2011_03_21-AppleCake01.jpgMy recipe stories seem to fall into a predictable rut: I had to feed a few people. I needed something easy and simple, and so this recipe was born. But honestly, that's the way I cook. I look for recipes that give maximum pleasure at the lowest common denominator of work, ingredients, and convenience. The results don't always bear talking about, but this recipe — oh, this one does. A moist cake with a crumb that's almost creamy, swirled with cinnamon, and juicy with small bites of apple. It will take you 10 minutes to make, and regardless of whether my story gets old, this recipe never will.

2011_03_21-AppleCake.jpgI am cooking this week for a group of scientists doing research in snowy Colorado, and it's great fun to have a week where I do almost nothing but cook. The first night we were here, I needed a quick, simple dessert. I had all the makings of a yogurt cake, like this simple, favorite recipe. But I have been craving spring's sweet fruits and berries. They're not really around yet, of course, but I wanted a bite of fruit. So I turned to apples.

Over-wintered apples are always available, and I love their mild sweetness and brightness when cut up very small and baked in a cake. They are juicy little pops of fruit. I also craved cinnamon, and so I spread a crumbly mix of cinnamon and brown sugar through the middle and over the top of this cake. This created a cinnamon streak running right through the cake, and a dimpled, puckered top filled with brown sugar glaze.

2011_03_21-AppleCake03.jpgThe beautiful thing about this cake, besides its moist lusciousness, is that it all mixes up in one bowl, and you don't even need beaters. It's only mildly sweet, too; much of the sweetness comes from the apples.

In fact, I came downstairs the morning after I made this, and found only a corner or two remaining. My crew had evidently decided that this was good for breakfast as well, and attacked it with considered purpose. There are only a few moist crumbs left, two days later, but they are just as delicious as when I took the cake out of the oven.

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Apple Yogurt Cake with a Cinnamon-Sugar Streak
serves 8 or more

1 1/2 cups whole-milk yogurt, well-stirred
2/3 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 small tart apples, such as Granny Smith, about 1 1/2 pounds
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with baking spray or olive oil.

Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Peel and core the apples, and chop into chunks about 1/2-inch across. You should end up with 3 1/2 to 4 cups of apples. Stir the chopped apple into the liquid ingredients.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon right into the liquids and stir just until no lumps remain. In a small separate bowl, mix the remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon with the brown sugar and butter.

Pour half of the batter into the cake pan. Sprinkle the batter with half of the cinnamon-brown sugar mixture, dropping it on the batter in small lumps. Spread the rest of the batter over top, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-brown sugar.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, covering with foil at the end if the top is browning. When a tester comes out clean, transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

This keeps very well for several days, and it gets even moister as it sits, due to the apples.

More Apple Desserts from The Kitchn

Pictured above, left to right:
• Sticky Spiked Double-Apple Cake with a Brown Sugar-Brandy Sauce
• Rosemary Apple Turnovers with Honey
• Spiced Apple Cider Sorbet

(Images: Faith Durand)