This spiced apple cake has all my favorite fall flavors – cinnamon, apple, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. One of the reasons why I love the fall season is all the baking you can do. So many options! A slice of this cake with a hot cup of tea or coffee makes me happy.
Fresh apples are key in this cake. I like to use Gala or Granny Smith apples. Any baking apple is also good. The apples need to be peeled so there is no leathery bit when you eat the cake. You can use vegetable oil or melted butter. The yogurt can be substituted with half and half. A 10-inch spring form pan is best to use here so the cake releases easily. You can also transfer the cake on a platter with the pan bottom.
Make the Spiced Apple Cake
First, preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Next, combine the dry ingredients (except the sugar) in a bowl – the flour, spices, salt and baking soda. Then using a mixer, beat together the sugar and oil (or melted butter) until combined. Add the eggs in and beat together on medium speed. Don’t forget to scrape the sides with a silicone spatula. Now it’s time to add the dry ingredients to the wet mix. Do this gradually starting with 1/3 flour mixture and alternate it with a little of the yogurt. Finish mixing the rest of the flour mixture and yogurt. Scrape the sides again. Add the diced apples to the mix and stir together.
Spray the bottom and sides of the spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray or grease it with softened butter. Pour the batter into the pan and spread it around with a spatula. Arrange the apple slices in concentric circle on top of the cake. Bake the cake in the oven at 350F degrees for 55-60 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake. It’s not done if the toothpick comes out with wet batter. If it comes out with crumbs it’s done. After the cake is done, let it cool on a rack. Release the side of the spring form pan and dust the cake with a little powdered sugar on top.
If you make this cake, don’t worry about leftovers. It even gets better after it sits in the fridge for a couple of days.
Spiced Apple Cake- a Delicious Fall Dessert
Ingredients
- 2 apples, Gala or Granny Smith
- 1 ⅓ cups sugar
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
- ¾ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup vanilla greek yogurt or half and half
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
- nonstick cooking spray or softened butter for greasing pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch spring form pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Beat sugar and oil (or melted butter) on medium speed. Add eggs and beat well.
- In a bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg , and ginger.
- Peel and core 2 apples. Slice 1 apple into 1/4 inch slices. Dice the other apple into 1/2 inch cubes. Set aside.
- Add the flour mixture and yogurt into the egg mixture alternately and mix on low speed after each addition until it is all combined. Stir in diced apples.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Spread it around with a spatula. Arrange apple slices in concentric circle on top of the cake.
- Bake the cake in the preheated oven to 350F degrees for 55-60 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out with a few crumbs (not wet) it's done. When cake is ready take it out and let it cool on a rack. Release the sides of the spring form pan. (Optional - dust the top of the cake with a little powdered sugar)