Last week, my guy attended a conference in sunny San Diego, and I tagged along to visit my grandparents. Since his conference’s sessions always run all day and late into the night, leaving almost no room in his schedule to socialize or explore, we arrived a day early to do a few touristy things (my guy had never been to the area before!) and spend some quality time with my grandparents.
Because my family used to come down to visit at least once a year, I let my guy decide what we would do. His eyes lit up when my grandparents and I mentioned the zoo, so we drove over to walk around the park, take pictures of the exotic animals, and collect a few souvenirs. We love those penny-press machines that flatten and stamp a picture onto coins, and there were lot of image choices all around the zoo!
Seeing as I’m slightly directionally-challenged, my guy took charge of the map and led us all around the enclosures. We started with the bears at the front of the park, worked our way up past the pandas and bald eagles and zebras until we reached the polar bears (the #1 animals my guy wanted to see!), then back around to the lions (holy moly, those cats are massive!) and elephants, and finally back around to the empty penguin exhibit (my favorite animals… I was sad they were gone!).
Before we started our safari-like trek, we failed to realize one thing… The zoo is shaped like a massive bowl! It dips really far down in the center with corresponding smaller hills around the outer rim as well, so our legs worked much harder than we anticipated in the hot afternoon sun marching up and down and all around the park. By the time we left, we thought a relaxing evening at home sounded perfect!
So we all could spend most of the night lounging on the comfy sofas and chairs in the living room catching up on life and chatting about the day, my grandparents kindly picked up groceries from the store down the street to cook an easy, laid-back dinner with minimal prep. Grandma tossed chicken, steak, and mixed veggie kebabs on her indoor grill before heating creamy mashed potatoes and cinnamon apple slices to serve on the side.
Other than in pies, crumbles, and cobblers for dessert, I had never seen warm cinnamon apples served at the table for dinner. Maybe I’m just behind the times, but that serving bowl emptied faster than the other side dishes or entrée platter because everyone reached for seconds. Grandpa may have even snuck a third serving later!
That sweet side dish served as the inspiration for today’s recipe, this Simple Cinnamon Apple Cake. Full of the same warm spices as my favorite zucchini bread, it tastes like cozy comfort food in every slice. It even looks impressive enough for a special occasion, but it’s incredibly easy to make!
This recipe starts with white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is made from a special type of white wheat, which lacks the pigment of “red” wheat that regular whole wheat flour is ground from. It has a lighter taste and texture, making it perfect for baked goods like cakes and pastries. Most grocery stores (including Walmart) stock white whole wheat flour on the baking aisles, but whole wheat pastry flour would be a great substitute if you can’t find it.
As for the spices, I’m obsessed with cinnamon and nutmeg right now. They pair perfectly with apples and provide that irresistible warm, cozy backdrop reminiscent of fall. Although the cinnamon flavor is more prominent, the nutmeg still adds an important deeper richness, so don’t skip it!
This entire cake only contains 1 tablespoon of butter, so the rest of its tender texture comes from my favorite ingredient in healthier baking: Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt provides the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it adds a little protein boost too. I include it in the majority of my recipes, from cupcakes and muffins to frosting and parfaits!
For the pretty fruit topping, I sliced an apple to between ⅛” and ¼” thick. We want the slices to be thin so that they soften while baking and are easier to cut through. Thicker slices would stay crunchy, even after baking, and would be much harder to slice through when carving pieces of cake to serve! To ensure that didn’t happen, I also popped the apple slices into the microwave for a tiny bit to soften them slightly before arranging.
They don’t have to be perfect! Just start laying them around in a circular shape. I started with the outside ring first before moving on to the inside, and I gently pressed each slice into the batter to ensure it stuck. Then place the pan in the oven and set your timer!
Here’s my trick for cutting pretty slices of this cake: use a serrated bread knife. The serrated knife cuts through the apple slices better than a standard chef’s knife, so the fruit won’t end up sliding off onto neighboring pieces of cake as much.
Now grab a fork and dig in!
| Simple Cinnamon Apple Cake | | Print |
- 1 cup (210g) thinly sliced red apple, between ⅛” to ¼” thick (about 1 large)
- 1 ¾ cups (210g) white whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
- 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat a 9”-round springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the apple slices in a microwave-safe bowl, and cover the top with plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute 45 seconds. Carefully remove the plastic wrap, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the apple slices in a circular pattern, beginning with the outer rim before finishing with the interior, and gently press each into the batter. (See the photos in the blog post above.) Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes. Place the cake pan onto a wire rack, and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the sides of the pan. Let the cake cool completely before serving.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour may all be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour. If using regular whole wheat flour, the cake will have a slightly denser texture.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
If you do not have a springform pan, use a 9”-round cake pan instead, and line the inside with foil before coating with cooking spray. After letting the cake cool for 10 minutes, carefully lift the cake out of the pan by holding onto the foil, and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
For best results, slice the cake with a sharp serrated knife.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
I am looking forward to making this with the arrival of fall! I am a big texture person – would adding a chopped apple and chopped walnuts have a negative impact on the structure/integrity? Thank you!
It means a lot that you’d like to try making my recipe Meg! I think you should be able to add some of each to the batter. To be safe, I’d recommend using a combined ½ to ¾ cup. Just be careful with the diced apple since it does have some moisture that it can release while baking!
I’m so sorry I’m just now responding too. I had some family things I needed to take care of, but if you decide to try making this cake, I’d love to hear what you think of it and how those tweaks turn out!
Hi Amy
Your instructions didn’t include adding the milk. I caught it and added it with the syrup but you may want to update the recipe.
It’s in the oven more and smells great!
I hope you enjoyed this cake Wendy! The instructions actually do include when to add the milk. That’s at the end of Step 3 (the second to last sentence, just before the parentheses), in alternating additions with the flour mixture. I know it can be easy to miss, but I promise that detail was there! 😉
Hi!
Do you know how I’d modify this recipe to bake into 2 6-inch pans? I’d like the make a layered cake out of this if possible.
Thank you!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe! I haven’t tried making this in 6″-round pans, so I’m not personally sure. Based on the math, though, I think it should be okay to divide the batter between two 6″-round pans. The baking time may be shorter, but I’m not sure by how much.
If you’re trying to make a layer cake, do you intend to decorate the tops of the batter in each cake pan with the apple slices?
Hi! My plan was to place the apple slices on top of just one layer. Thank you!
That sounds like a great idea! I’d love to hear how your layer cake turns out if you end up making it! 🙂
Hi there
Looks delicious and would love to make your cake.
We don’t own a microwave. I’m assuming I can just cook the apples in a pot and soften them a bit.
It means a lot that you’d like to try my recipe, Marley! 🙂 Yes, you’re correct! If you don’t have a microwave, then you can cook the thinly sliced apples on the stove over medium-low heat in a pan lightly coated with cooking spray, stirring frequently, until they’re fork-tender but not completely falling apart.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cake!