On those rare occasions when you look at a selection of snacks and think, “Nah, too sweet,” coffee cakes can be a nice change of pace.

They’re decadent enough to satisfy a sugar craving, yet refined enough to let you pretend that you’ve got some restraint. Ready to have a cake and a smile?

Spiced Apple Sandwich

Ingredients

For the streusel:

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Ground ginger

Ground nutmeg

For the cake:

1 Granny Smith apple

1/4 cup softened butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 seven-ounce container plain Greek yogurt (regular or low-fat)

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Generous pinch of salt

Directions

Fire up your oven to 350 F and grease the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan. Peel and core the apple and slice it into thin circles. Set the slices aside and dig out a small mixing bowl.

Whirl the first 1/4 cup of butter around in the mixer for a minute or two, then add the remaining streusel ingredients. It’s a good idea to turn off the mixer and start it back up on low speed when you do this, unless you really like having a snoot full of cinnamon. Add just a shake each of the ginger and nutmeg, and blend it all together until it looks like red dirt with a few pebbles thrown in. Let the bowl of streusel hang out with the apple slices.

In a larger mixing bowl, repeat the whirling process with the second 1/4 cup of butter. Dump in the granulated sugar and blend for a minute or so. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat the heck out of the whole mess for around 90 seconds. Pour in the vanilla, scrape in the yogurt, and blend it all together until nice and smooth.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large measuring cup. With your mixer set on low (and your beloved rubber spatula set off to one side instead of on the rim of the mixing bowl so that it doesn’t go slinging off into the curtains like the victim of a merry-go-round mishap), shake in your flour mixture. Blend until the cake batter just comes together.

Now for the assembly! Spread half of the batter in the greased pan. Scatter half of the streusel mix over the batter, and arrange half of the apple slices over the streusel. Spread the rest of the cake batter in the pan and sprinkle half of the remaining streusel mix over it. Layer on the rest of the apple slices and top the whole pile with the rest of the streusel.

Whew.

Slide your very full pan into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. Let your cake cool for a bit and serve with your favorite beverage.

Enjoy!

— Have a question or suggestion for Bite Sighs? Email Audrey Lintner at bitesighs@hotmail.com.