Apple Coffee Cake

Get ready to be impressed, and to impress anyone who tastes these!  I've never made a coffee cake before, so I wanted to give it a try.  There were some ingredients I wouldn't have thought to use, but the end result was moist and delicious!

Due to having to grate the apples, you're going to get a bit of a work out in while making these too = bonus.  You'll need two cups of grated apples, which is about three apples. 

Peel the apples, and grate them until you have around two cups.  Cover and place in the fridge until later in the recipe when you'll need them.  It was a messy job, but someone had to do it.

Start by mixing together the topping.  Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon and melted butter together, and set aside.  You have the option of adding pecans here, I choose not, but it's up to you.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and vanilla together.  The original recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon of tonka bean, I used vanilla instead.  Mix until well combined.

In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs, yogurt, and melted butter together.

Never would have thought to use yogurt, but it was a great addition.  I used fat free to make it a little healthier.

Add the dry ingredients and stir until just blended.

Then stir in the grated apples. 

Spread batter evenly into 10 inch spring form pan that's been lightly greased.  Sprinkle the topping over the batter.  PS I used a 9 inch spring form pan and it worked out just fine.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes, mine took around 42 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  

Once removed from the oven, let the cake rest in the pan for a few minutes.  Then un-mold it and place it on a cooling rack. 

Serve warm or at room temperature.  I tried to cut them into two bite pieces, and everyone loved them. It's a fairly simple recipe, besides the hard labor of grating the apples, and it tastes like it's from a speciality bakery.  I think the grated apple, and the yogurt really allowed the cake to keep from drying out while baking, which is an issue I have with most cakes.  If you try it, make sure you leave me some comments on how it turned out!! 

Apple Coffee Cake
Topping
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans *optional

Cake
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon vanilla - or grated tonka bean
2 eggs
1 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups peeled and grated apples, lightly packed


Topping
Combine all ingredients.
Mix well and set aside.

Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease a 10 inch spring form pan *I used a 9 inch, and it turned out fine.
In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and vanilla; mix well.
In another bowl, beat eggs, yogurt and melted butter.
Stir into dry ingredients until just blended.
Stir in grated apples.
Spread batter evenly into prepared pan, and sprinkle topping over the batter.
Bake for 40-50 minutes *mine was around 40 until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake rest in the pan for a few minutes before un-modling and placing it on a rack to cool.
Serve warm or at room temperature.