Grease and flour (or use non-stick spray) a 9 x 9 square pan. Set aside.
Nut Topping:
Prepare the nut topping by combining almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Reserve about 3 tablespoons of this mixture to spread on top of the cake. Set aside.
The Cake:
In a separate mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs together until light and frothy.
Add the sugar and continue to whisk until thick. Whisk for about 2 minutes.
Add the vegetable oil, applesauce and vanilla extract and whisk together for about a minute or so. Set aside while we chop up the apples.
Combine the diced apples to the nut mixture and set aside.
Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon. Do not over mix.
Gently combine the apple mixture.
Pour batter into greased 9 x 9 pan.
Place thinly sliced apples firmly on the top.
Sprinkle reserved 3 tablespoons of nut topping.
Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until golden and cake tester comes out clean.
Transfer pan to a rack where it can cool down for about 15 minutes.
Notes
Sifting the dry ingredients together will allow for better distribution of all the individual ingredients throughout the dry mixture. The process also aerates the dry ingredients making the final product lighter in texture.
This cake could also be called Healthy Apple Cake as part of the vegetable oil is replaced with applesauce; uses a minimal amount of sugar; and there is no butter in the recipe.
Almonds can be omitted if there are nut allergies in your household.
Can I freeze this cake? Yes, this moist apple cake recipe freezes wonderfully. Can I use a bundt pan? Yes, this recipe makes the perfect apple bundt cake!What are the best apples to use? If you like McIntosh apple recipes, this is the perfect recipe.Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.