EASY & HEALTHY APPLE CAKE RECIPE

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A beautiful apple cake decorated with small flowers.

This wholesome apple cake is delicious, moist, and packed with yogurt and fresh crunchy apples.
It’s a real cake, hearty, fruity, not overly sweet, and it doesn’t contain refined ingredients.

Briefly, an apple cake that TASTES LIKE APPLES, not sugar!
And when I say it’s loaded with yogurt and apples, I do mean that: 4 large apples + 1 cup of yogurt.

Freshly baked apple cakes from scratch are a must, I grew up with them: so nourishing, moist, and come together quickly  (apart from the slicing : ). Plus – let me state the obvious – they taste a million times better than a box cake mix and sugar-packed cakes.

Equipment? A couple of bowls and a spoon. Ready?

What ingredients you need

  • Apples
  • All-purpose flour or spelt flour
  • Plain yogurt
  • Eggs
  • Cane sugar
  • Vegetable oil
  • Lemon
  • Cinnamon
  • Baking powder + salt

The ingredients for this apple cake are arranged over a white table.

How to make it

Step 1:

  • Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/2 or 1/4 inch slices
  • Mix with lemon juice and cinnamon

Step 2:

  • make the batter in one bowl (see full recipe at the bottom of the page)
  • Scrape the batter into the cake pan
  • Arrange the apple slices in concentric circles
  • Dust with cinnamon and bake for 35-40 minutes

A glass bowl full of apple slices and a round tin with the apple cake before baking.

  • Optional: lightly glaze the cake with warm apricot or lemon jam
    Brushing this cake with warm apricot or lemon jam adds shine and a golden color.

A close-up of a round apple cake decorated with small white flowers, a cup of tea in the background.

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS

Not only is this apple cake good, moist, and fruity, but it’s also a budget-friendly treat: approx $ 5.50 for about 8-10 servings of goodness.

Plus, it’s all about healthy and wholesome ingredients:

  • Apples are extremely rich in vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants. Plus, eating apples offers great health benefits and lower risk of several chronic diseases.
  • Yogurt is highly nutritious, low in calories, and rich in calcium, great for your bones, teeth, hair, skin, nails. Plain yogurt (no added sugar/flavor/fake fruit) is ideal.
  • To make this apple cake as wholesome as possible, I love using unrefined cane sugar, and nutritious whole grain such as spelt flour. Light spelt flour tastes delicious, it has a nutty flavor, and doesn’t weigh down baking goods.

A slice of apple cake decorated with a small white flower on a white plate.

JAM GLAZE

It’s totally optional, but I love that shiny warm color.

BATTER

First things first, do not overmix the batter and mix only until the ingredients are combined, seeing little specks of flour is ok. This is a general rule, since working flour too much can produce gluten, which creates dense cakes.

Plus, the ingredients should be at room temperature and not cold, when possible. When eggs and yogurt are at room temperature, the wet ingredients are better emulsified, the sugar is dissolved into them and the batter does not curdle. The result is a light textured cake.

HOW LONG DOES THIS APPLE CAKE KEEP?

It keeps well and moist for up 4 days at room temperature, stored in an airtight container. It’s also freezable: wrap the cake, or slices of cake, in plastic wrap (clingfilm), store in an airtight container, and freeze for up to 1 month.

If you are looking for more delicious, wholesome and healthy cakes, have a look at these recipes:

Healthy yogurt cake
Carrot cake
Beetroot cake
Zucchini bread
Healthy and wholesome cake recipes  (a collection of delicious healthy cake recipes)

Let me know if you make this delicious apple cake! Leave a comment, rate it or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you!

A beautiful apple cake decorated with small flowers.
Print Recipe
4.45 from 20 votes

Healthy apple cake

This wholesome apple cake is delicious, fruity, moist, and packed with 1 cup of yogurt and 4 fresh crunchy apples. It's a real cake that tastes like apples, not sugar, and it doesn't contain refined ingredients. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean
Keyword: Apple cake
Servings: 8
Calories: 329kcal
Author: Katia
Cost: $ 5.50

Ingredients

  • 4 (1 1/2 lb) medium-sized apples (Gala and Fuji are fine) (600-650 grams)
  • 1 cup plain yogurt (250 grams)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups spelt flour (or all-purpose flour) (250 grams)
  • 1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar (or white sugar) (100 grams)
  • 1/3 cup I used expeller-pressed canola oil (but any canola oil works fine) (80 grams)
  • 2 tsp baking powder (8 grams)
  • 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon, divided
  • 1 large lemon, zest and juice
  • 1 pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 360 F° (180 C°) degrees and place the rack in the middle position.
  • Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/2 inch slices. Squeeze the lemon juice over them, add 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and mix well.
  • Grease a cake pan (mine is a 9-inch round pan) with butter, cooking spray or simply line the pan with parchment paper (in this case there's no need to grease the pan).
  • In a large bowl, mix eggs and sugar very well, you want to dissolve the sugar properly. Then add oil, lemon zest, and yogurt. Mix into a smooth consistency. 
  • In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon (but save 1/4 tsp of cinnamon for the top), and a pinch of salt until thoroughly combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined (do not overmix).
  • Fold in a handful of apple slices (about 8-10 pieces), then scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan, and smooth the top.
  • Arrange the apple slices nicely on top, gently press them into the batter and dust with about 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
  • When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 
  • You can serve it plain or brushed with some quick and easy jam glaze which adds a lovely shine (see notes).

Notes

  • Jam glaze (optional): put 3 generous tablespoons of lemon or apricot jam into a small saucepan. Heat gently over low heat until they melt. If the jam looks too thick adjust the consistency with a tiny bit of warm water (however, you don't need to add water if you use honey). When the glaze is the consistency of runny honey, brush the cake straight away.
  • Adding lemon juice to the apple slices prevents them from browning. I think you can skip it if you prefer, however, lemon juice and cinnamon add extra flavor to the apple slices.
  • This apple cake keeps well and moist for up 4 days at room temperature, in an airtight container.
    It’s also freezable: wrap the cake, or slices of cake, in plastic wrap (clingfilm), store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.
  • If possible, use yogurt and eggs at room temperature and do not overmix the batter (mix only until the ingredients are combined, seeing little specks of flour is ok).
NOTE: nutritional values are estimates only.

Nutrition

Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 131IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 2mg

85 Comments

  1. Rosemary Williams says:

    5 stars
    We loved this cake. It had a great texture and flavor without beibg overly sweet. Super easy and very pretty as well.

    1. Thanks so much for your feedback, Rosemary!
      I’m very pleased to hear you guys loved it. x

  2. Question: does it work if you have Turkish yogurt or any other type of dairy in the cake?

    1. Hi Gorm, I’m afraid Turkish yogurt might be too runny for the batter, but I’ve tested the recipe only with regular or Greek Yogurt, I wish I could help, sorry. x

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