Is Apple Cake Acidic or Alkaline?
Apple cake (baked) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
At its core, apple cake is wheat dough, butter and egg, and their protein and phosphorus dominate the balance. Despite the apples, it comes in at +2.5. Apple strudel, with its paper-thin dough, does better for that reason. At 220 kcal per 100 g, it is a typical slice of cake, and the PRAL says nothing about sugar or fat anyway.
In the Sweets & Snacks category, apple cake (baked) ranks #59 of 91, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Tiramisu (+2.4), Tiramisu (+2.4), Fruit gummies (+2.3). More acid-forming are Jelly doughnut (+2.7), Breadsticks (grissini) (+2.8), Crumb cake (+3.0).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
What balances apple cake
A small serving (40 g) of apple cake adds +1.0 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is apple cake acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Apple cake (baked) has a PRAL of +2.5 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much avocado offsets a small serving (40 g) of apple cake?
A small serving (40 g) of apple cake adds +1.0 to your daily balance. Avocado (ripe) has −9.9 per 100 g, so about 10 g of avocado offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid apple cake on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Apple cake is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Apple Cake logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Sweets & Snacks: Sweets & Snacks table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.