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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 and 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 Italian Apple Cake?
According to my calculations, each slice has about 291 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
9 SmartPoints (Green plan)
8 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
8 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
8 PointsPlus (Old plan)
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
If you’ve made this Lighter Apple Cake, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Apple Cake from Cortina d’Ampezzo (Torta di Mele Ampezzana)
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1-1/2 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.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 9 SmartPoints (Green plan) 8 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 8 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 8 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sources: Great Italian Desserts (affiliate link) by Nick Malgieri and Tuscany the Beautiful Cookbook (affiliate link) by Lorenza De’ Medici
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…
