• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Julia's Album
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Subscribe
  • Save Recipes!
  • About
  • Salads
  • Pasta
  • Chicken
  • Seafood
  • All Main Courses
  • Latest Recipes
  • Recipe Index
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Subscribe
    • Save Recipes!
    • About
    • Salads
    • Pasta
    • Chicken
    • Seafood
    • All Main Courses
    • Latest Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Easy Apple Squares (Cake Bars)

    By Julia | Updated: Sep 15, 2024 | Published: Sep 24, 2013 | 181 Comments

    153.2K shares
    • Facebook1.6K
    Jump to Recipe Print SaveSaved!
    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

    Easy apple squares are made with cinnamon and brown sugar.  These delicious cake bars are very moist, thanks to the vegetable oil and the plain Greek yogurt.

    sliced Apple Squares (apple cake bars) sprinkled with powdered sugar on parchment paper

     

    The apple squares are super easy and quick to prepare on a busy weeknight! If you're bored with making the same apple recipes, such as apple crisp,  crumble, or cobbler, try these little apple squares, and you'd be very happy!  These apple cake bars work great as both dessert and breakfast.  Talking about breakfast, have you tried these apple cinnamon pancakes with shredded apples?  Or, maybe you will enjoy this cozy apple crumb coffee cake?

    2 sliced Apple Squares (apple cake bars) sprinkled with powdered sugar on parchment paper

    Apple Squares with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar

    In this recipe, I am using a generous amount of apples, tossed together with cinnamon and brown sugar, folded in the cake batter and baked in a 9x9 square pan. These apple cake bars are really just a lot of apple chunks held together by a relatively small amount of cake batter. 🙂 After all, the apple dessert recipes should be all about apples, shouldn't they?

    The apple squares are very moist, thanks to the vegetable oil and the plain Greek yogurt.

    sliced Apple Squares (apple cake bars) sprinkled with powdered sugar on parchment paper

    Other apple desserts

    If you love all things apple, you will love these quick and easy apple desserts:

    • Sweet Cooked Apples
    • Apple Bundt Cake
    • Apple Crumb Coffee Cake
    • Apple, Blueberry Peach Coffee Cake

    Apple Breakfast recipes

    What could be better than enjoying a small slice of something sweet with apples in the morning? Here are my favorite apple breakfast recipes:

    • Pumpkin Banana Bread with Apples
    • Crepes with Ricotta Cheese and Caramelized Apples
    • Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
    • Apple Cinnamon Crepes

    Apple squares on parchment paper on a table

    apple cake bars
    4.60 from 217 votes

    Easy Apple Squares (Cake Bars)

    Super moist and easy-to-make apple squares.  Made with cinnamon, brown sugar, these delicious cake bars are very moist, thanks to the vegetable oil and the plain Greek yogurt. And they get even moister after the first day!   The apple squares are pretty much an apple cake sliced into imperfect squares.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 people
    Calories per serving 264 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    • 3 apples peeled, cored, and chopped into small square chunks
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour sifted
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
    • ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 eggs
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions 

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×9 square pan.
    • In a medium bowl, toss chopped apples with cinnamon and brown sugar.
    • In a mixing bowl, combine together 1 and ¼ cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup of white sugar, vegetable oil, yogurt, and vanilla until very smooth. Add eggs and whisk until smooth.
    • Add dry ingredients (flour mixture) into wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
    • Pour half of the batter into the greased pan, top with half of the apples, then pour the remaining half of the batter on top of the apple layer. Top with the remaining half of apples. 
    • Bake the cake for about 45 minutes or 1 hour - until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
    • Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Easy Apple Squares (Cake Bars)
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    264
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    9
    g
    14
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    6
    %
    Trans Fat
     
    0.003
    g
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    6
    g
    Cholesterol
     
    33
    mg
    11
    %
    Sodium
     
    90
    mg
    4
    %
    Potassium
     
    96
    mg
    3
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    45
    g
    15
    %
    Fiber
     
    2
    g
    8
    %
    Sugar
     
    31
    g
    34
    %
    Protein
     
    4
    g
    8
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    82
    IU
    2
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    3
    mg
    4
    %
    Calcium
     
    49
    mg
    5
    %
    Iron
     
    1
    mg
    6
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition Disclaimer:

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Keyword apple cake bars, apple squares
    « Crepes with creamy ricotta cheese filling and caramelized apples
    Greek yogurt chocolate chip muffins »
    153.2K shares
    • Facebook1.6K

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Submit your question or provide a review of the recipe + star rating RIGHT HERE. Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Beata

      April 14, 2019 at 2:50 pm

      Omg this cake is the best apple cake- not too sweet, perfect. Thanks for sharing

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 03, 2019 at 4:35 pm

        So glad you liked this cake! Thank you for stopping by and leaving your comment!

        Reply
    2. Nicole

      November 12, 2018 at 4:37 pm

      This looks delicious! Is there anyway to make it dairy free? Like can I remove the yogurt and add more oil? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 12, 2018 at 6:26 pm

        Yes, you can remove yogurt and substitute it with the same amount of vegetable oil or olive oil instead.

        Reply
        • emily swift-jones

          December 21, 2018 at 12:56 pm

          we used soya yoghurt and it worked a treat! Sticky and delicious. None were left over after our party

          Reply
    3. Sandy

      October 22, 2018 at 7:18 pm

      I was looking for a cake recipe with apples since it's apple season. Your cake looks yummy. What are types of apples that are best to use for this cake? Looking forward to making the recipe. Thanks for sharing it.

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 23, 2018 at 10:54 pm

        Sweet apples, such as Gala or Fuji, work great in this recipe. Enjoy! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Mary Ann Garby

      October 03, 2018 at 5:22 pm

      Excellent cake and easy to make! It only took about 25 - 30 minutes for me. Recipe says to bake for an hour!

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 05, 2018 at 2:25 pm

        So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Yes, the baking time might vary depending on the oven.

        Reply
    5. Zelda

      March 07, 2018 at 6:46 am

      Moist and delicious!! Easy to make,thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 07, 2018 at 11:48 pm

        You're very welcome!

        Reply
    6. Louise

      December 16, 2017 at 8:03 pm

      Hi , I have baked your loaf of weetbix and dates ,I had also add a grated carrot and bit of cinnamon it was moist and delicious
      Thank you
      Have a photo but don’t know how to download it
      Louise

      Reply
    7. Louise

      December 16, 2017 at 7:59 pm

      Hi I have baked your recipe for weetbix and date loaf ,it tastes moist and very good ,a did add a grated carrot and a bit of cinnamon
      Thank you
      Louise

      Reply
    8. Sharon

      August 15, 2017 at 12:43 am

      These apple squares look amazing! Has anyone made them using gluten-free flour? If so, what flour or flour blend was used and were any other changes needed? Thanks.

      Reply
    9. Beverley

      July 01, 2017 at 12:54 am

      Thank you for this lovely recipe. I used Macadamia oil in place of vegetable oil, used Granny Smith and royal gala apples plus craisens. First slice, still warm was yumm.

      Reply
    10. jay

      February 26, 2017 at 4:36 pm

      just made these as a cake, doubled the recipe as i have a large cake dish, cut the sugar in half (as i was using sweet apples and sweetened lemon yogurt) and subbed half the remaining sugar with maple syrup. best apple cake ever!

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 11, 2017 at 10:12 pm

        So glad you liked it! And, thank you for sharing the changes you made! 🙂

        Reply
        • arthur

          February 16, 2018 at 1:16 pm

          I made your apple squares and they were alright except I thought they were to oily. Is there some thing I can use besides the oil. you know like water.

          Reply
          • Julia

            February 23, 2018 at 11:58 pm

            Yes, these apple squares usually are what you call oily - or I call it moist. If you don't like that, you can use apple sauce or Greek yogurt to substitute for half amount of oil.

            Reply
    11. Ellen

      September 18, 2016 at 3:10 pm

      I have made this cake 3 times this month. It's absolutely delicious & so easy to put together. Didn't change a thing except the baking time. Mine is done at 45 minutes. Thanks for sharing this recipe

      Reply
    12. Afrah

      February 16, 2016 at 7:38 pm

      I made this reciepe last week, it was super yummy!!
      I just reduced the sugar and pour home made caramel on the squares, it was great!

      Reply
    13. Angela

      October 02, 2015 at 8:50 pm

      Great recipe...love it

      Reply
    14. Leanna

      June 20, 2015 at 12:18 pm

      this is so good! I used pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon since I was out and it was great!

      Reply
    « Older Comments
    Newer Comments »

    Primary Sidebar

    Julia is the author of JuliasAlbum.com (a food blog focused on easy dinner recipes, pasta dishes, salads made with seasonal ingredients). In this photo, Julia is pictured wearing a yellow sweater against an Autumn background.

    Hi, I'm Julia!

    I am a full-time food blogger living in beautiful Colorado. I focus primarily on savory recipes (protein-based & fiber-rich main dishes, pasta, salads) using fresh & seasonal ingredients. A food blogger since 2012, I help home cooks create well-balanced and visually appealing dinners (many of which are 30-minute ONE-PAN meals). Find out more about me and my cooking philosophy. 

    Connect with Julia on Social Media:

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    Get Julia's new recipes by e-mail:
    Subscribe by E-mail

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Privacy and Disclosure

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Affiliate Disclosure

    About

    • About
    • Featured On
    • Contact Me

    Connect on Social Media

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram

    Copyright © 2012-2025 JuliasAlbum.com

    Site Design: Foodie Pro Theme by Feast Design Co.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required