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    Home » Cake recipes

    Published on: November 30, 2011 by Janice; Updated on: February 8, 2022 67 Comments

    David Rocco's apple yogurt cake

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    Traditional Italian apple yogurt cake made with a crunchy sugar topping from David Rocco's apple yogurt cake recipe

    If you want a recipe for apple yogurt cake, look no further! This is David Rocco's recipe and it's like a dense apple torte with a wonderful crispy sugar topping. Keep reading to find the recipe and my book review of David Rocco's book "Made in Italy" .

    Apple yogurt cake with a crisp sugar topping

    Oh, David Rocco.... I watch him on tv, usually in awe. He's a Canadian who lives part-time in Italy. He hangs out with his buddies in Rome, and cooks. He visits fun places like a chestnut farm, and eats and cooks among the trees. What a life! How do I sign up for this gig?

    With all honesty, I don't really want to have a tv show. I'd rather have my perfect little bakery. In the meantime, I have David Rocco's latest book "Made in Italy" to review.

    So far, I've tested a handful of recipes. What I love about this book: the simplicity. The recipes are quite simple and rustic. You don't need a fancy food processor, blender, mixer, etc. to make David Rocco's recipes. The photos in the book reflect this simplicity, depicting simple, traditional Italian dishes. There are no fancy plating techniques here: the pizzas aren't perfectly round and there are sometimes dribbles of sauce on the serving plate photographed. The dishes really look homemade.

    Italian apple yogurt cake

    What I don't love (i.e. me being picky): solids (like flour, sugar, etc.) are measured in cups/milliliters (mL). My inner chemist thinks that volumes are for liquids, weights are for solids. Unfortunately, I think Canadian publishing regulations dictate that solids be reported for cookbooks in cups/mL. This makes absolutely no sense to me, but those are the rules. Oh well.

    My other issue is with the ingredient lists. For the dessert (dolci) section, I think it is important to specify to use unsalted butter and granulated sugar, for example. However, in this book, these ingredients are listed as butter and sugar, which is fine for the experienced bakers who know what type of butter and sugar to use, but for a novice, I think it's important to specify exactly what ingredients were used. These are really minor details though, and I'm definitely going to continue cooking with this book.

    Apple yogurt cake david rocco

    This apple yogurt cake is a dessert recipe adapted from David Rocco's  "Made in Italy" (page 341). The recipe is really simple and can even be mixed together by hand (or with a hand mixer, as David Rocco recommends) if you don't have a stand mixer. The cake has a lovely moist texture and is full of apple slices. The original recipe said to bake the cake for 40 minutes, but mine took over an hour to bake. I love the crispy sugar topping that crackles as the cake cools and its crispy texture is a welcome sweet contrast to the soft, slightly tart apples. This is a great snacking cake and absolutely appropriate for the end of fall.

    Italian apple yogurt cake
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    David Rocco's apple yogurt cake

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    David Rocco's apple yogurt cake recipe from one of his books. This traditional Italian apple yogurt cake has a crisp sugar topping.
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Italian
    Keyword apple yogurt cake
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings 8
    Calories 406kcal
    Author Janice

    Ingredients

    • 156 grams (1¼ ) bleached all-purpose flour 150 grams
    • 1.25 mL (¼ teaspoon) ground cinnamon
    • 1.25 mL (¼ teaspoon) Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
    • 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
    • 200 grams (14 tablespoon) unsalted butter melted, plus a little extra for buttering the pan
    • 2 large egg(s)
    • 125 mL (½ cup) yogurt (2 % fat)
    • 2 apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
    • 15 mL (1 tablespoon) finely grated lemon zest
    • 75 grams (1 tablespoon) granulated sugar for the topping

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch cake round.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and salt.
    • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the ½ cup of sugar and the melted butter until it has lightened.
    • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
    • Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with the yoghurt, beginning and ending with the flour.
    • Stir in the sliced apples and the lemon zest, and pour the batter in the prepared pan.
    • Sprinkle the ⅓ cup sugar evenly over the top of the cake.
    • The original recipe suggests a baking time of 40 minutes, but I think it needs to bake for over one hour (until a tester inserted into the center (not through an apple if possible!) comes out clean.
    • Let cool completely before serving.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 406kcal

    Please note that I was sent this book by Harper Collins publishing, but my opinion is my own.

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    Comments

    1. Nancie says

      December 05, 2011 at 2:30 pm

      I like David Rocco. I also watch him on tv (and not only because he is handsome!). His recipes are delicious and easy to make.

      I really enjoy the spaghetti al limone from his first book (David Rocco's Dolce Vita). I made that recipe the last time my best friend came over for supper. She liked it very much and went back home with a copy of the recipe (she doesn't know she's getting the book for Christmas...)

      Reply
    2. Deb says

      December 05, 2011 at 4:30 pm

      I am a great fan of seasonal fruit in a simple dessert recipe. With so many lovely apples in season I am excited that you have shared this recipe and cookbook with us.

      Reply
    3. Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says

      December 05, 2011 at 5:52 pm

      This cake looks moist and wonderful!

      Reply
    4. Kiri W. says

      December 05, 2011 at 3:25 pm

      Wow, this looks deliciously moist - I've never actually had a yogurt cake, but it sounds amazing!

      Reply
    5. Steph says

      December 05, 2011 at 11:49 pm

      I am falling in love with that flaking cake top! Yum!

      Reply
    6. Sandra says

      December 07, 2011 at 12:42 pm

      I'm drooling over this cake, it's flaky and looks sooo moist!! Yum!

      Reply
    7. Simply Tia says

      December 11, 2011 at 9:20 pm

      Delectable looking cake. The flavor must be out of this world! YUMMY!

      Reply
    8. Jesica @ Pencil Kitchen says

      December 12, 2011 at 1:48 am

      I can't believe a cake this moist could have a crackling top! I could almost see custard'ish texture there! I'm never a big fan of David. But when it comes to rustic, I'd pursue it to no end.

      Reply
    9. FoodEpix says

      December 12, 2011 at 2:52 am

      Looks delicious. Would love for you to share your pictures with us over at foodepix.com.

      Reply
    10. Malgoat says

      February 04, 2012 at 1:18 am

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Reply
    11. Malgoat says

      February 04, 2012 at 1:18 am

      can you use greek yogurt instead?

      Reply
      • Jan says

        February 04, 2012 at 9:13 pm

        I have never tried greek yogurt for this recipe, but I think, since this cake is so moist, greek yogurt would work fine, and the recipe would still have enough moisture. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

        Reply
    12. LunaCafe says

      June 11, 2012 at 8:31 pm

      Two novel ideas for me here: Adding apples to a yogut cake batter and topping the cake with a hefty dose of sugar to get that marvelous crust. Can't wait to try these techniques. Thanks for evangelizing David's work! ...Susan

      Reply
      • Jan says

        June 14, 2012 at 1:14 am

        The sugar crust is a nice touch. I hope you enjoy this cake!

        Reply
    13. Anonymous says

      June 12, 2012 at 2:14 am

      What flavor yogurt was used?

      Reply
      • Jan says

        June 14, 2012 at 1:14 am

        I used plain yogurt (unsweetened) with 2.5% fat.

        Reply
    14. RecipeNewZ says

      June 16, 2012 at 12:59 am

      I was mildly obsessed by this cake for a whole week, ever since I saw it on Pinterest. And today finally I baked it. The only change I made was using home made apple sauce instead of half of the butter. The cake is wonderful - when it was baking the whole house smelled like heaven, and it's so moist and delicious! Love this recipe!
      Thank you very much for sharing and have a wonderful weekend!
      p.s. you are always invited to share your recipes on RecipeNewZ

      Reply
    15. Anonymous says

      August 30, 2012 at 12:36 am

      How do you measure 7/8 cup?

      Reply
      • Jan says

        August 30, 2012 at 1:04 am

        If you have a scale, just weigh out 200 grams. If you don't: measure 1 cup, divide it into 8 equal portions, and use 7 out of 8 of those portions.

        Reply
      • Anonymous says

        August 31, 2012 at 1:13 am

        If you don't mind a second reply- an easy way to measure 7/8 c. is to measure 1 cup, then remove 2 Tablespoons, and that will give you 7/8. Also, when it's butter you're measuring, it gives the Tablespoon markings on the wrappers, so by using them you can measure out 14 Tablespoons (which is 7/8 cup). That would be 1 full stick of butter (which is 1/2 cup or 8 Tablespoons), plus 6 Tablespoons (3/4 of the stick) of a second stick. Hope this helps!

        Reply
      • Jan says

        August 31, 2012 at 3:13 am

        Yes! That's perfect!

        Reply
    16. Anonymous says

      September 01, 2012 at 7:47 pm

      What book is this

      Reply
      • Jan says

        September 02, 2012 at 4:07 pm

        David Rocco's Made In Italy: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030788922X?ie=UTF8&tag=kitch02-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=211189&creativeASIN=030788922X&link_code=as3&creative=373489

        Reply
      • Anonymous says

        January 21, 2013 at 2:31 am

        I have both of his books, they are amazing! So simple yet full of taste.

        Reply
      • Janice Lawandi says

        January 21, 2013 at 3:12 am

        I know! The simplicity of them is great! The recipes don't involve a mile of ingredients!

        Reply
    17. Sandy says

      September 14, 2012 at 6:47 am

      Thank you so much for the recipe and for "translating" the cups into grams! That makes it easier for everyone in Europe for example to start baking right away!

      Reply
      • Jan says

        September 15, 2012 at 11:05 pm

        My pleasure! I find weighing ingredients is so much more accurate. I wish all the publishing houses/authors would see this!

        Reply
    18. vivodappertutto says

      September 16, 2012 at 6:14 am

      I made it! So good! It' ll be' one of my favorite recipes from now on. Thank you SO much!

      Reply
      • Jan says

        September 17, 2012 at 1:49 am

        I'm so glad you liked it! It's a really great cake that is the perfect ode to apples.

        Reply
    19. Anonymous says

      September 17, 2012 at 12:36 am

      Do you add any Baking soda or baking powder???? I am afraid if I don't add them that the cake won't turn out ??? or is this cake just made without ??

      Reply
      • Jan says

        September 17, 2012 at 1:48 am

        It's made without any leavening agent. It's a moist cake that is full of apples. I know that it seems strange to have no leavening agent, but try it! The cake is so densely apple, I'm sure you will love it.

        Reply
    20. Blanc-manger says

      September 22, 2012 at 9:36 pm

      I made this cake. I loved sugar crust on top of the cake and good taste of apples. Thank you so much for the recipe.

      Reply
    21. Sophie Tran says

      September 23, 2012 at 1:40 pm

      does it matter what type of apples to use?

      Reply
      • Jan says

        September 23, 2012 at 3:08 pm

        I would avoid apples like McIntosh that turn to mush when cooked. I usually bake with Cortland apples. Delicious(red or golden)apples would work too!

        Reply
    22. Hettle says

      September 25, 2012 at 2:52 pm

      Hi! Loved this recipe thank you for sharing, I found this thru pinterest and blogged about it today here.
      http://hettlecreative.blogspot.com/

      Cheers! Gina

      Reply
    23. Lori says

      September 29, 2012 at 8:38 pm

      Absolutely brilliant recipe - so good and simple ingredients.

      Reply
    24. Ashley says

      October 05, 2012 at 7:20 pm

      I've made this cake twice and loved it but it turns out I was inadvertently halving the amount of butter called for (somehow using 7/8 STICK instead of 7/8 CUP). Just wanted to throw that out there for anyone who wants to lighten the cake up a bit! It was still crazy moist and delicious.

      Oh, and I did use mostly greek yogurt (2%) thinned out a tiny bit with some milk. I'm trying it for a third time today made with pears instead of apples. Thanks so much for the recipe!

      Reply
    25. Anonymous says

      October 06, 2012 at 5:27 pm

      oct. 6 2012

      the apple yogurt gateau is really excellent. granny smith as one of the apples imparts tartness. i was a bit confused with melted butter as whipping that into a light mixture with the sugar is really quite difficult. i used some eggs(mixed into the sugar and butter mix) that were really cold and thus the mixture congealed much better and whipped into a light mixture. perhaps using butter at a really soft room temp. is what is meant. my experience with baking is that melted butter when the butter fat and the solids seperate makes for a heavy batter and a heavy cake.
      i was also puzzled about there not being an agent for rising as it was called a cake, as it was published in the local newspaper i searched the internet for the recipe to make sure that no baking powder and or soda was called for and the newspaper had made a mistake in not including it. that is why this is really a true European gateau and not such as the north american cake is defined. this recipe is certainly one that will be a regular item in this household. excellent.

      Reply
      • Jan says

        October 11, 2012 at 11:47 pm

        Thanks for sharing your input on this recipe! I honestly find it very forgiving and it seems to always turn out (even if the eggs are cold, for example). Glad you enjoyed it and it turned out well, but you are right that it is more of a European "torte" perhaps 😉

        Reply
    26. jasmine says

      October 18, 2012 at 12:20 am

      This looks like my dream cake. I'm going to bake it this week with Greek yogurt! Can't wait to try it. Thank you for sharing... found you through Pinterest!

      Reply
    27. shruti says

      October 23, 2012 at 4:43 pm

      i made this tday, tastes great ! i reduced butter by 100gms and added 100gms yogurt instead, in addition to 125ml yogurt. its like apple pie/bread pudding in terms of texture 😀 everyone at home loved the cake...thanks for the recipe 🙂 half over already, will finish it tom 😉

      Reply
    28. Anonymous says

      October 23, 2012 at 5:13 pm

      The flavor is good, but what I ended up with is such a greasy mess! Butter boiled over in the oven, and even after the cake was done I had such a pool of melted butter on top that I had to pour it off into the sink. Mine was such a disaster that I'm shocked that anyone could make this cake as written and have it turn out. If I ever try it again, I'm cutting the butter in half.

      Reply
      • Jan says

        October 24, 2012 at 12:55 am

        I am very sorry you had trouble with the recipe. Are you sure that you measured the butter correctly? I have made this a few times, and never had a "pool of melted butter" on top. Also, many people have taken this recipe and blogged about it, and none had your complaint, so I'm not sure where it went wrong. Ashley commented above that she successfully halved the butter without a problem so that will work! I guess the only advice I can give you is that if at first you don't succeed, try again 😉

        Reply
      • Anonymous says

        November 22, 2012 at 3:26 am

        The same thing happened to me the first time. I think the difference is whipping the butter and sugar until it thickens and gets fluffy and light. I didn't melt mine all the way, but left it very, very soft. I also decreased the butter, but only by about 3 tablespoons. I used a paddle when I mixed it the first time and the whisk attachments on my handheld mixer the second time. It seemed to really need the air that a whisk attachment creates. Second one in the oven now, but there was a very noticeable difference in the batter. I'm hopeful.

        Reply
      • Janice Lawandi says

        November 22, 2012 at 1:15 pm

        Hmmm, this recipe seems more finicky than I realized! I am glad you are trying it again, and if I have time I will do the same to check it again. I hope your second batch works out!

        Reply
    29. abby says

      October 27, 2012 at 12:12 am

      I pinned the recipe from pinterest and am making it tomorrow. I read all the other comments and may just cut the butter down a bit it sounds like I could get away with it. I love the look of the flaky top and it seems simple to make. My friend is making an apple cake and so i will be ready with this to share and compare.

      Reply
    30. Shabs says

      November 08, 2012 at 5:08 am

      I tried out this recipe for my husband's birthday and everyone loved it ! Thank you so much for sharing it ! The crust is lovely 🙂

      Reply
    31. Anonymous says

      November 17, 2012 at 3:21 pm

      This will complete our Thanksgiving meal this year, with the addition of a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Thanks so much for posting!

      Reply
      • Janice Lawandi says

        November 19, 2012 at 12:08 am

        So happy to hear that! I hope you enjoy this cake and happy thanksgiving 🙂

        Reply
    32. bellwilde says

      November 26, 2012 at 8:49 am

      I did make this and cut the butter to 3/4 it turned out just like the picture and was soft, moist and tasty. I received many complements and will make this again. My friend made this as well and had a buttery mess and had to pour off butter after it was baked as I read above. We discussed our processes and the only real difference was I whipped the butter and sugar. o light and fluffy with an electric mixer she did it by hand.

      Reply
      • Janice Lawandi says

        November 27, 2012 at 3:28 am

        Thanks so much for the input bellwilde! I agree with you: the whipping of the butter and sugar at the first step is very important!
        I'm very happy to see that the cake was a hit 🙂

        Reply
    33. Nadine says

      December 12, 2012 at 7:52 am

      Oh, this sounds soooo good, and I really love you for giving the measurments in grams!! This year I specially brought home a cup measure set from our vacation in the States because I love all the recipes but I cannot handle the cup thing 😉 I will try it for christmas! Thank you!
      Nadine

      Reply
    34. Anonymous says

      January 21, 2013 at 11:56 am

      Made cake...too much butter. Must be a mistake. 14 tbs butter for this cake is unbelievable. what a waste of ingredients.

      Reply
      • Janice Lawandi says

        January 21, 2013 at 1:34 pm

        Hi, I'm sorry you had trouble with the cake. The problem might be that you didn't beat the butter and sugar mixture enough. If this step isn't done properly, you will end up with a heavy, greasy cake. I hope you will try this again.

        Reply
    35. Rachel Weiler says

      April 15, 2013 at 2:22 pm

      I made this the other night and absolutely loved it. It did take quite a while to get the butter and sugar light and fluffy by hand, so I think next time I won't melt the butter all the way...but it turned out great. Thanks for a delicious recipe!

      Reply
    36. Kelly @ IdealistMom.com says

      June 02, 2013 at 2:47 pm

      Oh, this looks delicious! I love all kinds of apple desserts. I'm pinning it now 🙂

      Reply
    37. Anonymous says

      June 13, 2013 at 5:54 pm

      A very simple recipe but a with a very good taste. I put only 150 Gr. butter in and the zest of a limon (green lemon), i love it !!! Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    38. Anonymous says

      July 08, 2013 at 7:07 pm

      Well I made the cake today and I did some things a little different. I only used one apple but it was a really big granny smith apple and then after I sprinkled the sugar on top I sprinkled a little more cinnamon on it too. I am a cinnamon freak. Its in there cooling down now and I can definitely tell you my husband is excited about tearing into it

      Reply
      • Janice Lawandi says

        July 08, 2013 at 9:24 pm

        That's amazing! I hope you both love it!

        Reply
    39. Anonymous says

      September 17, 2013 at 1:28 am

      What an outstanding recipe. Love the long running comments as people find this lovely site ♥. I run a research lab so mL and grams are "natural" to me. Although you can't get 125 mL of yogurt out of a 250 mL graduated cylinder LOL. You can do weight/volume where 1 mL = 1 gram. That is what we do in the lab. You think that's crazy try and titer out to ng/ul (nanograms/microliter)with cytokines. Sheez

      Reply
    40. Anonymous says

      October 16, 2013 at 4:32 pm

      Great cake!! Next time I'm going to add more apples (I used two small apples and it wasn't enough) and I may also add more sugar and less butter to increase the sweetness and decrease density. I may also try baking powder -- has anyone tried this yet?

      Reply
      • Janice Lawandi says

        October 16, 2013 at 9:14 pm

        Great suggestions! Baking powder would definitely give you a bit of extra "lift"! I liked the denseness of it, but that's just my personal preference. By all means, make it yours! And I'd love to hear how your tweaks turn out 🙂

        Reply
    41. Eve says

      October 30, 2013 at 1:12 pm

      Hi! thanks for the conversion in grams and mL 🙂

      Reply
    42. A D says

      November 23, 2013 at 2:33 pm

      Hi. I just read through all of the comments...after putting the cake in the oven.Now I'm afraid I didnt mix the butter and sugar enough. Can you explain what it means to get it "light"? Thanks

      Reply
      • Janice Lawandi says

        November 23, 2013 at 4:36 pm

        Honestly, the first time I made this, I threw it together without thinking (no excessive beating of butter+sugar), and it did turn out, so I think you will be okay.
        As for the lightening, basically we are supposed to beat enough so that the melted butter begins to cool and thicken, but in thickening, you will be able to get some "volume" out of it, meaning the mixture in the end will be lighter. The mixture at the beginning and end of beating will look quite different. And I think the more the mixture is "lightened" at this step, the less dense the final cake will be. I hope that makes sense.
        Let me know how it turns out!

        Reply
    43. claudia says

      October 14, 2015 at 3:25 pm

      Até que enfim uma receita que só existia na minha idéia, mas não sabia como fazer.
      Obrigada.

      Reply
    44. Lili says

      August 07, 2022 at 6:44 pm

      La acabo de hacer, dejé enfriar un poco la manteca derretida mientras preparaba el resto de los ingredientes y luego la batí con el azúcar en máquina por 10 minutos y se aclaró bastante, luego fui agregando el resto de los ingrediente como indica la receta y la terminé con azúcar mascabo porque me gusta mucho, no me animé a reemplazar el azúcar granulada por mascabo en el interior de la receta porque temí que no se integrara bien, quizás la próxima vez lo haga. La tuve en el horno 55' mi horno es bastante fuerte y si lo bajo demasiado se apaga así que no tengo mucha opción.
      Salió riquísima...!

      Reply

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