Apple Cake with Oatmeal
This small-batch Apple Oatmeal Cake comes together in one bowl with just 9 minutes of hands-on prep. No peeling or coring the apple required! Shredded apple keeps every bite moist, while the quick cooking oats add a little heartiness. An inexpensive dessert for less than $5, ready in about 30 minutes.
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 1serving
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 medium apples such as Gala or Honeycrisp (2 cups shredded) (no need to peel apple)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup quick-cooking oats
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan.
- Whisk the egg until frothy in a large bowl. Stir in the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, ½ cup of the brown sugar and vanilla.
- Shred enough of the apple to make 2 cups of loosely packed shredded apple. Gently squeeze out most of the liquid. Stir the shredded apple into the sugar mixture.
- Healthy tip: Don’t throw away that delicious fresh apple juice! Drink it! It’s chock full of vitamin C. I love to mix it with cranberry juice.
- One Bowl Method: Add the flour and oats without stirring. Sprinkle the cinnamon, baking soda and salt over the oats. Loosely stir the dry ingredients together without incorporating the wet ingredients below, yet. Now, stir the dry ingredients into the apple mixture below it, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
- Stir in the nuts, if using, or sprinkle them on top right before baking, if you like.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 29 minutes in an 8x8 pan or 25 minutes in a 9x9 pan or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar, if you like.
- Yield: 9 servings
Notes
- Apples: Gala or Honeycrisp work well but most any apple will work. No need to peel, just wash and shred. Baking apples like Granny Smith will work too, but you might want to peel those.
- Oats: Quick-cooking oats give the most tender crumb. Old-fashioned oats can be substituted, but the cake will be slightly more crumbly.
- Don't skip the squeeze: Press out as much liquid as you can from the shredded apple before adding it to the batter, or the cake might turn out dense. Drink the juice!
- Check early: Ovens vary, so start checking for doneness with a toothpick around 22 minutes for a 9x9 pan.
