Lithuanian Apple Cake (Obuolių Pyragas)

Apple cake shows up on a lot of Lithuanian tables, and pretty much every family has their own version they'll quietly insist is the right one. This is one of many variations of apple cake we make in Lithuania — obuolių pyragas, if you want the Lithuanian name for it — and it's one of my favorites for a specific reason: unlike almost any other apple cake I make, I actually prefer to eat this one cold. Give it time to cool completely and the apples melt right into the crumb, and a spoonful of yogurt (or kefir, if that's what's open in your fridge) keeps it moist for days rather than just the day you bake it.

Jump to:

• Recipe Highlights
• Obuolių Pyragas: A Lithuanian Apple Cake Tradition
• Why Yogurt (or Kefir) Works Here
• What Apples to Use for Lithuanian Apple Cake
• Ingredient Notes
• Step-by-Step Method
• Recipe FAQs
• Recipe Tips
• Storage
• How To Serve Lithuanian Apple Cake?
• More Lithuanian Recipes You'll Love
• Lithuanian Apple Cake (Apple Yogurt Cake)

Obuolių Pyragas: A Lithuanian Apple Cake Tradition

Lithuania is a country of serious cake lovers, and apple cake is one of the most common ones you'll find, alongside things like Lithuanian Farmer's Cheese Roll Cake, Lithuanian Honey Cake, and Lithuanian Plum Cake.

What sets obuolių pyragas apart from a lot of other apple cakes is the yogurt or kefir folded into the batter — it's what keeps this one so moist, and it's exactly why I think it holds up better cold than most cakes do.

Why Yogurt (or Kefir) Works Here

Yogurt and kefir both do the same two jobs in this batter: they add moisture that plain milk doesn't, and their acidity reacts with the baking powder to help the cake rise properly. Kefir is slightly thinner and tangier than yogurt, so if you use it instead, expect a marginally lighter crumb and a touch more tang — either one works, this isn't a recipe where you need to go hunting for the "correct" dairy.

It's also the reason this cake keeps so well: the fat and acidity in the yogurt or kefir slow down how quickly the crumb dries out, which is part of why it's still good, if not better, a day or two later.

What Apples to Use for Lithuanian Apple Cake

Use apples that are tart and break down when cooked — Granny Smith is the reliable choice. You want the apples to soften and half-disintegrate into the batter as it bakes, not hold their shape in neat slices, since that's what gives this cake its moist, almost custardy texture around the fruit.

Ingredient Notes

You only need a handful of everyday ingredients here, and the full quantities are in the recipe card below.

Light brown sugar can be swapped for dark brown sugar if you want a more pronounced molasses flavor coming through.

Natural yogurt or kefir — either works, see above for how they differ.

Butter should be melted and left to cool slightly before it goes into the egg mixture, so it doesn't scramble the eggs on contact.

Find the full ingredient quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

Step-by-Step Method

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F). Generously grease an 18cm (7in) springform cake tin with butter and line the base with a circle of baking parchment.

Step 2: Melt the butter in a small saucepan and leave it to cool down slightly.

Step 3: Using an electric handheld mixer, beat the eggs and sugar for a couple of minutes until thickened and doubled in size.

Step 4: Pour the cooled melted butter and the yogurt (or kefir) into the egg mixture and beat again for about 30 seconds until well combined.

Step 5: In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.

Step 6: Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, add a pinch of salt, and carefully fold with a rubber spatula until just incorporated.

Step 7: Add the thinly sliced apples and mix just enough to combine — don't overwork the batter here.

Step 8: Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40–45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Step 9: Leave the cake in the tin for 5 minutes to firm up, then turn it out, peel off the parchment, and let it cool to room temperature before slicing.

Recipe FAQs

Recipe Tips

• Let the cake cool completely before deciding how you feel about it. Warm from the oven it's a good, fairly ordinary apple cake. Fully cooled, it's a different, better cake — give it the time.
• Don't skip cooling the melted butter. Butter straight off the heat can scramble the eggs on contact, which shows up as little cooked flecks in the batter.
• If the top browns before the skewer comes out clean, loosely tent the tin with foil for the last 10 minutes rather than pulling it early.
• If your apples release a lot of liquid as they bake and the middle looks underbaked at 40–45 minutes, give it another 5–10 minutes and check again rather than assuming something's gone wrong — this varies with how juicy your particular apples are.

Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It doesn't freeze well — the apples release too much moisture on thawing and the texture turns waterlogged rather than moist, so this one's best made to eat within a few days rather than stashed away.

How To Serve Lithuanian Apple Cake?

I eat this cold, straight from the fridge, most of the time — no embellishment needed. If you want it warm instead, a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche, a spoon of whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream all work well against the tartness of the apples.

More Lithuanian Recipes You'll Love

If you like this one, Lithuanian Grated Apple Pancakes and Baked Apples Stuffed with Farmer's Cheese both make good use of the same tart apples. For more of that yogurt-and-kefir moisture trick, Lithuanian Kefir Pancakes is worth trying next, and if cake is what you're really after, Lithuanian Farmer's Cheese Cake (Draugystės Pyragas) is another family staple built the same comforting, no-fuss way.