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 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 baking 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 sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Sugar 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 pan 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 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 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
Serving Size: Calories: 310 Sugar: 25 g Sodium: 143.8 mg Fat: 14.1 g Carbohydrates: 42.7 g Protein: 4.8 g Cholesterol: 42.2 mg







Maureen says
This recipe was delicious. I have been craving apple cake and this was so easy, deliciously light and very moist. I used coconut yogurt and avocado oil, slightly less sugar in the cake.
Jessica Holmes says
How wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it Maureen!
Lindsey says
I have plain whole milk yogurt instead of Greek yogurt. Will that be okay to use? Thanks!
Jessica Holmes says
Yes that should be fine!
Barbara says
I love it! It is perfect 👌🏽 Everyone loved it so fluffy, soft and not dry-excellent!!❤️🙌🏽💯
Jessica Holmes says
Hooray! Love hearing that Barbara!
Tim G says
I’m baking the cake now and it smells Devine. I’m writing you from China and making it for my wife. She’s loves apples. Probably going to leave off the glaze as the Chinese like things not so sweet. I used Mango yogurt instead of plain. It should add just another layer of flavor. Thanks again and Merry Christmas. Would be nice if we could post pictures of finished product. It looks as good as it smells. Cheers
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Tim, I hope you and your wife love it! Yes sorry you can’t add pictures here. But you can always tag me on Instagram or send a photo to my email jessica@sweetestmenu.com. I love seeing everyone’s bakes!
Hazel says
My daughter requested this cake for her 16th birthday (yesterday)… although it took 50 mins in my Aga baking oven, apart from that – I can’t fault it – everyone loved it! Thank-you 😊
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so happy to hear that Hazel! Thank you for the feedback.
Ritu Sahni says
Superb recipe
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you love it Ritu!
Debbie says
Super easy and delicious. My husband’s absolute favorite, ask for it often!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Debbie!
Becca says
This is going to be my new go-to cake recipe! It is fantastic! I made it for a dinner party and it was an all-around hit. I had to bake it about 20 or so extra minutes so I will factor that in next time. I live in Switzerland and baked goods are not as sweet as in America—I left off the glaze and the sweetness level was just perfect. Also, having just wrapped up Thanksgiving and pecan pie, I added some chopped pecans to the top and it was a delish add-on. Thanks for a great recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
That’s wonderful to hear Becca! Love the addition of pecans!
Hinemoa Shingleton says
This has fast become my favourite cake & recipe. Easy to make/mix and looks beautifully enticing straight out of the oven. A real crowd pleaser with my family.
Jessica Holmes says
I love hearing that Hinemoa! Thank you for your kind review.
Shirley says
Made this really amazing cake,will make again, question could you use any kind of fruit?Shirley
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed this one Shirley! Yes, you could try with other fruits like pear!
Lulu says
Can you replace the yogurt with a non dairy option like apple sauce? Love this cake and want to bring it to an event where I know some folks are allergic to dairy.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Lulu, I haven’t tried with apple sauce. I think a dairy-free yogurt could be a good option!
Rhonda says
Awesome!
Laura Vicuña says
I LOOOOVE this recipe, thank you so much for sharing. It is so tender and easy to make , not to mention incredible delicious! If I have some extra apples , this is my go to everytime.
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Laura!
Jen Oliver says
Very easy, quick recipe. I followed it mostly as written; minus the glaze at the end. The cake came out moist and the cinnamon on top was perfect amount of sweet and spice. I didn’t do the glaze yet; but will try it. Thank you.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so happy to hear that Jen! Thank you for your lovely review.
Tanya Hampton says
So easy and very tasty
Jessica Holmes says
I’m glad you enjoyed it Tanya!