Cooking light made an apple cake recipe years and years ago. A neighbor saved it, my mom got it from her, I got it from my mom. Sometimes Cooking Light things taste a bit, well, light. And other times they have ingredients that NO one has on hand, like oyster sauce. Gross.

This, friends, is free from both of the above issues. I made this cake on Sunday, and by Monday night half was gone. My husband and I ate half a cake in 24 hours. Youch. The last piece went to work with him today, and it’s what, Wednesday? This cake is no joke. In the past it’s been eaten for breakfast, for afternoon snacks, and for dessert. I would serve it with a little dulce de leche or vanilla ice cream for dessert, and maybe a little scoop of Greek yogurt dusted with cinnamon for breakfast. Either way, it’s a winner.

If you really want to try this but don’t have an 8 or 9 in. round springform pan, then you could always make individual cakes in a muffin tin! Just prep things the same way, and fill each hole 2/3 of the way full.

As I was eating my cake, I realized it really reminded me of something…some forgotten flavor from the past. I did some searching around and I realized what it is:

Do you remember these? Entenmann’s made them; crumb topped donuts that left a strange film (of fat?) on the roof of your mouth that was still so worth it.

BY THE WAY! the benefit of this being from cooking light is that each slice is 230 calories! Yay for low-cal cake that tastes like Entenmann’s cinnamon crumb donuts!

Apple Cake

Cooking Light

Serves 8 big pieces, or 10 smaller ones.

1 3/4 c. sugar, divided

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

6 oz. fat-free cream cheese

2 lg eggs (you should only ever buy “large” eggs, it’s what every recipe uses)

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

3 c. peeled, cored, and chopped apples (Rome, Fuji, Gala, Macintosh…anything but Red Delicious), about 2 large.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat 1 1/2 c. of the sugar along with the butter/margarine, the vanilla, and the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed for about four minutes.

3. Add eggs, 1 at at time.

4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add mixture to butter/sugar mixture.

5. Combine your remaining sugar (1/4 c.) with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Measure out 2 tbsp. of this mixture and toss it with the apple chunks.

6. Coat 8 or 9 in. springform pan with cooking spray and then dust with some of the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture, reserving some for the top.

What is a springform pan? It is traditionally used for cheesecake but I see it fairly often in non-layer cake recipes. They aren’t expensive and if you foresee cheesecake making in your future (which you should, it’s crazy easy to make), then pick one up! There is a latch that is closed when the batter is poured in, and later your release the latch to free your cake!

7. Stir apples into batter, and pour batter into prepared pan. Top with the rest of the cinnamon sugar.

8. Bake 1 hour and check for “doneness” with a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake. Toothpick should come out mostly clean, maybe a few crumbs.

9. Cool completely.

Totally optional sauce I made:

1/4 c. nonfat Greek yogurt

splash of skim milk (or more to get a drizzle-able/pourable consistency)

1 tsp. sugar (or more to taste)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

This cake should be A-okay at room temp for a few days. It won’t last that long is my guess.

Apple Cake

Cooking Light

Serves 8 big pieces, or 10 smaller ones.

1 3/4 c. sugar, divided

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

6 oz. fat-free cream cheese

2 lg eggs (you should only ever buy “large” eggs, it’s what every recipe uses)

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

3 c. peeled, cored, and chopped apples (Rome, Fuji, Gala, Macintosh…anything but Red Delicious), about 2 large.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat 1 1/2 c. of the sugar along with the butter/margarine, the vanilla, and the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed for about four minutes.

3. Add eggs, 1 at at time.

4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add mixture to butter/sugar mixture.

5. Combine your remaining sugar (1/4 c.) with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Measure out 2 tbsp. of this mixture and toss it with the apple chunks.

6. Coat 8 or 9 in. springform pan with cooking spray and then dust with some of the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture, reserving some for the top.

7. Stir apples into batter, and pour batter into prepared pan. Top with the rest of the cinnamon sugar.

8. Bake 1 hour and check for “doneness” with a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake. Toothpick should come out mostly clean, maybe a few crumbs.

9. Cool completely.