Easy Apple Cake
I love this cake because it’s really affordable, uses basic ingredients, and all you need is a bowl and a spoon - no fancy equipment here! You can use apples or whatever fruit you’ve got, and it’s super easy to tweak to be gluten free or egg free. This is one of those bakes that feels special without costing much at all.
Total cost: approx. $5.50
Servings: 8–10 slices
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45–50 minutes
Ingredients
For the apples:
3 apples (e.g., Granny Smith), peeled and diced
1 tablespoon oil or butter
1 tablespoon sugar
For the cake batter:
3/4 cup oil (canola, sunflower, or melted butter)
1 cup yogurt (or milk or sour cream)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups self-raising flour
Or: 2 cups plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Method
1. Peel and dice the apples.
2. In a small pan, cook the apples with 1 tbsp oil/butter and 1 tbsp sugar until tender and lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, yogurt, sugar, and eggs until smooth.
4. Fold in flour (and baking powder if using plain flour), salt, and cinnamon (if using). Stir until just combined — don’t overmix.
5. Gently fold in the cooled apples.
6. Pour the batter into a greased cake tin.
7. Bake at 175°C fan (347°F) for 45–50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
8. Cool slightly before serving. Serve plain or with a glaze.
Optional Glaze
1 cup icing sugar
Splash of water
1 tsp vanilla extract
To make glaze:
Whisk icing sugar with a splash of water and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake.
Allergy-Friendly Swaps
Gluten free: Use 2 cups gluten free flour + 2 tsp baking powder, or 2 cups ground almonds + 2 tbsp cornflour + 2 tsp baking powder
Egg free: Replace eggs with 2 grated apples or 1 cup applesauce
