Next week – 19 to 25 May 2014 – is National Yogurt Week, the UK’s first celebration of all things yogurt! Humans have been eating yogurt for thousands of years and it’s a big part of the British diet. That’s a good thing – not only is yogurt delicious, it contains both protein and a range of nutrients that make it a really healthy choice.
There are lots of ways to use yogurt besides enjoying it straight from the pot. I particularly like to use it for baking and in desserts.
This Apple and Cinnamon Yogurt Cake is one of my favourite recipes. The yogurt gives the cake a moist, tender crumb and the easy apple decoration on top means the cake looks gorgeous with very little effort.
Yogurt gives cakes a really lovely texture and moistness as well as a tiny bit of tang that enhances their flavour. While I made this cake with a very specific yogurt in mind, after several test bakes I’ve confirmed that you really can use absolutely any yogurt you like. If you can get Rachel’s Organic Limited Edition Apple Cinnamon Yogurt it makes the cake even more delicious. If you can’t, vanilla or even plain yogurt is absolutely fine.
Leaving the skin on the apple slices gives the cake a wonderful colour, and if you use free range or organic eggs and butter as well as organic yogurt, this cake can be a very wholesome treat.
Quick and easy to throw together, this is the perfect autumn cake for absolutely any time of day; I’ve even taken to having a slice for breakfast with a dollop of yogurt alongside! Delicious with a cup of tea, it’s also lovely a la mode or warm with custard or cream for dessert.
Apple Cinnamon Yogurt Cake for National Yogurt Week
Ingredients
- For the cake
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated or caster sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour All purpose flour is also known as plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
- 1 apple
- 1 cup vanilla yogurt You can use plain yogurt if you prefer
- For the topping
- 2 red skinned apples
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons granulated or caster sugar
Instructions
- Preheat to oven to 350°F or 170°C.
- Grease and flour an 8 inch round loose bottom or springform cake pan. I like to line the bottom of the pan with a circle of baking parchment as well.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Peel, core, quarter and chop one of the apples into small pieces.
- Stir the apple pieces into the flour mixture. Set aside.
- In an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla thoroughly.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and apple mixture.
- Add the yogurt and beat together thoroughly.
- Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
- Core, quarter and thinly slice the two apples. (Don't peel them!)
- Arrange the apple slices on top of the cake in a circular fashion.
- Combine the topping ingredients, 2 tablespoons sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Sprinkle over the apples on top of the cake.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow to cook in the pan for at least 20 minutes before carefully removing the cake from the pan and cooling completely on a wire rack.
did you make this recipe?
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Don’t miss my Lemon and Ginger Cake, Cupcakes and Mini Bundt Cakes!
Disclosure: I was reimbursed by The Yogurt Council for the ingredients to develop a recipe using yogurt.
Comments & Reviews
It’s a very beautiful cake!
My family loves all kinds of apple-desserts, and I loooooooooooooove cinnamon, so this is the perfect cake for us 🙂
Thank you, Winnie 🙂
I dimly recall a chocolate cake recipe made with yogurt. It, too, came out lovely and moist. I like the idea here of the apples on top.
Thank you, Pauline 🙂 Chocolate cake would be lovely with yogurt too!
I’m totally hooked on the health benefits of eating yoghurt, and I just don’t feel right unless I’ve had my daily dose of a generous dollop in some form or another. Like you I like to use it in baking and cooking, as well as “straight-up”, and I know I would love this cake.
Thank you, Sue. It’s funny because I didn’t think I liked yogurt until a few years ago, and now I love it and eat it pretty much daily 🙂
You had me at quick and easy! I love your recipes, all so simple and tasty looking 🙂
I’m actually dropping by to let you know that I nominated you for a Liebster Award – here’s the details: http://www.supermommyclub.com/getting-to-know-you/
Thank you, Clare 🙂 And thank you for the nomination. I’ll be sure to visit!
Very pretty! I’m with you. I love cooking/baking with yogurt when I can, especially when I’ve been good about making my own yogurt. When I do, it’s usually a big batch, so that gives me an excuse to use some in baking so it’s not sitting around for too long. Think I’ll try to find different colored apples of the same firmness so I can alternate the color slices but they bake at the same rate. Pinning! [#TastyTuesdays]
Thank you, Chris! I think it’s wonderful that you make your own yogurt too. I hope you enjoy the cake when you bake it!
What a glorious looking cake, and I sure do love my yogurt, just had one 🙂
What a lovely cake. It’s really pretty and sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing at the Recipe Swap.
I’m so glad you like it, Kathy 🙂