Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Maple Glaze
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Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Maple Glaze is a healthier apple cake recipe made with yogurt and grated apple. Warm spices permeate this delicious and easy cake and an unforgettable brown sugar maple glaze is drizzled just before serving.

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It’s a welcome-to-fall kind of cake. Rich and delicious… without a lot of guilt.
Filled with fresh apples, cinnamon, and maple, this cake is lightened up with yogurt and oil instead of butter.
It’s rather perfect when the apples are ripening, the trees are beginning to turn into their glorious shades of autumn.
The top, though, is what makes this cake. And it’s super, super easy to do. A thinly sliced apple, decoratively place, is added to the top of the cake before baking.
Magically, it becomes this golden beauty of delicious flavors.

Ingredients in this Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Maple Glaze
Pantry Staples:
Canola oil, vanilla extract, sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and apple pie spice. See our note on substituting apple pie spice if you don’t have it.
Refrigerated Items:
Large eggs, plain Greek yogurt, butter, milk, and maple syrup.
Fruit:
Two baking or crisp apples, like Gala.

How to Make Apple Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and generously coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
Step 1: Whisk Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, apple pie spice, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Step 2: Combine Ingredients
In a separate bowl and with an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add yogurt and vanilla; and then gradually add the oil, mixing until combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredient; mix until just combined.
Then grate one apple onto a paper towel to remove excess moisture and fold it into the batter. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan.
Step 3: Garnish the Top of the Cake and Bake
Halve and thinly slice the remaining apple. Arrange the slices in pretty patterns on top of the batter.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely; about 1 hour.
Drizzle the Brown Sugar Maple Glaze over the apple cake before serving.

More Apple Recipes
- Maple Apple Banana Bread: A Treat for Fall
- Ireland Tradition: A Cast Iron Irish Apple Cake
- A Favorite Fall Classic: Slow Cooker Apple Crisp
- Easy Apple Fritter Bread
- Lighter Christmas Cake with Apple and Fruit
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Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Maple Glaze Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup canola oil
- 2 apples like Gala
Brown Sugar Maple Glaze
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, apple pie spice, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer or stand mixer beat together the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy; about 1 minute. Add yogurt and vanilla; beat to combine. Gradually add the oil and continue beating until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Grate one apple onto a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Fold the grated apple into the batter and then transfer into the prepared pan. Halve and thinly slice the remaining apple. Arrange the slices in pretty patterns on top of the batter.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely; about 1 hour.
- When ready to serve, heat brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk, a pinch of salt, and bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat and let cool, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.
Video
Notes
To Store:
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.Apple Pie Spice:
If you don’t have apple pie spice on hand, you can make your own by combining the following spices.- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.