A deliciously easy Cinnamon Apple Cake made from scratch. This soft and tender Apple Cake is packed with fresh apples and features a crunchy cinnamon topping and a drizzle of sweet frosting.

Apple-licious ๐
Can we take a moment to talk about the match made in heaven that is apple and cinnamon? This terrifically tender Cinnamon Apple Cake is my new fave.
It’s soft, it’s sweet and it’s jam-packed with fresh, juicy apples. The final touch is a sprinkling of sugary cinnamon and a sweet milk glaze.

Can I just say that I never thought a Cinnamon Apple Cake could taste so good. I baked quite a few cakes to get this recipe JUST right and when I finally landed on the winning recipe, I was beyond excited.
One bite of this soft and fluffy masterpiece and I was fist-pumping the air. After many failed Apple Cinnamon Cakes, I instantly knew this one was the winner. Of course, I had to have a few more slices just to be oh-so-sure.

When I first attempted this cake, I started by using oil as the main fat. This is because oil tends to add moisture to baked goods, like in my Olive Oil Brownies or my Pistachio Cake. I love using oil in cakes.
The first cake was lovely and soft and the taste was on point. But the edges were a little dry for my liking. So I moved on to see if butter would work better, like in my Easy Peach Cake, while also slightly altering the amount of flour and sugar.

Let’s just say, it didn’t. The first butter version used melted butter and the cake was heavy, dense and not great. To add lightness and get back closer to the original version, I tried creaming the butter and sugar, like I do in my Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donut recipe. It was better, but still nothing rivalled the oil version.
So finally, I returned to oil, but used a little less flour and added yoghurt to ensure the cake was soft, moist and never dry. It was crowned the WINNER.
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What you have here is a melt-in-your-mouth cake that’s studded with fresh apples. It boasts a sugar cinnamon crumble, that once baked, becomes crisp and flavourful.
The cinnamon topping blends perfectly with the juicy, chunks of apple. Then, just because we can, we drizzle the entire cake with a two ingredient sweet sugar glaze. It’s pure perfection.

Tips for making Apple Cake
- This Cinnamon Apple Cake is incredibly easy to make. You only need a bowl and spoon – no need for an electric mixer.
- You can use any kind of apple you like, I use red Royal Gala apples. You’ll need to peel and then chop your apple into roughly 1/2 inch squares – discarding the core.
- Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredient until combined – try not to over mix.
- The crumble is made using sugar and cinnamon. Mix together using melted butter until it clumps like sand. Sprinkle over the top of your cake batter – no need to be perfect here.
- Bake until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- The final touch? Drizzle over the sweet sugar glaze and serve!

Watch how to make it
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Let’s Bake
Cinnamon Apple Cake
A tender Cinnamon Apple Cake drizzled with a milk glaze.
Ingredients
Apple cake
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bakingย soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 cup (approximately 1 large) red apple, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil or flavourless oil
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt
Cinnamon topping
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) caster sugarย or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Sugarย glaze
- 30 grams (1/4 cup) icing sugar or powdered sugar, sifted
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line an 8-inch round cake panย with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add chopped apple and stir briefly to combine.
- In a separate bowl, add eggs, vanilla, oil and yoghurt. Whisk brieflyย just to break up the egg yolks.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with a wooden spoon until combined โ but be careful not to over mix. Spoon batter into prepared tin.
- To make cinnamon topping, combine sugar, cinnamon and butter. Mix together until lumpy and wet. Sprinkle over cake batter.
- Bake cake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, mix together sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk. Stir until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add an extra tablespoon of milk. Drizzle glaze all over the cake.
Nutrition Information







Jeremy says
What kind of baking pan did you use for this?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jeremy, I use an 8-inch cake pan for this one (see step 1 of the recipe card). I hope you enjoy it!
Patricia says
This was really good! I reduced the sugar to just under 1/2 cup and skipped the sugar glaze. This was a big hit because it wasnโt too sweet. I actually found the cake tasted better the next day after being refrigerated for 24 hours. Thanks for this great recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
That’s wonderful, thanks for the great feedback Patricia!
Regina Becher-Tatnell says
One of the best cinnamon apple cakes I ever had in my life . Thank you for this perfect recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So glad to hear that!
Geri says
Delicious! Simple but professional recipe. No butter too! Thanks!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Geri!
Hannah says
This is the easiest most delicious apple cake ever. I add 2 tablespoons rolled oats to the cinnamon topping and it becomes like a crumble.
Jessica Holmes says
That sounds amazing Hannah! So glad you enjoyed it!
meili says
Delicous! Beautiful texture. Didn’t make the glaze as didn’t want to add any more sugar. Put in two apples instead of one. Would love to see a reduced sugar version – I’ll just keep reducing the amount of sugar each time I make it.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad to hear that! Thank you for your feedback!
Barbara McGann says
Made this today & loved the texture, flavor, presentation! I switched out yogurt & used sour cream. I used an 8 inch springform pan. Made according to directions otherwise & found need for longer cook timeโฆmaybe 45 min total. The middle tested done but after cooling sank. Was still delicious tho! Definitely keeper!!! TY Barb
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks for the feedback Barbara! So glad you enjoyed it!
Anne says
Iโve made this for a few years now using the apples from my tree that arenโt good for much else. I use way more apples than the recipe calls for and bake for longer. Itโs a huge fall hit! Easy and delish. Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Love that Anne! Thank you for your kind feedback!
Annie Singer says
I have many apple cake recipes but this is definitely the best. My friends love it!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! That makes me so happy Annie!
Shari says
What a delicious cake! So flavorful and so moist! Can I double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 pan? How would you change the baking time? Anything else I need to adjust? Thanks so much!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed this one Shari! And yes, you absolutely can! Baking time might increase by 5-10 minutes. Just keeping checking until a skewer inserted into the middle (try a few spots) comes out clean. Enjoy!
Shari says
Will do! Thanks so much Jessica!
monica says
Will this apple cake freeze & defrost well? & will red delicious apples work for this cake? thank you for taking the time to answer my questions
Jessica Holmes says
Yes, yes and yes! I hope you enjoy it Monica.
Cristina says
Great recipe, my kids love it
Jessica Holmes says
Yay!
DONNA FAYLO says
Can this cake be made using gluten free cup-for-cup flour?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Donna, I haven’t tried myself but I would assume, yes!
Adele says
I have only ever made this recipe using gluten free flour, and it turns out brilliantly every time. I am in Australia and use a local brand GF flour in the same quantity as the recipe calls for with no other changes. It is one of my go the recipes for a quick tasty cake and no one has ever picked it as being GF.
DONNA FAYLO says
Thank you for all the replies!
Anne says
I make this cake often. Sometimes I substitute pear. We love it. Love your oil cakes.
Jessica Holmes says
Thank you so much Anne!