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 š
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 used oil as the main fat. This is because oil tends to add moisture to baked goods, like in my Olive Oil Brownies or my Malteser Chocolate 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, 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.
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!
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Cinnamon Apple Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8
- Category: Cake
- Cuisine: Australian
Description
A tender Cinnamon Apple Cake drizzled with a milk glaze.
Ingredients
Apple cake
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bakingĀ soda
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster 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
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt
Cinnamon topping
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
SugarĀ glaze
- 30 grams (1/4 cup) icing or powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line an 8 or 9 inch round cake tin with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Add chopped apple and stir briefly to combine.
- In a separate bowl, add eggs, vanilla, oil and yoghurt. Whisk brieflyĀ just to break up the egg yolks.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with a wooden spoon until combined ā but be careful not to over mix. Spoon batter into prepared tin.
- To make cinnamon topping, combine cinnamon, sugar 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
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 389
Keywords: Apple cake, Cinnamon apple cake, One bowl apple cake
Delicious š
Great recipe, I skip the sugar glaze, use 1/2 cup raw sugar instead and add more apples and itās just right for a lovely moist and delicious cake!
★★★★★
Love it! Thanks for the lovely feedback!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times but today I made the careless mistake of not mixing my wet ingredients separately š by the time I realised it, it was too late. It’s in the oven now but I’m super stressed out that it won’t come out as fluffy as it should be.
★★★★★
Hey Tammy, I think it’ll still be delicious!
Tried today, came out lovely and tender. Thank you for the recipe.
Just a question, could I add more apple?
Yes absolutely!
Iāve only started baking and Jess recommended trying this cake as it was easy to make and Iām so glad I did. The cake is really easy to make and it tastes amazing. I will definitely be making it again.
★★★★★
Love hearing that Jacqueline!
So glad you enjoyed it!
So good, thank you! My entire family loved it.
My cinnamon topping was hard to sprinkle because of how lumpy it was so I think next time Iāll use a toothpick to spread it around better.
Do you think adding a bit of apple sauce would affect the consistency? Just thinking for a bit more of an apple flavor.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it Maria! I havenāt tried with apple sauce so I canāt say. Some readers have thrown in some extra apple though!
Our family loooooove this recipe! Made it a week before my mom’s birthday and it was iressistably moist! Didnt have sour cream and replaced it with evaporated milk diluted with water and it still tastes good! My parents loved how soft it is and I loved the crispy top! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it Shiela!
hi have not yet tried the recipie but had a query. Do we need to whisk the eggs sugar and oil first like it is done for the other cakes or just mix it.
Hi, you just need to whisk the ingredient briefly to break up the egg yolks.
thankyou jessica
Fantastic recipe. I used regular yogurt but will try with Greek yogurt next time. I added some cinnamo to batter . Everyone enjoyed it. Thanks!!
★★★★★
Love hearing that Lydia!
Hi. Can I replace the apples and put in strawberries and blueberries?
THank yo u Anne
Hi Anne, yes you can!
I made this for my FiancĆ©’s birthday, good job I made two cause half of one is already gone between the two of us, yum!
★★★★★
Hahaha love that Milly!
Awesome recipe, Iāve baked the apple cake three times so far to give away to friends. Everyone has loved it. Thankyou so much
★★★★★
Love that! Thanks Andra!
Hi this recipe looks so good. But was just wondering if I could use milk instead of yogurt? Really want to make this tomorrow but havenāt got any yogurt in! Tia x
Hi Sophie, I recommend using Greek yogurt or sour cream for best results.
Tried making this cake gluten free as I’m a coeliac. I had to cook this for a lot longer than stated however it was one of the best apple cakes my family have tasted. I will be trying out more of your cakes in the future.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it Tricia!
Jessica thank you so much for sharing this lovely recipe. Very moist and tasty. Everyone loved it. I made the recipe with half amount of stated ingredients and swapped caster sugar for brown sugar . There was only one problem. For me the batter came out very sticky. I didn’t over mix the batter but It just happened. Do you know what can be the cause? Can it be related to my flour? Cuz I used white wheat flour.
★★★★★
Iām so glad you enjoyed it Maryam. And yes it could be because you used a different flour than stated in the recipe.
I love this cake! I only had one small apple so I added a cut up pear. So god with pear. Will bake it again with pear
★★★★★
Awesome! Iāve also made it with pear – so good right?! Thanks for the kind feedback.