from apples. In general I’m keeping this for 2-3 days with no problem, I can’t say it’s mushy. I hope you like it! 🙂
This crepe cake is so pretty! Looks delicious!
Thank you Natalie, I think that caramel drizzle makes all the difference 🙂
This crepe cake is so simple to make and yet so delicious, I never thought of this idea before… I made it yesterday as a test and all my family devoured it …definitely I’ll make it again!
That’s wonderful! whenever I have some extra crepes and extra cravings that’s what I make!