Kale cake? Yes! You can’t taste the kale in this delicious vegetable cake, but it gives this cake a bright green colour and leaves some goodness behind. Hundreds of readers have made it and loved it.
Kale Cake! From Veggie Desserts + Cakes published by Pavilion Books. Image: Clare Winfield
Kale Cake
I love this kale cake so much, that I’ve included it in my debut cookbook, Veggie Desserts + Cakes, all about vegetable cake recipes and vegetables in other desserts!
It has long been popular on this blog and hundreds of readers have written to me to tell me how much they’ve loved it.
I hope you love this vegetable cake too. Find out more about my vegetable cake cookbook.
This is the most popular vegetable cake recipe on my blog, with countless readers making it time and again.
Kale has risen up the ranks to become the world’s trendiest leafy green, but I’ve shunned the usual kale chips and smoothies, and made it naughty by baking it into a cake.
Apple Kale Cake
This kale cake has a delicate apple-flavoured sponge, topped with a zesty apple icing and, although there is quite a bit of kale, the flavour doesn’t overpower the other ingredients.
I’ve found that the fresher the kale, the brighter the colour of the cake.
When I can get my hands on freshly picked local heads of kale, the green is incredibly vibrant.
Supermarket bags of chopped kale also work fine, but the colour can occasionally turn out a little less bright.
But don’t be tempted to add more kale to make the colour brighter or its flavour will come through too much!
Why Make Kale Cake
I’ve added applesauce to this veg cake, so less oil needs to be used.
This kale cake is sweet without being too sugary and has moist texture, as vegetable cakes often do.
For the icing, instead of the usual buttercream I beat the powdered sugar with applesauce and just a little butter to solidify it.
The tangy sweet icing compliments this vegetable cake well.
I know that you’re still sceptical.
Heck, I would be if I hadn’t tried it.
More Vegetable Cake Recipes
If you’re looking for more unusual vegetable cake recipes, try:
cauliflower banana bundt cake with cinnamon icing
lemon cucumber cake with gin icing
vanilla pea cake.
Kale Cake Recipe Testimonials
I’ve had LOADS of readers make this kale cake again and again, so here are some of their thoughts:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This was great – and I entered it to a competition and won first prize! Thanks!” – Mark
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “It was fun to keep people guessing as to why it was green. Needless to say, the cake received lots of compliments and there was none left. Several people asked where I found the recipe.” – Megan
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “It was very tasty!” – Laurel
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I just made this cake.. It’s delicious!!!!! Will definitely make it again” – Caroline
Vegan Kale Cake
And a reader successfully made it into a vegan kale cake:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Delicious! I made it with flax “eggs” – came out great! Thank you for the beautiful recipe.” – Lyd
Tips for Making Kale Cake
- Puree the kale very well, making a slightly stringy paste, in order to get an even green colour.
- If necessary, add a little of the applesauce to the kale to make pureeing easier.
- A hand blender/emersion blender works best to puree the kale.
- Readers have had success using flax eggs to make a vegan kale cake.
- Use any apples that you like to eat, gala, cox etc…
- Fresh kale can produce a more vibrant colour, though supermarket bags of chopped kale still work well.
- Don’t be tempted to add more kale to get a brighter colour or the flavour will come through too much.
- Check out my other naturally green vegetable cakes!
Get the Kale Cake Recipe
If you make this kale and apple cake recipe, please tag it with #veggiedesserts on Instagram or other social media. I LOVE seeing your recreations of my recipes! Also, pop down to the comment and let me know how you got on with the recipe. It’s always great to hear from my readers.
Kale and Apple Cake with Apple Icing
Ingredients
- 3 cups loosely packed, (200g) kale raw, woody stalks discarded)
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup (100ml) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (100g) applesauce (see notes on how to make your own)
- 3/4 cup (175g) granulated sugar
- 2 apples peeled and grated
- 2 cups (250g) plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Apple Icing
- 2 cups (250g) icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 tablespoons applesauce smooth, puree if necessary
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line 2 x 8”(20cm) round cake tins with baking paper.
- Tear the kale leaves into bite-sized pieces and boil or steam for a few minutes until tender. Refresh by running under cold water, drain and puree well with a hand blender.
**Kale is one of the more difficult vegetables to puree since it's quite fibrous. I've found that a hand blender works best. Persevere for a few minutes to blitz the fibrous leaves to a paste. If necessary, add a little of the applesauce when pureeing to make it easier to blitz.**
It will still be slightly stringy. Set aside. - Beat the eggs, oil, vanilla, applesauce and sugar together well with an electric mixer. Beat in the kale puree and grated apple.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and gently combine, taking care not to overmix at this stage.
- Pour into the prepared tins and bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Cool for 2 minutes in the tins and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the Apple Icing:
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the other ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. - Store in the fridge until ready to use. Frost the completely cooled cake.
Recipe Tips
Nutrition Information
Kathy K
I made these as mini cupcakes, but used a Two Sisters Cinnamon Buttercream frosting instead. Decadent, I know, but I was looking for a frosting that I could use to make the cupcakes look pretty! Anyhow, they are getting raves! The cake is very moist!
Kelsey
These are great! Just a hint of kale. I did a half recipe and got 12 cupcakes baked for 21 minutes. I prefer the icing a little less sweet, but otherwise awesome.
Tas
Hi Kate, just found you, and have become an instant fan. I tried this cake today, and it came out a little doughy although the family thought it was great. Does yours? Or should I have left it in the oven for longer? It passed all the ‘done’ tests: was brown around the edges, which came away from the sides, and the skewer came out clean. I do have a fan forced oven though and it usually converts 180 Celsius to 160 Celsius … is your recommended oven temp for a fan forced oven? Really want to perfect this – I’m a dietitian and really want to recommend your website to patients too! Thankyou x
Anna Rumming-Pain
I really want to try this! Is the apple sauce shop bought? If so, where can I get it? Or is it homemade? If so, how do I make it? Sorry, complete novice!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi! I sometimes buy applesauce (it’s with other condiments like mint sauce etc…), or else I make my own. Peel and core apples, then slice thinly and put into a pan with a tablespoon of water. Cook until the apples are soft, then puree.
Janice
What a wonderful recipe! It’s so unusual and looks absolutely delicious
Amanda
I made it and it was so amazing!!!! Im going to make another for my bbq. I love this cake!
Tina
I made this for St. Patrick’s Day. Such an amazing green cake!
YVETTE VAN DER BERG
In my country we dont have applesauce or I dont seem to know where. I googled subsitutes for applesauce and it said oil. Considering there is already oil in this recipe what else do I put in then?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Yvette, it’s really simple to make your own applesauce. Just peel, core and slice two apples and heat them in a saucepan with 1 tbsp of water until soft. Then puree with a hand held stick blender until smooth. Then just use the amount called for in the recipe. I hope that helps!
Kyla Matton Osborne | 24 Carrot Diet
THis is such a pretty cake, and I LOVE the idea of making a cake with kale. But 200 g of kale? That’s a HUGE amount! I’m going to have to find a better (and cheaper) source of greens if I want to try this recipe. Kale is like $3-4 for a handful here 🙁
Susa K
I made this again today for a kids dinosaur party cake. everyone loved it.
Sues
omg I loved this cake. So much fun and the color was amazing!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
Yum! This looks delicious! So creative that you used kalee!
Helene
Wooah that cake is really deep green! I never used kale in cake but after seeing yours I might be adventures to give it a go.
Elizabeth
I’ve tried, and loved, quite a few of your recipes, but I can’t believe I’ve never tried making this one yet! It’s on the list!
Brandi
I have never seen kale in cake! How creative it looks gorgeous.
sue | theviewfromgreatisland
I believe in eating the rainbow, but that usually doesn’t include desserts ~ this is fabulous!
Julia
Whaaat? A kale cake? I have to try this – love the flavor combo!
Razena
I must confess I don’t particularly love chewing kale so I rarely buy it for cooking. I find baby kale more palatable and have added it to fritters and smoothies. I would never have thought of using it in a cake but this will be an excellent way to get some good green veg into my nephews ????
Natalia
This is such a creative way to incorporate more kale in our diet. Once I’ve made a spinach cake and my kids loved its green colour (an unusual colour for a cake!). I’m sure they will love the kale cake too! Looks delicious and super healthy!
Ewelina
Hello,
Made this cake twice and must say huge disappointment!! It didn’t bake inside is hard and glue 🙁 I did everything like in instruction:( and still don’t know why it didn’t grow:(
Ewelina
Do you think the problem could be that I beat the eggs until smooth and fluffy and then added the rest of the ingredient?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, that’s such a shame! I’ve made this many many times and it’s always worked fine. I find that often the problem with cakes failing is that the baking powder is a bit old and therefore doesn’t work properly and the cake doesn’t rise as it should. Might that be the case? If you try with a new pot of baking powder and follow the instructions exactly then it should work.
I hope you have better luck if you try again.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
Seriously, I love everything about this cake.
MC
Not sure where we went wrong, We’re usually pretty good at following instructions, but our cake looked nothing like the one in your (beautiful) photo. Is that recipe really enough for TWO layers, or was I supposed to double it for a two layer cake? Each layer was only about a half-inch think, and they weren’t nice and green, more like beige with green sprinkles throughout. Any idea what we might have messed up? We’ll have to give this another try…
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, I’m so sorry that you’ve had trouble making the cake. I’ve made it myself many times and I’ve had hundreds of readers get in contact to say that they’ve made it as well and many have made it again and again.
The reason that it wasn’t green is that the kale wasn’t pureed enough. A hand held stick/emersion blender words the best to get into a puree.
I’m really not sure why the cake didn’t rise for you. Perhaps the baking powder wasn’t fresh? The recipe as it is is enough for two layers.
I’m not sure what went wrong for you – such a shame!
sandra
Hi, any idea if I could omit the eggs? and substitute it with something else? Pls recommed. Thanks.
Samantha
Hi! So love the flavor of this cake but quick question… I used coconut flour and it is pretty dry. I am not sure where to change amounts of ingredients any suggestions to compensate for the denseness of the coconut flour? maybe more applesauce? Thanks!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, I haven’t tested this cake with coconut flour, so if you’re used to substituting it in cakes then I suppose just adapt it how you normally would. Using standard flour this is a very moist cake – definitely not dry. Let me know how you get on.
Kellie
Hello! I really want to make this cake. Have you ever tried making it with whole wheat flour, oat flour or coconut flour? Would the ratio’s change? Any guidance on either of the options i listed would be helpful, i just am trying not to use white flour! TIA!!!
Julietta Patnick
Hi, I bake with wholemeal flour regularly as one family member needs high fibre. But there’s so much fibre in this that white flour was ok. If using wholemeal flour, I usually have to add extra liquid and sometimes n extra egg
Nikki
Hi- I can across your recipe on my local farmer’s market newsletter. It was def intriguing- in fact, the cake is cooling now! I do have one question- 200g or 2 cups packed: my 2 cups packed was only 100g. I ended up adding more kale, but wanted to check with you. And thank you very much for the recipe.
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, I suppose it depends on how dense and big the kale leaves are – larger ones could be heavier as they’re a bit tougher. But I hope it worked out for you!
Hester McQueen
Love to make this as we do struggle for different ways to use kale!
Melissa Crowe
lovely ideas thankyou
Ash
Have you tried replacing the sugar with mashed bananas? Would I need to add more flour?
Also, could I use vegan butter instead of real butter? I’m baking a cake for a vegan friend!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Ash,
It would be fine to use vegan butter, and you could replace the eggs with flax ‘eggs’. I’d perhaps be wary about removing all of the sugar if you’re making all of the other changes, but you could always try. Let me know how you get on!
rlwebster
I couldn’t really get my kale to do what I considered “puree.” But it looks okay, as it’s cooling now. I’m just wondering, do you think you store this cake in the refrigerator until it’s all gone or just leave it on the counter?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi! Kale can be tougher at some times of year and a bit more difficult to puree, but hopefully your cake will be nice and green. I leave mine in a tin on the counter, rather than the fridge. I hope you like it!
Sylvia M.
Help! Can you tell me what I did wrong? My cake is not even slightly green. It’s a normal cake color with the separate, green kale pieces. Each layer is only 1/2 an inch thick and the icing is only enough to cover one layer. I am so disappointed. I know it should work because it has turned out for other people.
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Sylvia. If the cake isn’t green and the kale is in pieces, then I’d say that you needed to puree the kale more. As for it not rising, perhaps the baking powder was old? That can sometimes be the case. I’ve made this recipe quite a few times, plus I’ve had loads of readers tell me that they’ve enjoyed it, so perhaps try again? Sorry that it didn’t work out for you.
Shauna
I made this cake and it tasted amazing but did not rise at all sadly. Although my baking powder was old so it could well have been that woopsy
Kate Hackworthy
Oh no! Old baking powder is usually the cause of a flat cake, sadly. Definitely pick up a fresh tub of it for the next cake!
Shauna
Making it again this weekend. It went down so well with my work colleagues!
Johnna
I try this cake and the cupcake. I loved the cupcakes but my cake did not rise
Laurel
It was very tasty! I substituted 2 cups grated zucchini for the apple. I also used white whole wheat flour and baked it in a bundt pan. My frosting separated a bit but other than that everything worked fine. Thank you!
Lyd
Delicious! I made it with flax “eggs” – came out great! Thank you for the beautiful recipe.
Lucy While
Hi. I plan to try this recipe. Is the suggested oven temperature based on a fan oven or not?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Lucy
The temperature is for a standard oven, so please adjust for fan. I hope you enjoy it!
Sadhna Grover
I have never seen such a nice, soft cake with kale and apple, and awesome light icing.
I would love to try, can you suggest any replacement for egg.
Your blog is fantastic, visiting first time.
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Sadhna, I’d just try it with whichever egg replacement you normally use: flax, chia etc… Enjoy!
superfitbabe
I’ve seen kale cakes that look so gross, and this is the epitome of DELICIOUSNESS!
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks! I’ll freely admit that some of the early tests haven’t been so delicious – but once I get the veg ratio right, they’re fab!
Helen at Casa Costello
Oh my goodness, this looks incredible! I love the colour. I will admit to letting several bags of bought-with-good-intentions kale go rotten but now I know what to do with it. Popping over from Tots100 StumbleWednesday – Feel free to add this to #Bakeoftheweek linky too x
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks Helen! I hate letting vegetables go to waste, too. So put them in cake!
.
Any thoughts on a vegan version? Would a purchased egg sub like Ener-g work? Or maybe ground flaxseed and water?
Kate Hackworthy
I haven’t made this cake vegan, but I’d assume that any of your usual egg substitutes in cake might work. I haven’t tried Ener-g, but flax egg usually works well. Please let me know what you try and how you get on as a lot of my readers are vegan.
Mark Charlton
This was great – and I entered it to a competition and won first prize! Thanks, guys! I stewed the apple (to make purée) with star anise and clove, which gave it an Autumny loveliness. Keep on baking!
Kate Hackworthy
WOW! That’s amazing. I’m so pleased you won – and great idea for the spices!
Katya
Definitely going to try this…
Kate Hackworthy
I hope you get to! Let me know how it goes!
Megan
Greetings from Maryland, USA. I made this cake (slightly adapted) for a breakfast on Saturday. It was fun to keep people guessing as to why it was green. Needless to say, the cake received lots of compliments and there was none left. The adaptations: baked in a single larger layer, added some millet for crunch, blended the kale stems as well and used less frosting as it was meant for breakfast. Several people asked where I found the recipe so I directed them to your blog.
Kate Hackworthy
I’m so glad that you all liked it! Your adaptions sound great. Millet – genius!
Anyonita
Such a beautiful cake! 🙂
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks Anyonita. It tasted as good as it looked!
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks Jami! If someone takes the time to comment, the least I can do is reply!
I hope you and your daughter like the cake. We love green smoothies in this house and any way of getting leafy greens has to be good.
Let me know how you get on with the adjustments as I get a lot of comments from people with other dietary needs and it would be of use to them.
Enjoy! 🙂
Sam
Is step 7 essential cos it’s missing
Kate Veggie Desserts
Hi Sam, there is no seventh instruction, I must have just hit enter. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Emily @amummytoo
Can’t get over how beautiful this is. And sound so yummy. Thanks so much for joining in with #recipeoftheweek. I’ve Pinned and Tweeted this post and there’s a fresh linky live now for this week. Hope you can join in! x
Kate Veggie Desserts
Hi Emily, thanks so much – it was indeed yummy. And thanks for pinning and tweeting about it. 🙂
kellie@foodtoglow
I saw this over at Made With Love Mondays and, as a kale-oholic of long-standing, was intrigued. Super idea and fun colour. Pinning!
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Kellie, I hope you get a chance to try it. If you do, let me know how it goes. The colour is amazing and even with all that kale in it you can’t actually taste it. 🙂
Kirsty - Hijacked by Twins
I’d be curious to try this one! #RecipeOfTheWeek
Kate Veggie Desserts
Hi Kirsty, it sounds strange, but it is really delicious. You can’t taste the kale and it is such an amazing colour. I hope you give it a try. 🙂
Coombemill
This looks truly original and a great way to get greens into kids! Love it. Stopping by from Made with love Mondays
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thank you! My kids loved it, it really is a great way to feed them greens. 🙂
nutritious deliciousness
that is amazing! would love a taste, I will definitely try it as I’ve always got kale in the fridge and need other ways to eat it! #recipeoftheweek
Kate Veggie Desserts
I hope you do try it, it’s lovely and such a surprising way to use lovely kale! 🙂
Kate Veggie Desserts
Go on, Sarah, try it! It seems strange at first to be baking with vegetables, but we’re all used to carrot cake so kale cake isn’t that huge a step, really. Embrace the green cake! 🙂
Louisa, Eat Your Veg
Genius. Kale & Apple Cake, now I’d never have thought of that but what a great idea and so pretty too! I always seem to have a surplus of kale from my weekly veg boxes, so it’s good to have a few ideas up my sleeve. I really really MUST try a green smoothie too, would be such a fab start to a day. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog by the way and shall make every effort to drop by more often :))
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Louisa! So nice coming from a fellow veg-obsessive! Seriously, get on the green smoothie train. You can’t even taste it and you feel so invigorated after drinking it. Then put the rest of the kale in cake! Yum!
Brittany
Cool! I googled veggie desserts and this amazing website came up. Do you substitute agave or something else for sugar? I want to try to eliminate refined white sugar from my baking but I’m no expert in how to adjust recipes for this
Kate Veggie Desserts
Hi Brittany. I’m so glad you like the site. This is quite a ‘wet’ recipe already, so I’d substitute the sugar for 1/2 cup agave and add an extra 1/4 cup of flour. I hope that works, please let me know.
Brittany
It turned out well. I diced the apples instead of grating them, which I think I like better. It wasn’t too sweet since I went without the icing but I enjoyed it. I think that next time I will try to do it with pears instead
Kate Veggie Desserts
I’m glad you liked the cake, Brittany. Pears sound lovely, as does making it with diced apples. 🙂
Caroline
I just made this cake.. It’s delicious!!!!! Will definitely make it again 🙂
Kate Veggie Desserts
I’m so glad you liked it Caroline! Thanks for dropping back to let me know how it went. 🙂
Javelin Warrior
So wonderfully green! And I love the use of the applesauce for both the cake and the frosting. Very creative a great way to work in more fiber and less fat/sugar…
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks. I’m all about easy ways to cut out the fat and sugar!
Capture by Lucy
Ooh great to discover your blog – I love experimenting. I shall be here some time…! #recipeoftheweek #tastytuesdays
Kate Veggie Desserts
I’m glad you like the blog, Lucy. I’m off to check yours out now. 🙂
Scott
This just stopped my heart. So freaking beautiful. So freaking delicious sounding! I will share this recipe with my friends!
Honest Mum
This looks AH-mazing and my kids would love green cake! Thanks for linking up to #Tastytuesdays. This week’s is now live!
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Vicki. My kids went pretty wild for it – and they’re used to green everything! See you at #TastyTuesdays!
Kel
That looks amazing, I am drilling at the thought of apple icing!
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Kel. The apple icing is great. Lowering the fat is a great bonus to a lovely appley flavour.
Jean
It looks incredibly green!
I am absolutely tempted to try making it because of its green-ness!
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Jean, you should really try it. It is so, so green!
Kristen
I love your blog- its so wonderfully creative! So far I’ve looked at all your cake recipes and I think i’ll make it a goal of mine to make each of them, they look great 🙂
Kate Veggie Desserts
Oh, that’s so lovely, Kristen! Do pop back and let me know how they go. 🙂
Janie
It looks stunning and so moist! Thanks so much for sharing with Tea Time Treats, could you please email me a photo for the round up as I seem to be unable to copy any of the images. Thank you!
Janie x
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Janie, I’ve sent it to you. x
Alison
Kale in a cake? I would never have thought of it. It looks lovely though
Kate Veggie Desserts
I’m so obsessed by vegetable cakes that it doesn’t seem strange at all to me anymore! 🙂
June @ Squeaky Kitchen
Very interesting combination!
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks June 🙂
Jenny @ The Brick Castle
I have a bag of kale and I really wasn’t sure what to do with it – cake seems a great idea – my family won’t believe it when I present them with a green cake! 😀
Kate Veggie Desserts
I’m sure they’ll be pleased! Though perhaps shocked at the fab bright green colour! 🙂
Nora
I too am a convert of Kale green smoothies, I’m having one every morning and it has completely cleared my skin of acne! I can’t wait to try this cake as a very healthy treat!
Kate Veggie Desserts
What a great bonus! I just feel far more revived than I do with coffee so I love it. I hope you get a chance to try the cake. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Olivia
Computer wouldn’t let me make my own comment but so far so good with this cake! I had a taste of the batter and wound up licking the whole spoon! Very yummy! I myself added about of teaspoon of cinnamon to the frosting to add some flavor. Nice to have a dessert not to feel guilty about!
Nicole R
Hi Kate! I am making this cake on Saturday for my mom (her birthday is on St. Patricks day!). A few questions — you say to “Grease and line the tins”, I get greasing it with oil, but what are you lining the tin with? Also, what kind of apples do you recommend (royal gala, granny green etc.). Thank you!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Nicole
You could line the cake with baking paper, but it’s fine not to. For the apples, just use your favourite eating apples. Granny Smith could be a bit too tart, but Royal Gala would be perfect. I hope you like it!
Stéphanie M Roy
Hi, could I make this with rice flour?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Stephanie
I haven’t tested it with rice flour, but if you’re used to substituting rice flour for wheat flour in cakes, then just substitute it how you normally sub it. Please come back and let me know how it turns out!