One Bowl Baking
20130814-262884-cinnamon-apple-cake.jpg

[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

Soft cinnamon apples top a tangy, moist cake flavored with applesauce and yogurt.

Notes:I like to use soft, tart, baking apples such as Gala orCortland. I find Granny Smiths, though tart, are too hard and don't soften properly on top of the cake. For the topping, the butter should be soft enough to spread easily over the apples with a brush.

About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of the new cookbook One Bowl Baking: Simple From Scratch Recipes for Delicious Desserts (Running Press, October 2013), and available at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Powell's, The Book Depository. Watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. Follow her Chocoholic, Chicken Dinners, Singapore Stories and Let Them Eat Cake columns on Serious Eats. Follow Yvonne on Twitter as she explores Singapore.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

About This Recipe

Yield: makes one 9-inch cake
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Special equipment: 9-inch springform pan

Ingredients

  • For Cake:
  • 12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter, very soft
  • 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounce) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1 3/4 cup (8 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pound Cortland, Macintosh, or Gala baking apples (about 4), peeled, cored, sliced into 1/4-inch wedges
  •  
  • For Topping:
  • 2 tablespoons butter, very soft (see note)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Procedures

  1. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.

  2. Whisk butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until creamy. Whisk in eggs, one by one, then yogurt and applesauce until combined.

  3. Add flour, baking powder, and cinnamon to bowl and stir with whisk until just combined. Spread batter into pan and smooth the top.

  4. Fan apples out on top of batter. Brush softened butter on top of apples. In the same unwashed bowl that contained the batter, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle over apples.

  5. Bake until edges are golden, apples have softened and center is just set, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool in pan 20 minutes, then remove sides of pan to cool.