Ingredients
Method
Make the Brown Butter Cake Batter
- Add the butter to a light-colored saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it smells nutty and the milk solids turn deeply golden brown. Immediately pour the brown butter into a heat-safe bowl so it does not burn.
- Measure 3 tablespoons of the brown butter into a separate bowl for the topping. Let the remaining brown butter cool for about 10 minutes.
- Whisk the cooled brown butter with the maple sugar and maple syrup until combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the Greek yogurt, whole milk and vanilla bean paste until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. The batter should be thick, creamy and easily spreadable. Do not overmix.
Prepare the Apples
- Peel and core the apples, then slice them approximately 1/8-inch thick. A mandoline works best for even layers.
- Gently toss the apple slices with the maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla bean paste and sea salt. Do not cook the apples first.
Assemble the Apple Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Spread one-third of the cake batter evenly across the bottom of the pan.
- Arrange a generous overlapping layer of apples over the batter.
- Spread another third of the batter over the apples and add a second overlapping apple layer.
- Cover with the remaining batter, then arrange the remaining apple slices across the top, overlapping them slightly.
Make the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Topping
- Brush the exposed apple slices and cake batter generously with the reserved brown butter.
- Mix the maple sugar, cinnamon and sea salt. Cover the entire surface of the cake with the cinnamon maple sugar mixture.
Bake the Cake
- Bake for 55 to 70 minutes, beginning to check the cake at 50 minutes.
- The cake is ready when the center feels set when gently pressed and no visibly wet batter appears in the center. A toothpick may look damp if it passes through an apple layer.
- If the cinnamon topping becomes too dark before the center is finished, loosely tent the cake with foil.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 30 to 45 minutes before releasing the springform.
Finish the Cake
- While the cake is still slightly warm, brush the top lightly with the optional melted brown butter.
- Mix the maple sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle the mixture lightly over the warm cake to create a second layer of fresh cinnamon crunch.
- Allow the cake to finish cooling before cutting it into 10 slices.
Nutrition
Notes
Slice the apples very thinly and evenly. Thick slices will not soften at the same rate as the cake and can make the layers difficult to cut.
Four apples is intentional. The goal is visible ribbons of caramelized Honeycrisp apples throughout the entire cake, not a vanilla cake with a few apple pieces.
Pour the finished brown butter out of the hot saucepan immediately. The toasted milk solids can move from deeply golden to burned very quickly.
Do not overmix the batter after adding the flour. Fold only until the last dry streak disappears so the crumb stays soft and tender.
Use the visual and touch cues instead of relying exclusively on a toothpick. A toothpick can pass through a moist apple layer and make a fully baked cake look underdone.
Cool the cake for at least 30 to 45 minutes before releasing the pan. The apple layers and soft Greek yogurt crumb need time to set.
Store the cake tightly covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate it for up to 5 days. Bring refrigerated slices to room temperature or warm them gently before serving.
The nutrition estimate includes the optional finishing brown butter and is calculated using 10 equal slices. Exact values vary by ingredient brand and apple size.