Italian Apple Yogurt Cake, this simple yet elegant dessert is perfect for weekday baking or weekend entertaining. This incredibly moist cake has apples added to the batter, as well as yogurt, making it a great way to use up those apples sitting in your fridge.
Whether you just came back from an apple picking excursion in the autumn or you have a few apples lying at the bottom of your fridge, it's always a good time to make this easy Italian Apple Yogurt Cake. It's also the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table!
Although I've adapted the recipe a little, it was shared with me by a fellow foodie friend back in Sicily. The yogurt makes this cake super moist and you get twice as many apples than most cakes, both in the filling and on top. They also makes the cake quite pretty, don't you think?
This cake has oil in it instead of butter. This is quite common in Italian baking, particularly in the south where butter is not often used in cooking
What variety of apples are ideal for baking cakes?
This list of apples is far from exhaustive, however I have chosen a list of apples that are commonly available in Quebec during the fall.
For apples with a crisp texture and sweet flavor choose Gala; Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious apples.
For crisp texture and tart flavor choose: Granny Smith; Cortland or Empire apples.
Each of the apples listed above are ideal for baking as they retain their texture and won't fall apart. However, if you're a fan of the popular McIntosh apple, just keep in mind that they will break apart when baking and result in a softer texture.
Basically, feel free to use apples with the flavor and texture that you prefer. Or why not try a combination of sweet and tart apples?
I'm a fan of Cortland apples however when it comes down to it I'll use whichever variety of apples currently in my fridge! 
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. The complete printable recipe card is at the end of this post.
Step by Step Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-inch spring form pan with butter or cooking spray.
In a large bowl beat sugar and eggs until pale yellow and frothy. Stir in plain yogurt; oil and vanilla.
In a smaller bowl stir together all-purpose flour; baking powder; cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over stir! Add peeled, cubed apples to the mixture.
Pour into the prepared spring form pan. Arrange the slices of 1 apple over the batter in a circular fashion.
Bake for 60-70 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before removing the sides of the pan.
Let cool completely and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Tips and suggestions:
- When combining the wet and dry ingredients stir just until no traces of flour are visible. A few lumps are normal, avoid over stirring in order to ensure the best texture.
- The crumb of this cake is very moist, this is normal.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Other types of oil may be used in place of canola oil such as olive oil; vegetable or sunflower oil.
- Feel free to double the amount of cinnamon for a more pronounced cinnamon flavor.
- Try adding a handful of chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts to the batter for crunchy texture.
Storage:
- This cake is quite moist therefore it is best kept refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Apple cake can be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Be sure to let me know if you try out the recipe by tagging me with your photo with #mangiabedda or @mangiabedda on Facebook and Instagram. Feel free to Pin this recipe for later. Buon appetito!
Here are more cake recipes for you to check out!
- Pineapple Layer Cake with Pastry Cream
- Gluten Free Pan di Spagna
- Blueberry Olive Oil Cake
- Orange Ciambella
- Lemon-Vanilla Snack Cake
- Nonna's Sponge Cake
Italian Apple Yogurt Cake
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 apples, peeled and cubed
- 1 large apple, peeled and sliced for topping
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch spring form pan.
- In a large bowl beat together the eggs and sugar until smooth and frothy. Add the yogurt, oil and vanilla, mix well.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until combined. Do not over mix. Stir in the cubed apples.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Top the cake with the remaining apple slices, placing them in a circular pattern.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and let set about 10 minutes before removing the sides of the pan. Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- When combining the wet and dry ingredients stir just until no traces of flour are visible. A few lumps are normal, avoid over stirring in order to ensure the best texture.
- The crumb of this cake is very moist, this is normal.
- Other types of oil may be used in place of canola oil such as olive oil; vegetable or sunflower oil.
- Feel free to double the amount of cinnamon for a more pronounced cinnamon flavor.
- Try adding a handful of chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts to the batter for crunchy texture.
- This cake is quite moist therefore it is best kept refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Apple cake can be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact portion size and ingredients used.
Nutrition
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Elizabeth Hickey
I have made this cake many times all without fail and it goes without saying that it is as delicious and moist as everyone says. Today I have added some rhubarb that I had in the fridge. I should have written this afterwards to see if it worked, but regardless, this is a winning recipe, thank you.
Nadia
Hi Elizabeth, glad you enjoy this recipe and I'd love to hear how it turned out with rhubarb. Sounds good to me, thanks for sharing!
Mary
I thought it was worth leaving a comment - it was truly delicious - I subbed 1/3 maple syrup in lieu of 1/3 sugar (though I know they are not equal in proportions) but everything about this recipe was simple and easy to follow and adapt. I want to thank you for creating this delicious cake !
Nadia
Hello Mary, I'm thriled to hear that you enjoyed this delicious cake. And I like the idea of adding maple syrup instead of sugar, I think I'd like to try that too. Thank you for taking the time to comment, it is very much appreciated!
Marie kapski
Could I use almond flour? Your recipes look delicious im so glad I found you!!
Thankyou
Nadia
Hello Marie, I am so tempted to say yes but to be honest with you I have not personally tried making this cake with almond flour myself. It does however sound like a great idea, so if you do give it a try please let me know how it turns out. Thank you for your question!
Irina Ohl
We loved this recipe but like others I reduced the oil and we did not use canola oil as it is very unhealthy. But rather sunflower oil .I also added ground walnuts and cashews buts to the apples and eliminated the sugar ( because I am diabetic ) but added a splash of maple syrup and honey mixture .. instead the result was delicious with a mellow taste .
Nadia
Hello Irina, I always love it when I hear that readers personalize my recipes to make them their own. Yours sounds like a winning combination, thanks for sharing!
Heather
Irina I agree with you about the canola oil but all the seed oils including sunflower oil are unhealthy. I stay with extra virgin cold pressed olive oil or avocado oil.
patrizia accardi
This cake is easy and it’s delicious 😋 !
I just added some lemmon grind .
Thank you for sharing it with us .🍰
Nadia
Hi Patrizia, I'm so glad you enjoyed this cake! And I love the idea of adding lemon rind, thanks for sharing this idea!
Mallika
I added some chopped dried figs and walnuts instead of one Apple, and replaced canola with olive oil. Was absolutely delicious and like a authentic Italian “nonna” cake!! V nice and thanks for the recipe. Will make again.
Nadia
What a wonderful idea Mallika, I love your variation! I enjoy it when my readers personalize recipes to make them their own. This is a combination I must try, thank you for sharing!
Maria
Hi Nadia,
I found your site just browsing for an apple yougurt cake. Your recipe appealed to me for its simplicity. Although I changed few things: (I baked it in 7 large muffin tin. Used orange water as an essence as I did not have vanilla, added lemon zest & I decreased the oil to 1/3 cup as we are watching for calories.)The result was delicious.
Next time I will bake it in a pan as the muffin paper stuck to the cake.
Anxious to cook more of your recipes.
Thank you,
Un abbracci0,
Maria
Nadia
Hi Maria, you certainly made the recipe your own and I'm glad to hear that! It's certainly something I often do as well. I like your idea of turning them into muffins, something I must try. Thanks for sharing with me, ciao!
Aoife Kavanagh
I baked this today and it’s beautiful 😊
Nadia
Hi Aoife, so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing with me!
Linda Cavalucci
This recipe looks really good!
I bake all the time. I like to use all organic baking ingredients because they are healthier.
I will try this recipe changing one thing. I will change the canola oil to avocado oil. It has been proven that canola oil is a very unhealthy oil. I have had great success substituting avocado oil in any recipe that calls for vegetable , canola or soy bean oil.
Ciao,
Linda Rose
Nadia
Hello Linda, I definitely believe in modifying recipes to suit our own taste. I'm sure it will be delicious! Thanks for your comment and for stopping by my blog!
Vickie Calabro
An Absolutely delicious and moist cake 💕
The family loved it! Thank you for sharing 🙏😊
Nadia
Thank you Vickie for sharing this with me, so glad you enjoyed it!
Anna
Hi I baked this cake and it seemed pale compared to your photo baked for 1hr 10 min....any ideas why?
Nadia
Hi Anna, unfortunately not all ovens are the same and so baking time may vary from one oven to another. I recently purchased a new oven and noticed that not all baked goods take the same amount of time to bake as they did in my old oven. Did you try leaving it in longer? You can, as long as it doesn't over bake and become too dry. Please let me know hot it turned out and thanks for your comment!
Winnie
I love making yogurt cakes. I made this one and it lived up to expectations. It was delicious. I added more cinnamon because we love the flavor (especially with apples) and everyone enjoyed it. Now we'll have to make another one for Thanksgiving!
mangiabedda@gmail.com
Hi Winnie, so glad you enjoyed it! Some in my family are not so crazy about cinnamon so I toned it down, but I’m sure it’s delicious with more. Thank you for your feedback and happy thanksgiving!