Easy Apple Cake

If you're looking for a quick and simple snack cake for any day of the week, this is it! My Easy Apple Cake features tender vanilla cake loaded with fresh, thinly sliced cinnamon-spiced apples. It is ultra soft and moist with a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping. The batter comes together in just a few steps and all in one bowl. This cake is the kind you bake on a Sunday and snack on it all throughout the week. It's lovely for brunch and also great as dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you love baking with apples, try my Cinnamon Apple Fritter Cake, Apple Cinnamon Bread or this Apple Cinnamon Crunch Cake!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Moist vanilla cake - this simple one-bowl cake recipe makes a very soft and moist cake that melts in your mouth.
• Loads of apples - I packed as many apples as I could into this recipe. I slice them thinly so that they layer and laminate within the batter and you taste apple in every single bite.
• Cinnamon sugar topping - the cinnamon sugar on top adds a little crunch and warm spice flavor.
• Easy any day - you'll find that this recipe is so simple that you can make it on any weeknight, even when you just have 10 minutes to spare.
• Economical recipe - you only need one egg, a bit of oil, yogurt, milk, sugar and apples to make this recipe. It is accessible and approachable, and it doesn't cost much to make.

INGREDIENTS FOR EASY APPLE CAKE

• All purpose flour - unbleached all-purpose flour works great for tender cakes.
• Oil - I use oil to keep this cake extra soft even from the fridge. I prefer sunflower oil for its clean taste, however you can use any neutral-tasting oil, such as canola or vegetable oil.
• Brown sugar - brown sugar adds subtle caramel flavor to complement the apples and cinnamon sugar. You can use light or dark brown sugar. The difference is the molasses content, as dark brown sugar has twice as much molasses compared to light brown sugar.
• Egg - one large egg will add the perfect amount of structure to hold up against all of the apples packed in.

• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to make this delicious cake. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Yogurt - use full fat plain yogurt to add body and balance the flavor. The tanginess complements the tart and sweet apples.
• Milk - any type of milk will do. I prefer whole milk for baking. It should be at room temperature so measure it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before baking.
• Apples - you must use fresh apples for this recipe. It really works with any kind of apple, but I prefer tart apples such as Granny Smith or Red Prince, which is what I used here.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). First slice the apples. Slice lobes of apple off the core and then lay them flat. Slice them as thinly as possible, then take your knife and chop the sliced apples across so each slice is cut into thirds. See the video tutorial for reference. This helps the apple slices distribute more evenly into the cake.
• STEP 2). Combine wet ingredients. Combine brown sugar, oil, egg, yogurt, milk and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
• STEP 3). Add dry ingredients. Sprinkle in the baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix it in well. Add the flour and fold it in until mostly combined with a few streaks remaining. If your flour is lumpy, I'd recommend sifting it in.
• STEP 4). Add apples. Before all of the flour is combined, add the sliced and chopped apples and fold them in evenly. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Scatter a few extra slices on top.
• STEP 5). Make the cinnamon sugar topping. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix until thoroughly blended. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter.
• STEP 6). Bake for 25-30 minutes until evenly browned on top and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes and enjoy warm, cold or at room temperature!

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR APPLE CAKE

• Use room temperature ingredients. Since this is a simple one bowl mixing method, it is important to have all ingredients at the same temperature (not cold!) in order to help them blend evenly together. Make sure the yogurt, milk and eggs are at room temperature.
• Sift the dry ingredients. This is optional, but it will minimize the amount of mixing needed to combine the ingredients evenly so that you do not over-mix the batter. It will give you the best results for a finer texture crumb as well since the sieve will break up all the flour particles and help disperse the baking powder.
• Do not over-mix the batter. It is important that the batter is smooth, but stop as soon as you get to that point. Over-mixing can lead to a dense and gummy cake.

RECIPE FAQ

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Video

Easy Apple Cake

Christina Marsigliese, Food Scientist MSc.

My Easy Apple Cake features tender vanilla cake loaded with fresh cinnamon-spiced apples. It is ultra soft and moist with a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping. It's an easy one bowl recipe, which makes it very approachable, so it's the kind of cake you whip up on a week night, or bake on a Sunday morning to snack on all throughout the week.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

Apple Cake Batter:

• 2 cups (240g) thinly sliced apples (see notes), plus a few more for topping
• ¾ cup (165g) packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup (60ml) oil
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup (80ml) full fat plain yogurt
• ¼ cup (60ml) milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups (215g) all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

• 3 tablespoon (45g) light brown sugar
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the base of a 9-inch round cake pan or non-stick springform pan with a round of parchment paper.
• First slice the apples. There's no need to peel them. Slice lobes of apple off the core and then lay them flat. Slice them as thinly as possible, then take your knife and chop the sliced apples across so each slice is cut into thirds. See the video tutorial for reference. This helps the apple slices distribute more evenly into the cake.
• Combine brown sugar, oil, egg, yogurt, milk and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Sprinkle in the baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix it in well. Add the flour and fold it in until mostly combined with a few streaks remaining. If your flour is lumpy, I'd recommend sifting it in. Before all of the flour is combined, add the sliced and chopped apples and fold them in evenly. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Scatter a few extra slices on top.
• Make the cinnamon sugar topping. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix until thoroughly blended. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter and bake for 25-30 minutes until evenly browned on top and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes and enjoy warm, cold or at room temperature!