This no oil apple cake recipe is from my husband's former aerobics instructor. With some changes, I made the recipe healthier and it's now a keeper for me. The recipe by itself is simple and great, except that it's way too sweet for us, and the cake never cooks evenly. The middle always comes out raw if the edges are just right; or the edges will be burnt if the middle is cooked through. I find that to be true for most cakes with no oil or butter.
Short of having to bake this in a bundt cake pan, I've been trying to tweak the recipe so that the cake cooks evenly.
I cut the sugar by half, and replaced the apple sauce with a low fat Greek yogurt. The yogurt helps the cake remain moist, and the acidity reacts with the baking soda to give a bigger rise compared to using apple sauce. This extra rise, I believe, is what helps the cake bake a bit more evenly, and prevent the gummy dense texture of a no oil cake. Another change is cutting the apples into a fine dice so that the liquids from the apples when baked, distributes more evenly throughout the cake.
This recipe is now a keeper for me when I want a healthier apple cake for breakfast with minimal work/cleanup. What can be easier than dumping everything into one bowl, mixing with a spoon, and baking?
You can use any type of apples you have. My favorites to use though are granny smith, honey crisp, and fuji apples.
Recipe adapted from TRW's Aerobics instructor of the 1980's recipe. Sorry I don't know your name! (Original recipe used 2 c sugar instead of 1 c, and 1/2 c apple sauce instead of greek yogurt)
Yields 9-12 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 c Sifted All purpose flour
- 1 c sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 t vanilla
- 2 t cinnamon (more if you like cinnamon)
- 2 t baking soda
- ½ t salt
- ½ c plain low fat Greek yogurt
- 4 c apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced (about 3 large apples)
Procedures:
1. In a large bowl combine all ingredients.
2. Mix with a spoon until well blended. The mixture will be very thick.
3. Spoon out into a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Spread more of the batter toward the edges so that there is a slight indentation in the middle, as the middle will rise and dome a bit when baked.
4. Bake at 350 F for 60 to 65 minutes, rotating the cake at the 30 minute mark. When an inserted toothpick in the middle comes out clean, the cake is done. Cool in pan before cutting and eating. Store leftovers at room temperature for 1 day. Any longer, you should store in the fridge.