This easy apple cake with Greek yogurt features fresh apple chunks, brown sugar, and a touch of cinnamon for a moist, tender texture. There's no frosting to make, just an optional dusting of powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy a slice with coffee or as a simple fall dessert, then freeze individual portions for another day.
Whenever I have a surplus of apples on hand, I know exactly what to do with them. Make apple cake! (Or this small batch apple crumble.) 😉 This apple cake recipe is not too sweet which makes it a lovely breakfast or brunch treat and, of course, it's an apple lover's dream dessert. Its old-fashioned bakery aroma alone makes baking it so worth it!
While most of the sweet recipes I make are small batch baking recipes, I made an exception with this one since it also doubles as a great fall breakfast or snack. (You'll be glad you made the full cake, trust me.) Plus, it freezes beautifully so no need to feel like you have to eat the whole thing right away.
🌿 Ingredients
Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples are my top two choices for this cake. Honeycrisp are sweeter if you don't like the tartness of Granny Smith, and both varieties hold up well during baking to retain their crispness.
I love using plain whole milk Greek yogurt, but plain regular whole milk yogurt works equally well. The key is the fat content here as that'll create the moist, tender texture that we're going for here.
A mild vegetable oil like canola oil works best for this recipe, but feel free to substitute melted unsalted butter if you'd prefer. Oil will yield a moist cake, which butter will create a slightly more dense texture with a richer flavor.
Any kind of brown sugar works (light or dark).
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
📝 Instructions
🍱 Storage
If you're cooking for one and would like to freeze some of the cake for later, let it cool completely and then cut it into individual slices. Wrap each slice tightly and place in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
When you're ready for a slice, thaw it overnight in the fridge. Add a fresh dusting of powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
Have yogurt left in the container? Browse my Greek yogurt recipes for more simple ways to use it, from breakfast to dessert.
🍳 Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch cake pan with a little oil or butter and dust with flour. Peel and chop 2 medium apples into bite-size pieces (don't worry if they're not all uniformly sized.)
- Place 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon sea salt in a medium mixing bowl and use a whisk to incorporate.
- In a larger bowl, use the whisk to beat 2 large eggs a little, then add ⅔ cup packed brown sugar, ½ cup plain yogurt, ⅓ cup vegetable oil and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and whisk again.
- Using a silicone spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just incorporated (don't over mix.) Fold the apples into the batter and then pour everything into the pan and use the spatula or your fingers to even out the top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for at least 15 minutes, carefully flip the cake out onto a serving plate, and use a sieve to dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar if desired.
- Serve immediately, or save for later (see notes for freezing instructions).
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