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    Easy Apple Squares (Cake Bars)

    Published: Sep 24, 2013 / 154 Comments

    142.7K shares
    • Facebook1.6K
    Recipe Print

    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
    4.88 from 103 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
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 people
    Calories per serving 262 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

    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
    262
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    8
    g
    12
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    6
    g
    38
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    33
    mg
    11
    %
    Sodium
     
    46
    mg
    2
    %
    Potassium
     
    143
    mg
    4
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    44
    g
    15
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Sugar
     
    30
    g
    33
    %
    Protein
     
    3
    g
    6
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    75
    IU
    2
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    2.5
    mg
    3
    %
    Calcium
     
    41
    mg
    4
    %
    Iron
     
    1
    mg
    6
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    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
    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
    « Crepes with creamy ricotta cheese filling and caramelized apples
    Greek yogurt chocolate chip muffins »
    142.7K shares
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    Please share your comment and Star Rating in the comments section below.

    I appreciate your feedback!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. 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
    2. 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
    3. 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
    4. 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
    5. 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
    6. 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
    7. 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
    8. Angela

      October 02, 2015 at 8:50 pm

      Great recipe...love it

      Reply
    9. 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
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    Hi, I'm Julia! Welcome to my recipe blog where I share easy-to-make weeknight dinners and other recipes using simple ingredients!

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