So, if you follow my blog (and thank you) you will notice that I love to bake and cook with fruit. It just adds such delicious flavor and texture to your food. Since I had so many apples I wanted to bake some goodies to have on hand for company. And who doesn’t love a moist piece of an apple dessert? The rest of my  apples will be great sliced either plain or with some peanut butter ( great snack packed with vitamin C, protein and fiber).

And by the way, wash the apples before you peel them. Then you can snack on the apple peels while baking. They are packed with antioxidants and fiber, so don’t throw them away! If you are preparing this recipe with children, have them snack on the peels too, it’ll cut down on their anticipation for the baked goodies and provide a healthy snack!

This cake is super moist (from the yogurt), has walnuts inside (hello omega-3’s for ensuring optimum functioning of the brain!) and a pleasantly crinkly topping from the sugar sprinkled on top.

As you can see the batter is rather thick and then once you add in the apples it becomes even thicker. So once you place it in your choice of pan, smooth the top off with the back of a spoon.

I made the 8 inch square cake and was able to cut 9 nice size piece servings. I ate one and froze the rest for when needed. Yes, these do freeze well. Just take them out of the freezer the night before (even a few hours before needed)and allow to thaw in the fridge. You can then warm them up and serve with your favorite beverage. Did someone  say red vino?!

I think it’s always nice to have a dessert on hand for company, especially homemade. So try this recipe and let me know how you liked it. And if you have any nut allergies just omit the walnuts, the cake still tastes delicious. And as always, Enjoy!

Apple Yogurt Walnut Cake

Ingredients: Makes either 1    8 inch square cake or 1   9 inch round cake

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 14.5 tablespoons unsalted butter  melted, plus a little extra for buttering the pan
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup yogurt,  I used whole fat yogurt
• 2 apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (I used Granny Smith)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup walnuts, slightly broken
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar , for the topping

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease entire inside of your baking pan with some butter and set aside. About 1 tablespoon.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 1/2 cup of sugar and the melted butter for about 2 minutes on a medium low speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla to combine.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with the yogurt, beginning and ending with the flour.

Stir in the sliced apples, lemon zest and walnuts and pour the batter in the prepared pan. The batter will be thick so level off the batter with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the 1/3 cup sugar evenly over the top of the cake.

Place the pan on the center rack and bake for 60 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Allow to cool completely before serving.

I placed a pan on a lower rack since this bake bubbles while baking just in case any drips down.