Can I use soft amaretti instead of crisp ones?

Soft amaretti have a higher moisture content and will make the batter slightly wetter than intended. If that is all you have, reduce the almond milk by one tablespoon to compensate. The flavour will still be lovely, though the texture of the crumb will be slightly denser.

How much sugar does this cake contain compared to a traditional Italian apple amaretti cake?

A traditional version typically contains around 150 to 180 grams of white sugar for a similar-sized cake. This recipe uses just 60 grams of coconut sugar across 10 servings, bringing the total sugar per slice down to around 8 grams, including natural fruit sugars from the apples.

Can I make this cake gluten-free?

Yes, it is very close to gluten-free already. Simply ensure your oat flour is certified gluten-free and check that the brand of amaretti cookies you buy does not contain wheat flour. Some amaretti are made purely with almond paste and egg white, making them naturally gluten-free.

Which apples work best in this recipe?

Braeburn, Gala and Fuji apples all work beautifully because they hold their shape reasonably well during baking while still becoming tender. Avoid very soft varieties like McIntosh as they tend to break down too much and make the batter watery.

Can I freeze this cake?

Yes. Slice the fully cooled cake and wrap individual slices in baking paper before placing them in a freezer bag. They keep well for up to two months. Defrost at room temperature for an hour or warm briefly in a low oven for a few minutes.

Apple and Amaretti Cake Low Sugar Italian Style with Almond Flour

Name: Apple and Amaretti Cake Low Sugar Italian Style with Almond Flour
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 large eating apples (such as Gala or Braeburn, skin left on, cored and thinly sliced); 80 g amaretti cookies (the small crisp variety, roughly crushed, plus a few extra for topping); 100 g ground almonds (also called almond flour or almond meal); 80 g oat flour (certified gluten-free if needed, or blend rolled oats until fine); 60 g coconut sugar (loosely packed); 3 large eggs (room temperature); 60 ml light olive oil (or melted coconut oil); 60 ml unsweetened almond milk (or any milk of choice); 1 tsp baking powder; 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 whole lemon (zest only); 1 tbsp lemon juice (to toss with apple slices and prevent browning); 1 pinch fine sea salt; 1 tsp icing sugar (optional, for dusting before serving)

Dairy-FreeRefined Sugar-Free

Prep Time20 min

Servings10

Calories175 kcal

Health Score6/10

Apple and Amaretti Cake Low Sugar Italian Style with Almond Flour

This cake came from a simple question: what if the classic Italian torta di mele e amaretti got a genuine nutritional makeover without losing any of its soul? The result is this golden, fragrant bake that sits proudly between a rustic farmhouse dessert and something you could honestly enjoy for breakfast without a second thought. It uses a fraction of the sugar found in traditional versions, swaps refined white flour for a blend of oat flour and ground almonds, and leans on the natural sweetness of apples to carry most of the flavour. Health-conscious bakers who still want something genuinely satisfying at the end of the day, this one is for you.

Amaretti cookies are the star of the show here, and for good reason. Their bitter almond intensity gives this cake a depth that no extract can replicate. The trick is choosing smaller, crispier amaretti rather than the soft chewy kind, because they dissolve into the batter and leave behind a gorgeous marzipan-like warmth throughout every slice. Ground almonds add healthy monounsaturated fats and keep the crumb moist without needing loads of butter, so the total fat stays reasonable and the protein count gets a welcome nudge upward. A small amount of coconut sugar replaces the usual white sugar, bringing a subtle caramel note while sitting lower on the glycaemic index. Two large eating apples, one folded into the batter and one layered on top, provide natural fruit sugars, pectin-rich fibre and that beautiful jammy texture once baked. A pinch of cinnamon and a grating of fresh lemon zest tie everything together with brightness and spice.

The texture of this cake is something special. The edges turn lightly golden and crisp while the centre stays soft and almost custardy around the apple pieces. Sliced into wedges, it looks effortlessly rustic, no icing or decoration needed beyond a dusting of icing sugar if you fancy it, or a scattering of crushed amaretti crumbs over the top before baking for a little crunch. It is lovely served slightly warm with a dollop of thick Greek yogurt on the side, which also adds protein to the plate. Cold from the fridge the next morning with a strong espresso is honestly equally good, and the flavour deepens overnight as the almond notes settle into the apple. This cake works equally well as a dinner party dessert, a mid-morning snack with herbal tea, or a treat to slice up for lunchboxes.

From a nutritional standpoint, this recipe delivers real benefits over a standard amaretti apple cake. Each slice comes in at around 175 calories, compared to the 280 to 320 calories you might find in a conventional version. The sugar content drops to around 8 grams per slice thanks to the coconut sugar and the reliance on fruit sweetness, while the fibre climbs to nearly 3 grams per serving courtesy of the oat flour, ground almonds and apple skin left on during baking. Oat flour provides slow-releasing carbohydrates that help avoid blood sugar spikes, and ground almonds contribute vitamin E along with magnesium, a mineral many people do not get enough of. The eggs provide structure and a dose of choline for brain health. There is no refined sugar, no white flour and no need to feel like you have compromised on taste to get there. This is Italian-inspired baking done thoughtfully, and it genuinely delivers on every front.

Ingredients

Serves:10

2 large eating apples (such as Gala or Braeburn, skin left on, cored and thinly sliced)
80 g amaretti cookies (the small crisp variety, roughly crushed, plus a few extra for topping)
100 g ground almonds (also called almond flour or almond meal)
80 g oat flour (certified gluten-free if needed, or blend rolled oats until fine)
60 g coconut sugar (loosely packed)
3 large eggs (room temperature)
60 ml light olive oil (or melted coconut oil)
60 ml unsweetened almond milk (or any milk of choice)
1 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
0.3 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 whole lemon (zest only)
1 tbsp lemon juice (to toss with apple slices and prevent browning)
1 pinch fine sea salt
1 tsp icing sugar (optional, for dusting before serving)

Instructions

1
Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius fan or 180 degrees Celsius conventional. Lightly grease a 22cm springform tin and line the base with baking paper.
A springform tin makes removing the finished cake much easier and keeps the edges neat.
2
Core and thinly slice both apples, leaving the skin on for extra fibre. Place the slices in a bowl, toss with the lemon juice and set aside while you prepare the batter.
Slices of about 3mm thickness bake evenly and stay tender without turning mushy.
3
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut sugar, light olive oil, almond milk and vanilla extract until smooth and slightly pale, about two minutes by hand or one minute with an electric whisk.
4
Add the lemon zest and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together the ground almonds, oat flour, crushed amaretti, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt until evenly combined.
Mixing the dry ingredients separately first ensures the raising agents are distributed evenly throughout the batter.
5
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a large spatula, mixing gently until just combined. Do not overmix. Reserve about one third of the apple slices for the top, then fold the remaining apple slices into the batter.
A few streaks of flour in the batter are fine at this stage. Overmixing can make the finished cake dense.
6
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Arrange the reserved apple slices in overlapping circles on top of the batter. Scatter over a few roughly crushed amaretti cookies.
Fan the apple slices outward from the centre for a more decorative finish, or simply lay them in rows if you prefer rustic simplicity.
7
Bake in the preheated oven for 42 to 48 minutes, until the cake is deep golden on top, the edges pull away slightly from the tin and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with just moist crumbs.
Check at the 40-minute mark. If the top is browning too fast, lay a piece of foil loosely over the tin for the final few minutes.
8
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before unclipping the springform and transferring to a wire rack. Once fully cooled, dust with a little icing sugar if desired and slice into wedges to serve.
The cake firms up as it cools and is easier to slice cleanly once it has rested fully.

Nutrition per serving

175kcal

Calories

5.8g

Protein

16.4g

Carbs

9.6g

Fat

2.8g

Fibre

8.1g

Sugar

98mg

Sodium

Pro Tips

✓
Use crisp amaretti rather than soft ones. The crisp variety dissolves into the batter and adds almond intensity without making the crumb heavy.
✓
Leaving the apple skin on increases the fibre content meaningfully and adds a pleasant fleck of colour throughout the crumb.
✓
Room temperature eggs incorporate more air when whisked, giving you a lighter batter without needing extra fat.
✓
Coconut sugar can be swapped for maple sugar or an erythritol-based sweetener if you want to lower the sugar content even further.
✓
This cake tastes better the next day as the almond and spice flavours deepen overnight, so it is a great bake-ahead option.

Frequently Asked Questions

Variations

•
Pear and Amaretti Low Sugar Version
Swap the apples for two ripe but firm pears such as Conference or Bosc. Pears have a slightly softer texture and a floral sweetness that pairs beautifully with the bitter almond notes of the amaretti. Reduce baking time by three to five minutes as pears release a little more moisture.
•
Chocolate Amaretti Apple Cake
Add two tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to the dry ingredients and reduce the oat flour by the same amount. The dark cocoa bitterness plays off the amaretti wonderfully and creates a more indulgent-tasting cake while keeping the sugar low. A small handful of dark chocolate chips folded into the batter takes it even further.
•
Orange and Amaretti Version
Replace the lemon zest with orange zest and swap one of the two apples for a small fennel bulb, finely sliced. The anise flavour of fennel is a traditional Italian pairing with almond and orange, and it is surprisingly delicious in a sweet bake. This variation works especially well in autumn.

Substitutions

•
Coconut sugar → Erythritol or monk fruit sweetener (Use the same quantity for a version with virtually zero sugar from added sweeteners. The caramel depth of coconut sugar will be absent but the cake remains well flavoured from the amaretti and apple.)
•
Ground almonds → Sunflower seed flour (For a nut-free version, sunflower seed flour works as a one-for-one swap. The crumb may be very slightly greener in colour due to a natural reaction between sunflower seeds and baking powder, but the taste is pleasant and mildly nutty.)
•
Oat flour → Buckwheat flour (Buckwheat flour keeps the recipe gluten-free and adds an earthy, slightly grassy flavour that actually complements the apple and almond beautifully. Use the same quantity as oat flour.)
•
Light olive oil → Melted coconut oil or avocado oil (Either works perfectly as a one-for-one swap. Coconut oil adds a mild tropical note while avocado oil is completely neutral in flavour.)
•
Amaretti cookies → Crushed almond biscotti (Almond biscotti are harder to find sometimes and less sweet, so you may want to add an extra teaspoon of coconut sugar to compensate. The flavour profile is slightly less intensely almond but still delicious.)

🧊 Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or in the fridge for up to five days. The flavour improves noticeably after the first 24 hours as the amaretti and spice notes deepen. Bring refrigerated slices back to room temperature before serving, or warm gently in a 150 degree oven for five minutes.

📅 Make Ahead

This cake is an excellent make-ahead bake. Bake it the day before you need it, store covered at room temperature overnight and the flavour will be more developed and the texture more settled by the time you serve it. The apple slices on top may darken slightly in colour, which is completely normal and does not affect the taste.