A while ago, my friend attended a conference in sunny San Diego, and I tagged along to visit my grandparents. Since the conference’s sessions ran 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 friend 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 friend 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 friend 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 friend 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 actually served as the inspiration for this healthy cinnamon apple cake! Full of the same warm spices as my favorite zucchini bread, every bite tastes cozy and comforting. It even looks impressive enough for a special occasion…
But it’s incredibly easy to make!
KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE A HEALTHY CINNAMON APPLE CAKE
Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make this healthy apple cake! I’m assuming you already have common baking staples like baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt… So we’ll focus on the more interesting and important ingredients right now!
Flour. This recipe starts with white whole wheat flour. I know it sounds a little confusing, but it’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and regular whole wheat flour! Instead, this flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. White wheat has a lighter taste and texture (but the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour!), making it perfect for baked goods like cakes and pastries.
Hint: Many grocery stores have started stocking white whole wheat flour on the baking aisles, but whole wheat pastry flour would be a great substitute if you can’t find it.
Tip: If you’d like to make this healthy apple cake gluten-free, then check the Notes section of the recipe! I included my top recommendations there.
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 richness, so don’t skip it!
Greek yogurt. 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. The 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 many of my recipes, from cupcakes and muffins to cheesecake and even frosting!
Sweetener. Instead of granulated sugar, you’ll sweeten your healthy apple cake with pure maple syrup. It’s the kind that comes directly from maple trees and only includes one ingredient: maple syrup! It’s often sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this).
Tip: Skip the pancake syrup and sugar-free syrup! Those contain other ingredients, so they often behave differently in baking recipes. This is especially true of sugar-free syrup. It’s typically water-based, and that generally makes cakes collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.
Apples. It’s pretty hard to make a fresh apple cake without them! I love using Fuji apples because they’re naturally sweet and have a wonderful texture that’s great for baking recipes. As you can see in my photos, I left their skin on (partially because I’m lazy!), but you can easily peel your apples, if you’d prefer!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY CINNAMON APPLE CAKE
Let’s briefly go over how to make the best apple cake! This recipe is simple and straightforward to whip up, but I also have some tips to share with you.
Thinly slice the apples. For the pretty fruit topping, I cut Fuji apples into slices between ⅛” and ¼” thick. You 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 doesn’t happen, you’ll also pop the apple slices into the microwave for a tiny bit to soften them slightly before arranging.
Arrange the apple slices. They don’t have to be perfect! Just start laying them on top of the batter 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!
Cool completely. Yes, fully. Completely. All the way to room temperature. Do not cut into this cake too early! The cake’s structure hasn’t fully set until it reaches room temperature, so for the best soft, moist, and tender texture, promise me that you’ll wait (however impatiently that may be!) until it’s completely cool.
Use the right knife. 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! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy cinnamon apple cake!
Healthy Cinnamon Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup (210g) thinly sliced Fuji apple, between ⅛” to ¼” thick (about 1 large)
- 1 ¾ cups (210g) white whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Apple Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Apple Pound Cake
♡ Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes
♡ Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Classic Carrot Cake
♡ Simple Orange Cake
♡ Simple Raspberry Lemon Cake
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy cake recipes and healthy apple-flavored recipes!
The cake looks delicious, and I really love the presentation!
I have a few general ingredient questions I was hoping you could answer.
1. I’ve noticed that a lot of your cake recipes call for 1/2 c maple syrup. I like my cakes not very sweet. Do you think reducing the sweetener to 1/4 c and adding 1/4 c milk would be a reasonable substitution? On a related note, do you happen to know any of your recipes with little to no additional sweetener?
2. I’ve also noticed that a lot of your cake recipes call for 6 tbsp milk, which comes out to 3/8 c. How do you usually measure this quantity? I’m wondering if you use a tablespoon, dry measuring cups, or liquid measuring cups.
Hi Elaine! I was a taste tester for this recipe. It was actually already not too sweet! Amy’s recipes are very good about balancing flavors and not hitting your mouth with way too much sweetness. This cake would be more at home as a dessert in Europe than in the United States, where everything is loaded with sugar. I’d advise you to try it first as-is! 🙂
Elaine, this cake isn’t very sweet. It’s more along the lines of a US-style breakfast cake or European dessert, exactly like Jack mentioned. He’s a great taste tester and always spot on with his descriptions! 🙂 As for measuring 6 tablespoons of milk, I always use measuring spoons. I actually have a 2-tablespoon measuring spoon which makes things a lot easier, but I sometimes use my standard 1-tablespoon measuring spoon as well. I really hope you enjoy the cake!
I was wondering if I could substitute Organic Fresh Pressed Apple Cider for the milk to up the apple flavor in this cake or does it need the dairy? I freeze quite a bit of the cider every fall in quarts and smaller sizes for uses all year, it’s one of my prized ingredients for many recipes. I am considering making a syrup (unsweetened, of course) this year for a concentrated boost of flavor in recipes, or just to pour a little on pancakes. Apple is one of my favorite flavors.
I also want to thank you for all your low sugar recipes, I eat almost no sugar. But when I have to have something, I can always count on one of your recipes. I appreciate that! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for your kind words about my recipes Stacy! I think that your apple cider would work beautifully in this recipe. I wish I could try some — it sounds divine! I really hope you enjoy the cake!
Hi just discovered your recipes look amazing can’t wait to try them! Can you use plain yoghurt instead of Greek?
Thanks!
Yes, plain yogurt will work just fine in place of the Greek yogurt in this cake! I can’t wait to hear what you think of it! 🙂
Any substitution suggestions for the maple syrup? The cake is really beautiful!
Thanks Michelle! Honey or agave would be the best substitutions. If you don’t have any of those three, then use ½ cup of brown sugar plus an additional ¼ cup of milk. I hope you enjoy the cake!
If I were to make this as cupcakes/muffins, can you suggest baking temp/time?
I’d check them after about 18-20 minutes, although they may require slightly more time. They’re done when the centers feel firm to the touch. I hope you enjoy the recipe Katie!
They turned out A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! They were done at ~20 min. I made these for my sister’s birthday who loves pears so instead of apples, I used pears and folded in 2 diced pears (a little less than 2 cups). Then I fashioned the pear slices as roses on top. Delicious and nutritious!! Love your recipes!!
I’m so glad they turned out for you Katie! Your sister is so lucky to have you — those cupcakes sound amazing! 🙂
Hi there, I want to subscribe for this blog to take hottest updates, so where can i do it please help.
If you click the pink mail icon at the very top right corner of my blog, you should be able to follow the directions to be subscribed via email!
I made this cake with my two children this afternoon. We added a bit more than a sprinkling of cinnamon, a handful of mixed fruit, grated two apples and finely diced the other two apples.
Those modifications sounds lovely Wayne! I hope the three of you enjoyed the cake!
I made this beautifull cake for my sister’s birthday. I drizzled caramel on the top(just to make it fancier!) it tasted so good and everyone loved it.But in my opinion it was a little bit dry.I measured everything correctly.and since we don’t have greek yogurt where I live,I strain regular yogurt in a cheesecloth to make it thicker.do you think that is why mine was’nt moist enough?maybe I took all the moisture out of it?!
and again..thanks for your recipes
How sweet of you — your sister is so lucky to have you Zahra! 🙂 I think that your suggestion of straining the yogurt is correct and that may have been the culprit for the dry texture. Next time, just use regular the plain yogurt without straining — it should work just as well as Greek yogurt!
Cake looks divine! Just a little query. Could I substitute the normal milk for almond milk? Thanks 🙂
Yes, almond milk will work just fine! I hope you enjoy the cake Maeve!
Hi Amy
How would this cake freeze? – I have an event next week but have little time over the weekend to bake so was hoping to bake tonight and freeze for four days, this looks lovely but would the apple slices suffer in the freezer?
Many thanks – I’ve just saved a bunch of your recipes which look fantastic – amazing food photography too 🙂
Frances
Thanks for your kind words about my recipes and photographs Frances! 🙂 If your even is just four days away, I’d leave it in the refrigerator instead! Just seal it inside of an airtight container or tightly wrap it in plastic wrap, and you won’t have to worry about how the apple slices will hold up in the freezer that way. I hope you and your friends enjoy the cake!
Can I substitute whole wheat flour with cake flour?
Yes, that should work. I hope you enjoy the cake Sally!