This is my family’s favorite cake and my “I don’t need to search any longer” apple cake. I posted it very early in homebeccanomic’s life and as I ate a quarter of the cake in the past 24 hours, realized it deserved to be cleaned up and reposted.
This cake is so forgiving that when I made it last month and forgot the eggs, it was not only edible but delicious! It’s such an old recipe that Cooking Light listed margarine as the fat – as if! Butter, baby. Butter withstanding it still clocks in at just over 200 calories per slice. The texture manages to be both light and moist, and the craggy, crunchy cinnamon topping makes you forget the word streusel. A healthier concept of the standard apple cake, that’s for sure, but you won’t think so while you partake. Serve for brunch with cinnamon/honey Greek yogurt, or for dessert with a big fat scoop of vanilla.
I’ve bolded two directions for you – these are areas I messed up in the past. The sugar is DIVIDED, meaning it’s used at two different places. The cinnamon sugar mixture is also divided, with two tbsp. getting mixed with the apples and rest going on top. If you make a mistake – plow on. You won’t be sorry!
Cinnamon Apple Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 10
1Â 3/4 c. sugar, divided
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
6 oz. lowfat cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1Â 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1Â 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 c. peeled, cored, and chopped macintosh apples (about 2 large apples)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat 1 1/2 c. of the sugar along with the butter, the vanilla, and the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed for about four minutes.
3. Add eggs, 1 at at time.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add mixture to butter/sugar mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.
5. Combine your remaining sugar (1/4 c.) with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Measure out 2 tbsp. of this mixture and toss it with the apple chunks.
6. Coat 9 in. springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
7. Stir apples into batter, and pour batter into prepared pan. Top with the rest of the cinnamon sugar.
8. Bake 1 hour and check for “doneness†with a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake. Toothpick should come out mostly clean, maybe a few crumbs.
9. Cool completely.
