Nothing says cooler weather and changing leaves like the smell of spicy cinnamon and sweet roasted apples.

I can’t write this post without giving some credit to my boyfriend. Last week, when I was overwhelmed with school work, he asked me what he could do to help me get through it all. I jokingly responded by telling him I’d love his mom’s famous apple cake, knowing there was none within a 150 mile radius. He did some research and found a bunch of recipes (allowing me to read over everything and create an experimental recipe), and he made the cake all on his own. I was shocked, and it was oh so good. 

 Before I give you this gem, let’s talk a bit about the amazing health benefits of cinnamon. Did you know that the spice has a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it great for people with Type II diabetes (and also great for weight loss). In addition, studies have found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory. Cinnamon also has antifungal properties which may play a role in fighting E. coli. bacteria. Lastly, if you ever have a headache or migraine, you can sprinkle a little cinnamon on your food to quickly (and naturally) feel relief.

I try to eat a little cinnamon each day. I sprinkle it on my cereal, yogurt, toast, etc. It’s health benefits are even further enhanced when combined with honey. Check out this page to read up on some amazing finds.

After realizing how delicious this recipe was when my boyfriend made it for me, I decided to make it again for a tailgate this weekend. The cake was a hit, and it was almost completely gone by mid-afternoon. I didn’t dare tell the barbecue, potato chip, and pork chop eating crowd that this cake is actually pretty healthy.

Here’s what you’ll need:

3/4 cup of plain non-fat Greek yogurt 

2 eggs

2 cups of white sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

2 cups of whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

4 small apples (or 3 large apples), diced 

1 cup of confectioner’s sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons of non-fat milk 

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a bundt cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, blend together the yogurt and eggs for two minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed.

Next, add the sugar and vanilla. Blend until the mixture is creamy.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon with a whisk.

Little by little, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, beating until everything is evenly combined.

The batter will be very thick.

Core and peel the apples. Usually I would say keep the skin on to preserve the nutrients, but for this cake it’s best for the apples to have a soft texture that can only be achieved without the skin. 

Dice the apples into 1/2 inch pieces – you want to be able to see and taste the apples when you take a bite of cake. To speed up the process, I used my food processor to chop the apples all at once. If you do this, be careful to not over-process. It’s easy to chop the pieces too small!

Fold the apples into the batter with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool on a baking rack.

In the meantime, prepare the cinnamon glaze by whisking together the confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, milk, and vanilla. It should easily coat the back of a spoon (or fork).

Once the cake has cooled a bit, use a spoon to drizzle the glaze back and forth across the cake.

The way this cake will make your kitchen smell is unreal…and it tastes even better.

The Greek yogurt makes the texture of the cake extremely moist, almost like a rum cake. It’s great for breakfast with coffee, or for a cool weather dessert with some hot apple cider.

Happy Fall Ya’ll!

- Kelsey