Apple Cake with 'Cream Cheese' Filling

This is the most successful gluten free, vegan cake I have ever tasted, or made! It is so moist, delicious, and a definite crowd pleaser! It will be a big hit with the omnivores and gluten-eaters in your life, too! Sugar free option: use Ideal, measured the same as Evaporated Cane Juice called for in the recipe, I always make it this way and it is amazing, I don't like the taste of other artificla sweeteners, and haven't yet worked out the proper amount of stevia. (If you try stevia, be sure it does not contain a mixture of maltodextrin which leaves that telltale "artifical sweetener" aftertaste.)
Cupcake method option denoted by *

FILLING:

1 (8-ounce) container vegan cream cheese (Tofutti or Follow Your Heart) - see soy alternate directions at bottom of post

½ cup Evaporated Cane Juice or Ideal (Xylitol) 

1½ tsp. Ener-G egg replacer dissolved in 2 Tbsp. warm water

2 tablespoons gluten free flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

BATTER:

3 cups Gluten free All purpose flour (I use Pamela's gf, non-dairy Bread Mix and Flour Blend)

1 cup Evaporated Cane Juice or Ideal  (xylitol)

1 cup Ideal brown sugar blend

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon allspice

1 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer dissolved in 4 Tbsp. warm water

¾ cup coconut oil

½ cup organic applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large organic apples - processed finely

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan *or muffin pans* with coconut oil or your favorite spray. (The Bundt pan and muffin pans avoids the problem of an uncooked center that happens often with gluten free baking. Any other pan is ill-advised)
2. To make filling,  beat together Tofutti cream cheese and sweetener until fluffy. Beat in egg replacer, flour and vanilla until blended. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sweetener, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and allspice. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg replacer, oil, applesauce and vanilla. 
5. Pour into dry ingredients and combine until just moistened. Mixture will be dense and more like a dough. 
6. Using your S blade in your food processor, quarter, de-seed, and then chop the apples.  I leave the skins on for the added fiber and nutrients!
7. Stir apples into bowl of batter.
8. Spoon 1/2 to 2/3 mixture into prepared cake pan. *If making cupcakes, spoon only enough batter to cover the bottom.*

8. Spoon Tofutti cream cheese filling carefully over apple mixture leaving a small border around the pan edges. 
*For cupcakes, spoon on a dollop of filling*

9. Cover with remaining batter, making sure to seal the cream cheese in the middle.*For cupcakes, cover filling with batter, allowing batter to completely fill the cups, they will not rise very much.*





10. Bake Bundt cake for 1 hour 15 minutes; or *cupcakes for 20 minutes.*

9. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes before removing cake from pan to finish cooling on rack. The cake doesn't need a frosting, it is so moist already, and the filling is so rich!

Enjoy!

UPDATE: SOY ALTERNATE DIRECTIONS:

Soy free Cream Cheese filling from Athena Faith Arcayan:

• 1 cup of cashews (soaked for a few hours or overnight)
• 1/2 cup or as needed for thickness and consistency non dairy milk 1/2 cup sweetener
• Put all ingredients in blender. 

Trader Joe's also has coconut creme now and can also be used as a substitute. As an option, I would add cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla.