Low-Fat Apple Cake
Make the most of apple season by baking this low-fat cake. It’s not overly sweet, it has a moist, tender crumb, and it’s packed with lemon flavor and fresh apple slices in every bite.
Serve it with just a dusting of powdered sugar alongside a mug of steaming hot coffee or maybe your favorite pumpkin spiced latte!
Easy apple cake recipe
While this cake may look fancy, it couldn’t be easier to make. It’s so simple you can’t mess it up even if you tried! (Perfect for beginner bakers!).
It’s such a great recipe to keep up your sleeves when you need a quick and easy dessert for a party or when friends are coming over on short notice!
The best part of it is that apples are available year-round! 🙌🏻 And the extra bonus: it’s low calories, low-fat without butter or oil.
Ingredients and substitution suggestions
It’s very likely you already have everything on hand. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Apples – Lots of apples – both folded into the batter and layered over the top. I like to use Pink Lady or Golden Delicious, but you can use whatever apples you love best. You can even replace the apples with pears.
- Lemon – Lemon zest brightens up the flavor of the apples; lemon juice prevents them from browning. You can omit the lemon zest and replace it with cinnamon, nutmeg, all spices, or vanilla extract.
- Eggs – Help the batter bake up light and fluffy with good structure.
- Sugar – I used granulated white sugar. Sugar gives sweetness, adds moisture, and helps create the perfect texture.
- Salt – Just a pinch, to sharpen the flavors.
- Flour – I have only tested this recipe with standard all-purpose flour but several readers used gluten-free flour with great results!
- Baking powder – Lifts the batter.
- Milk – I used reduced fat milk for this recipe, but you could use fat-free milk, whole milk, or plant-based milk.
How to make this healthy-ish apple cake recipe
To make this apple dessert, simply…
- Prep the apples: peel, core and slice the apples, then toss them in lemon juice.
- Beat sugar + eggs: beat the sugar, eggs, lemon zest and salt until the mixture is thick and creamy. This will take some time—about 5 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients+milk to the batter: add the dry ingredients, beat until just combined, then add in the milk.
- Fold in the apples: fold in two-thirds of the apples into the batter.
- Add the remaining apples: pour the batter into the pan, and add the remaining apples on top.
- Bake: sprinkle with a tablespoon of granulated sugar, and bake for approximately 35 minutes.
Serving suggestions
This moist apple cake tastes fantastic with just a dusting of powdered sugar on top. But for special occasions, serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. 😋
Easy Low-Fat Apple Cake: FAQ
Just about any type of apple that holds up well when baked – Pink Lady, Honey Crisp, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Jonagold are all good options.
Sliced apples keep the cake deliciously moist. Store it in an airtight container in a cool place for 2 to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. In warm climates, it is better to store it in the fridge.
You can freeze this fresh apple cake for up to 1 month. Once baked, cool it completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap (you can wrap the whole cake or individual slices). Bring it to room temperature before serving.
The recipe is adapted from the book “La buona cucina di casa” written by the Simili sisters.
More delicious apple recipes to try:
- Slow cooker homemade apple cider
- Roasted pumpkin apple soup
- Apple pie yogurt parfait
- Fall harvest salad with apple cider vinaigrette
- Easy Apple Cake
- Quick & easy individual apple crisps
Easy Apple Cake (no butter or oil)
Ingredients
- 1.21 lb (550 g) apples
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (90 g) granulated sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon (110 g) all-purpose flour sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (75 ml) milk I used reduced fat (2%) milk
Optional:
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to sprinkle on top
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C).
- Grease and flour a 9 inches (22 cm) pan, and set aside.
Prep the apples
- Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Place the slices in a bowl with the lemon juice, toss to coat, and set aside.
Make the cake batter
- Put the eggs, sugar, grated lemon zest and salt in a bowl, and beat until thick and creamy.
- Add the flour, baking powder, milk, and mix on low speed until combined.
- Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, fold in two-thirds of the apples into the batter.
- Pour the batter in the prepared pan and arrange the remaining apple slices, flat-side down, over the top.
- Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar (optional).
Bake the apple cake
- Bake the apple cake for approximately 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean,and the top is golden brown.
- Cool completely, then dust the cake with powdered sugar just before serving.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy it!
Notes
- Apples: I used 3 apples. The weight of the apples was 1.21 lbs (550 grams) BEFORE peeling/coring. Net weight was 0.86 lbs (390 grams).
- Which apples to use: I used Pink Lady for this cake, but feel free to swap in any apple that holds up well when baked – Honey Crisp, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Jonagold are all good options.
- Baking pan: I baked my cake in a ceramic pan. You can use your favorite pan as long as it’s 9 inches.
- Baking time – All ovens are different and, therefore, the baking time for this cake may vary. If you notice your cake browning too quickly, simply place a sheet of foil over the top and continue baking.
- To store – Sliced apples keep the cake deliciously moist. Store it in an airtight container in a cool place for 2 to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. In warm climates, it is better to store it in the fridge.
- To freeze – You can freeze this fresh apple cake for up to 1 month. Once baked, cool it completely then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap (you can wrap the whole cake or individual slices). Bring it to room temperature before serving.
- Nutrition – Nutrition facts are for 1 of 8 servings. Each serving is approximately 90 grams.
Nutrition
