Super moist apple yogurt cake packed with fresh apples with a hint of cinnamon. This cake is light, flavorful, and perfect for fall baking.
Around this time of year, I always end up making some type of pastry with apples. There’s something so comforting about apples and If you love simple homemade cakes and sweet, juicy apples, this apple yogurt cake will become a favorite!
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple and easy to make – This cake comes together quickly with just a few basic ingredients, making it perfect for both beginner and seasoned bakers.
- Stays moist longer – Thanks to the Greek yogurt, this cake keeps its soft texture even after refrigerating, making it a great make-ahead option.
- Not too sweet – Apples provide natural sweetness, so you don’t need to add much sugar. Just ½ cup of cane sugar is enough to balance the flavors.
- Hint of cinnamon goes a long way – Only ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon adds warmth and depth, giving this cake the right amount of spice without overpowering the apples.
Tips for Delicious Apple Yogurt Cake
- Use Honey crisp or Cosmic crisp apples. These varieties have the ideal balance of sweet and tart flavors. They also hold their shape well and won’t disintegrate while baking. Use 4–5 small apples or 3 medium-sized ones.
- Choose Greek yogurt over regular yogurt. Greek yogurt is thicker and creamier because it has less water content. This is what makes this cake so moist, and creamy! You can use full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt for the best texture.
- Prevent over-browning. Around the 45-minute mark, loosely cover the cake with aluminum foil. This helps prevent the top from burning and gives you a perfectly golden-brown finish.
- Cool completely before removing from the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan for 40-45 minutes to allow it to fully set. This ensures the cake releases cleanly and doesn’t break apart.
Serving Ideas
This delicious, fluffy cake is wonderful on its own, but you can easily dress it up. Dust with powdered sugar, or serve a warm slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
The cake keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Before serving, I recommend warming it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to bring back its soft, freshly baked texture.
This apple yogurt cake is also perfect for afternoon tea, whether with family or guests. I served mine using one of my favorite tea sets for fall, Japanese lusterware. These pieces were produced in Japan from the 1920s through the early 1940s specifically for export to the U.S. They have a beautiful iridescent quality and feature orange floral designs that are just perfect for the season.
Apple Yogurt Cake
Equipment
- 7-inch springform cake pan
Ingredients
- 4-5 small or 3 medium honey crisp or cosmic crisp apples, peeled, cored, and sliced.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup cane sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup greek yogurt (full fat or 2%)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 7-inch springform pan with parchment paper and butter the sides and bottom.
- In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar on high speed for 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg, vanilla, and Greek yogurt; beat for another minute until smooth and creamy. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold the sliced apples into the batter using a spatula then transfer batter to the cake pan and spread the batter evenly.
- Bake for 55–65 minutes. At the 45 minute mark, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. The cake is done when golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 40-45 minutes before releasing the springform ring. Serve as is, or dust with powdered sugar before serving.