Kale and Apple Cake with Apple Icing

This bright green cake is made with kale! This kale and apple cake is light and fluffy and you can't taste the kale - though it leaves behind goodness and a vibrant green colour. It tastes like a fluffy apple layer cake.

4.9 from 39 votes

Kale and Apple Cake with Apple Icing

This Kale and Apple Cake with Apple Icing is a moist and fluffy layer cake that's naturally green! You can't taste the kale, but it leaves a vibrant green colour and some goodness behind. It tastes like apple cake and has a zingy apple frosting.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings:

Calories: 349kcal

Author: Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts

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.

Notes

If you don't have applesauce, just peel, core and slice some apples, steam until soft and puree.

Nutrition