Today I'm sharing a recipe for a light Italian apple cake, also known as Torta Di Mele.
Every autumn I get a craving for apple cake. I began making my Mom's fresh apple cake recipe back in college. And it is still the recipe by which I measure all others.
But I also like to experiment with new apple cake recipes, which have included slow cooker apple cake, slow cooker cranberry apple cake and this healthy harvest apple cake.
Confession/Disclaimer: I'm a successful Lifetime Weight Watcher who likes to bake. While I sometimes enjoy baking up lighter, healthier desserts, more often than not, I find it easier and tastier to skip any attempts at shaving calories and points, opting to enjoy a smaller piece of the real deal instead. Since adopting this common-sense, all things in moderation philosophy of my maternal grandmother, I've come much closer to achieving the happy-healthy-balanced life I've always craved.
Recipe Notes
This year when the craving struck I decided, once again, to bake something different, an Italian Apple Cake. It's based on two recipes: Italian Apple Cake from Cortina d'Ampezzo, a recipe from Great Italian Desserts (affiliate link) by Nick Malgieri and Torta Soffice di Mele (light Apple Cake) from Tuscany the Beautiful Cookbook (affiliate link) by Lorenza De' Medici.
While the titles may sounds fancy, this apple cake epitomizes plain & simple, which is just what I was looking for.
Here in our little old lakeside cabin in the woods, my pantry is stocked with only the most basic of ingredients and I had everything I needed on hand to make it.
We finished off what was left of our apple cake this morning for breakfast. Warmed for 20 seconds in the microwave (affiliate link), accompanied by a big dollop of plain Greek yogurt and drizzle of maple syrup it was a luscious way to start the day.
As I sat savoring each morsel, along with a steaming mug of coffee, it dawned on me that I've often had muffins and pancakes for breakfast that were much sweeter and more decadent than this simple cake.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Cake?
According to my calculations, each slice has about 291 calories and:
9 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
8 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
8 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
8 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
If you like this Italian Apple Cake, be sure to check out my other WW friendly recipes including Crock Pot Apple Cake, Fresh Apple Cake, Easy Sugar-Free Apple Cookies, Healthy Apple Pie Parfait and Zucchini Apple Loaf Cake
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Apple Cake from Cortina d'Ampezzo (Torta di Mele Ampezzana)
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1-½ cups flour
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- Pinch salt
- 4 large tart apples (I used Granny Smith)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan (affiliate link) and set it aside.
- In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer (affiliate link) at medium speed, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, nutmeg, lemon zest, and salt until a smooth batter is formed.
- Spread the batter evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Peel and core the apples then slice them thinly. Arrange the slices in concentric circles on top of the batter. They will sink a little.
- Sprinkle top with 1 tablespoon sugar.
- Bake the cake/torta in the middle of the oven until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool slightly. Then unbuckle the sides of the springform pan (affiliate link).
- After the cake has cooled completely, run a knife or spatula between the cake and the pan bottom, and slide the cake onto a serving plate.
- Keep the tort loosely covered at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Sources: Great Italian Desserts (affiliate link) by Nick Malgieri and Tuscany the Beautiful Cookbook (affiliate link) by Lorenza De' Medici
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
Here's another version of Italian Apple Cake Recipe from Italian Chef Deborah Dal Fovo for her Nonna's Homemade Italian Apple Cake. Made with thinly sliced apples both within and atop the cake, it is the version I plan to try next...
More Apple Desserts Made Lighter
- Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake Cups (EmilyBites)
- Microwave Mug Apple Pancake Puff (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Scoopable Slow Cooker Apple Pie (HungryGirl)
- Healthy Baked Apples (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Apple Fritter Loaf (DrizzleMeSkinny)
In this entertaining video Laura Vitale bakes up Italian Apple Cake with her sweet Nonna...
Search for More Weight Watchers Friendly Apple Recipes
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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