Crisp, juicy Granny Smith apples are the star player in this delightful and simple apple cake recipe along with Greek yogurt, brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon. This seriously is the BEST apple cake recipe!
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Whenever I have a surplus of apples on hand, I know exactly what to do with them. Make apple cake. 😉 This apple recipe with yogurt 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!
Did you know?
Yogurt is arguably one of the most well-known fermented foods, produced by a process known as lacto-fermentation. The milk sugar lactose is converted into lactic acid by way of specific bacterial strains like Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and it is this process gives yogurt products their thickness and alluringly sour flavor.
And if you like this apple dessert recipe, you might also want to try this simple apple crisp for more apple-y goodness. (Don't forget to add the whipped yogurt on top!) Or, check out these other recipes using Greek yogurt for more yogurt inspiration.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Only 10 minutes of prep time required, then just pop it in the oven!
- Great way to use fresh apples for dessert
- Not too sweet; makes a lovely breakfast or brunch treat
- Kid-friendly; no rum used in this recipe
- Saves and freezes well
🌿 Ingredients
The ingredients in this recipe are minimal and wholesome. I opted for brown sugar instead of white, and Greek yogurt and coconut oil instead of butter to lighten things up a little. It's a lot like a delightful little French apple cake, but without the rum.
For the apples, I like to use Granny Smith apples, but Honeycrisp or any other variety also work well.
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
📝 Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with a little coconut oil and use a flour duster to dust with a very thin coating of flour. Then, peel and chop the apples into bite-size pieces. I actually think a little variety in the size of the chunks makes this recipe even more charming, so don't worry if they're not all uniformly sized!
Step 2: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 3: In a separate larger bowl, whisk the eggs a little and then add the brown sugar, yogurt, coconut oil and vanilla and whisk again.
Pro tip: To melt the coconut oil, place it in a glass measuring cup or bowl and microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds, watching it closely and removing it when it just melts (the color will change from cloudy to clear.) Add a little extra microwave time if needed.
Step 4: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a silicone spatula until they are just incorporated (but don't over mix!)
Step 5: Finally, fold the apples into to the batter and then pour everything into the pan. Use the spatula or your fingers to level out the top layer of the batter.
Step 6: Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes, and then carefully flip the cake out onto a serving plate. Use a flour duster filled with powdered sugar to dust the top of the cake.
📋 Substitutions
As written, this apple cake with yogurt is vegetarian. Feel free to make any of the following substitutions as necessary:
- Gluten free apple cake - use all-purpose GF flour instead of regular flour; I tested with Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour and had excellent results
- Brown sugar - substitute coconut sugar or white sugar
- Greek yogurt - substitute sour cream
- Coconut oil - use melted unsalted butter instead
📖 Variations
This recipe is super versatile if you'd like to experiment with any of the following variations:
- Apple cinnamon cake - if you love all things cinnamon, feel free to double up on the amount of ground cinnamon in this cake
- Apple sour cream cake - substitute the same amount of sour cream for the Greek yogurt
- Apple walnut cake - fold in up to ⅓ cup of chopped walnuts when you add the apples
- Blackberry apple cake - fold in ½ cup of washed fresh blackberries when you add the apples (this is my favorite variation!)
🔪 Equipment
Here is the equipment I used to make this recipe:
- 9-inch cake pan
- flour duster
- vegetable peeler
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- medium and large mixing bowl
- whisk
- silicone spatula
🍱 Storage
Apple cake will stay fresh covered for up to 4 days in the fridge or for up to 2 months in the freezer.
🎉 Top tip
This apple cake recipe is super easy and practically foolproof; just don't over mix the cake batter. 😉
Enjoy!
🍳 Recipe
Easy Apple Cake with Yogurt
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium apples (see notes)
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- ⅓ cup coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with a little coconut oil and dust with flour. Peel and chop the apples into bite-size pieces (don't worry if they're not all uniformly sized.)
- Mix the dry ingredients: Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl and use a whisk to incorporate.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a larger bowl, use the whisk to beat the eggs a little, then add the brown sugar, yogurt, coconut oil and vanilla and whisk again.
- Make the batter: 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: 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 flour duster filled with powdered sugar to dust the top of the cake.
- Enjoy: Serve immediately, or save covered for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.
Miquel Asaeli
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and engaging, and without a doubt, you've hit the nail on the head.