Fall Recipe: Apple Snack Cake

This quick and easy snacking cake is perfect for autumnal weather, and for using up all the beautiful fall apples you may have on hand. This cake is perfect for dessert, a morning snack, or for recreating the Break Cake rush. Browned butter lends a deep nutty flavor, and the addition of olive oil, yogurt, and applesauce keep it moist for days after it’s made, if it lasts that long! 

This recipe is adapted from Jake Cohen’s Apple and Honey Snacking Cake. 

Ingredients Required

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 

½ cup olive oil 

⅔ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup honey 

½ cup applesauce 

¼ cup Greek yogurt 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 large eggs 

2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

3 medium Honeycrisp apples, cored, peeled, and chopped into ½ inch pieces  

Powdered sugar, for dusting 

Note: For a slightly warmer tasting and spicier cake, add ½ teaspoon ground cardamom to the dry ingredients. If you can’t get your hands on Honeycrisp apples, Granny Smiths work just as well. 

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (180° celsius), and line an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper. 
2. Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. One melted, the butter will foam and sizzle around the edges of the saucepan. Keep stirring until the butter is golden brown, about 5-8 minutes. As the butter liquid cooks, little solid flecks, the milk solids, will appear, turning from white to a toasty brown. Let cool slightly. You do not need to separate the milk solids from the liquid butter, simply add them in with the rest of the ingredients. 
3. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, yogurt, olive oil, butter, and vanilla until smooth and homogenous. Sift in the flour, spices, salt, and raising agents. Mix until just combined. 
4. Fold in the apple pieces, taking care to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. This ensures that all the ingredients are mixed together throughout. 
5. Pour into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. 
6. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then dust with powdered sugar before serving. 
7. Slice and serve!