For those who, like me, wish to vary their breakfast by enjoying something sweet but without too much guilt, healthy and fit recipes are the perfect solution! And these soft apple cakes, without lactose and with only egg whites, fit well into a controlled diet! They contain no butter, or oil, but with energizing qualities thanks to chocolate chips, capable of improving mood and much more! And they are also quick, made without molds and in just 10 minutes! Here, simplicity is the keyword! They will be the perfect dessert to face the day in a healthy and balanced way or the delicious snack to let your kids taste instead of the usual industrial snacks full of additives and preservatives and with an endless list of ingredients! Try them too, and you’ll see they’ll be a hit!
If you like to vary and pay attention to what you eat from the first meal of the day, also try these fantastic alternatives:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 15 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it costs you nothing extra!
- 1 Golden apple (approx. 200 g.)
- 1 cup oz hazelnut flour
- 2/3 cup oz type 1 flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1/4 cup oz brown sugar
- 2 egg whites (approx. 70 g)
- 1 tbsp oz pine nuts
- 1 tbsp oz dark chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp oz liqueur (apple-flavored)
- A few drops lemon juice
- 1 tsp oz baking powder
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Grater
- 1 Mixing bowl
- Electric beaters
- 1 Spatula
- 2 Spoons
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Mat
- 1 Cooling rack
Steps
Preparing these soft apple cakes is really easy. Start by washing, peeling, and grating the apple with a large-hole grater.
Then, to prevent it from oxidizing when in contact with air, sprinkle the grated apple with a few drops of lemon juice.
Flavor with the apple liqueur or with what you like or have on hand.
Finally, add cinnamon to taste, I put a teaspoon, mix and set aside.
Whisk the egg whites at room temperature for a few seconds, then add the pinch of salt and the sugar gradually, I used integral brown sugar, but semolato will work too.
When the egg whites are foamy and resemble meringue, gently add the two flours previously sifted with the baking powder, and mix with a spatula, performing movements from bottom to top to avoid deflating the mixture.
At this point, also incorporate the grated apple, the slightly chopped pine nuts with a knife, and the chocolate chips.
Continue mixing with the spatula until you get a homogeneous mixture.
Now, with the help of 2 slightly damp spoons, take small portions of 35-40 g max and form small cakes that you’ll arrange on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat as I did.
Bake the cakes in a preheated static oven at 340°F for about 20′-22′, they should just lightly brown at the base. Remove from oven and transfer the cakes to a cooling rack to cool completely, they will remain soft even when cold.
Serve them as they are or lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Enjoy them for breakfast, as a snack, or as a healthy dessert at the end of a meal with apple liqueur or your favorite liqueur.
And voilà…the soft apple cakes with egg whites and hazelnut flour are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉The soft apple cakes with egg whites and hazelnut flour can be stored at room temperature in a cool, dry place, inside airtight containers for up to 3 days. If they last longer, I recommend storing them in the fridge to prevent the fruit inside from becoming rancid. If prepared during the hottest summer period, storage at room temperature should not exceed 2 days.
Tips, notes, variations, and suggestions
🟣If you can’t find hazelnut flour, you can substitute it with almond flour.
🟣For a gluten-free version, you can substitute type 1 flour with rice flour or fine corn flour, that is, the fine one to be precise.
