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 🍎
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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PinDescription
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 baking 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
Sugar glaze
- 30 grams (1/4 cup) icing or powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (360 F). Grease and line a 8 or 9 inch 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 briefly just to break up the egg yolks.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with a wooden spoon until combined – 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
I made this cake for an end of semester barbecue for our German Class.. I couldn’t believe how quickly the cake disappeared and was lucky to get the last piece!, in German this cake is called: EIN APFEL-ZIMT-KUCHEN
★★★★★
Aw I love hearing that Jan! Amazing! And now I’ve learnt something new ☺️
I made it recently. The cake is good but
When I put the glaze after the cake was at room temperate it’s made the cake too wet and too
Sweet..Thank’s anyway,
Hi Ana! Glad you liked the cake, feel free to omit the glaze next time or only add half. Personally, I love it because I have such a sweet tooth!
yum! Mine took a fair bit longer in the oven for some reason. Also the glaze wasn’t white like the picture, it sort of went clear. Not sure why? but a very good recipe and I’ll definitely make it again!
★★★★★
Hi Jess! I’m glad you liked the cake! The glaze will be clear if you put it on a warm or hot cake but if the cake is cooled, it should stay white and firm. Either way it’ll still be delicious!
Yummy and very easy and quick to make ! Thank you 😘
★★★★★
So glad you liked it Natasha!!
Up till now I wanna try every recipe! Besides you explain everything with such love and care! Such passion! Thank you so much for sharing !
★★★★★
Aww thank you Gina! You are so welcome! ☺️
I’ve made this cake a few times and it is amazing! One of the best cakes I have ever made. Thank you for such a fantastic recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that Nicole! Thank you for the lovely feedback!
I made this just now and it’s so good! Very moist. I used 2 apples instead of 1. I can’t stop eating it and I have no one to share it with so yeah looks like I’ll be eating the whole cake.
★★★★★
Hahaha i love this Catherine! So glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this for my Saturday baking moods and it turned out amazing!! Can’t believe how quick it was to put together. Thanks for sharing :))
★★★★★
Aw so glad to hear that Noor! Thanks for the lovely feedback!
I made this delicious cake today for afternoon tea.
It was amazing!
So glad to hear that Chris! Thanks for the lovely feedback!
If no apples, could canned apples be used in a pinch??? I am a home baker in Texas under Texas Cottage Law and my apple bread recipe that was made with real gala apples was not allowed because it was real fruit. So I started making it with canned apples and my family and customers loved it even better.
Hi Robin! Wow, I had no idea. I haven’t tested the recipe with canned apples but I imagine it would be ok! If you try it, please let me know how you go ☺️
I LOVE Apple cakes!! So I’m very excited to try this out! Is 1 Apple really enough?!
Hi Daniela, so excited you are going to try this cake! I think 1 big apple is enough but I have used 2 apples before for extra apple goodness. Up to you! ☺️
I love apple and cinnamon together! It’s a match made in heaven. This cake looks and sounds amazing ♥
★★★★★
Thanks Natalie!