In Italy, the fall season is all about harvest - and this cake is representative of that spirit. What better way to ring in the season than filling your home with the smell of apples and cinnamon?

This cake is perfect for a fall dessert. It's very rustic and non fussy: serve it up in the dish that it bakes in, and give it a dusting of powdered sugar to look extra pretty. Almond flour gives it a great nutty flavor, and yogurt keeps the cake super moist. Additionally, the layer of apples on the bottom give the cake a rich caramel flavor, and the taste of apples perfumes the whole cake. It's lovely with coffee or tea, or getting cozy with when it's cold outside!

Stick with Granny Smith apples for this - they have a great tart flavor to them, and they hold up better while baking than other apple varieties might.

Torta Di Mele (Italian Apple Cake)
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Torta Di Mele (Italian Apple Cake)

Category

Dessert

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

60 minutes

Image of Torta Di Mele (Italian Apple Cake)

Ingredients

    For The Apples:

  • Unsalted butter (for buttering the baking pan)
  • 6 small Granny Smith apples (peeled and sliced)
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature)

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, (at room temperature)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan.
  2. Mix together the apples, granulated sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  3. For the cake, combine the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Using a hand-held mixer, beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time until fully combined, then add the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and yogurt. Beat on low speed until a few streaks remain, then fold together with a rubber spatula until fully combined. (Do not overmix.)
  4. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with half of the apple mixture. Spread the batter over the top of the apples. Top the batter with the remaining apples, making decorative rows across the cake. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Allow the cake to cool slightly before dusting with powdered sugar and serving.
vegetarian