• Preheat Oven & Prep Pan: Set your oven to 356ºF (180ºC). Line an 8-inch round baking pan with parchment paper, or grease it with soft butter and dust it with a light layer of flour for smooth cake sides.

Apple Mixture

• Prep Apples: You can peel the apples or leave the skin on. Core the apples and then chop them into small cubes, about 1/2-inch in size.
• Season Apples: Place the chopped apples in a small bowl. Pour over the lemon juice and stir to coat well. Add the sugar and cinnamon and mix well.
• Divide Apple Mixture: Divide the apple mixture into two cups— one cup for the batter and one cup for topping the batter. Set both aside.

Cake

• Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
• Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, using electric hand beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add both sugars, eggs, and vanilla to the bowl. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds until well combined. Scrape down the sides.
• Add Olive Oil: With the mixer running on medium, slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream, taking about 1 minute, to emulsify.
• Add Applesauce: Beat in the applesauce for 15 seconds until combined.
• Add Dry to Wet: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, beating just until no lumps or streaks of flour remain, about 25-30 seconds. Avoid over-mixing.
• Fold in Apples: Fold in 1 cup of the chopped apple mixture until evenly distributed.
• Transfer Batter: Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin, smoothing out the top.
• Add Topping: Evenly distribute the remaining cup of apple mixture over the batter.
• Bake: Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
• Cool in Pan: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Dust and Enjoy: Before serving, dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!