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







Pam says
Great moist and yummy cake!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Pam!
Lauren says
Hi,
What is the purpose of peeling the apples? Thank
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Lauren, I prefer the texture of unpeeled apples and find they cook faster. But you don’t have to peel them! I sometimes don’t worry if I’m in a hurry 🙂
Lauren says
Thanks.
I have another question – why in some apple cake recepies it says to put brown sugar, and some (like this one) say white sugar? What does each one do and what comes out better? Thanks!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Lauren, that’s a great question – but it depends. Caster sugar is finer so dissolves more easily. It is often used in cakes, meringues etc. In cookies, it will help them spread and creates crispy edges. Meanwhile brown sugar has molasses added to it, so it can help add or enhance caramel-like flavours. It will also create a thicker, chewier cookie. In cakes it will colour the inside of the cake, so it may depend on your preferences. Here, I preferred the lighter taste and colour of caster sugar and the crispy top. But you can always experiment or go half half and see what you like!
hannah callan says
I forgot to rate it, but I give it 5 stars, as this recipe is versatile, quick, economical and damn right tasty, quick to bake, and everyone just loves eating it
Jessica Holmes says
This makes me so happy Hannah! Thank you so much for your kind review. I love that you enjoyed this cake so much!
hannah callan says
I have baked this cake loads of times, and its always a welcomed gift in some of the homes I visited, I would like to thank Jess for putting it up online, as its great for getting rid of surplus apples, but Oh so tasty too. Sometimes I shake it up a little and put almond flavouring in either the batter mix or the topping or both, also I sometimes put chopped almonds/pecans/walnuts on top of the cake, so many things to do with it, but I have to say Jess’s instructions have made it so easy to bake
Thank you Jess
Dale Chimel says
Five stars!
This is an awesome cake recipe. Between the apples, the cinnamon topping and the glaze this cake cannot do wrong!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love that Dale!
Kate says
Fail safe bake! I replace the flour with gluten free flour and use a soya yoghurt to make this allergy friendly and it’s soooo good!
Jessica Holmes says
That’s so great to hear Kate!
Monica says
Easy instructions. Baked like a dream. Lovely and moist with a crunchy top layer.
Jessica Holmes says
That’s so lovely to hear Monica!
Shabnam Muqbil says
Super easy recipe. And delicious to boot. My friends and family loved it.
Jessica Holmes says
How good is that!!
Jen says
Hi Jess! Love this recipe. Just wondering if I can make this into a loaf? Thanks!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jen, yes it can. But I’d be prepared to cover the top with aluminium foil near the end of baking to prevent the top from over-browning before the middle has cooked through.
Sherry says
Made this cinnamon apple cake today, delicious! I used Bob’s redmill gluten free cup 4 cup. My husband told me this recipe is a keeper.
My first time making an apple cake, the recipe is simple to make. Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
That’s great Sherry! So glad it worked well with gf flour too!
Maxine Smith says
I love this cake, so easy to make. Can I freeze it?
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad Maxine! Yes you can absolutely freeze it. The top won’t be quite as crispy as it is fresh out of the oven, but it still tastes great!
Jennifer Kramer says
Absolutely delicious, wouldn’t change a thing!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that!
Liesl says
Can I substitute the yogurt for sour cream?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes!
Cecilia Romero says
Hello Jess,
Let’s just put it this way, your cinnamon apple cake is so good it managed to travel to the other side of the world! Receive greetings from little sunny El Salvador, in Central America. Thank you for posting this. My family was craving something sweet on a rainy night and this was just the trick. A scoop of vanilla ice cream made it even better. I might try my hand on adding nuts next time but I wondered if you would advice to use pear, peach or even pineapple. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Jessica Holmes says
Wow that’s amazing to hear Cecilia! Nuts would be a lovely addition and yes, you could definitely dry pear, peach or pineapple. A few readers have done it with various fruits and reported success!
Fiona says
Im just making this for the second time but i wanted to know if i can bake it in a cake pan (the ones with the whole in the middle) thank you for the recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Fiona, do you mean a bundt pan? I haven’t tried but the cake might be a little fragile for a bundt cake pan. If you do try it, let us know how it goes!
A. LIMA says
First of all, thanks for this wonderful recipe. This cake is delicious and insanely easy to make! I was wondering if I could freeze it and, if not, how long it should last outside the fridge.
Jessica Holmes says
Hooray! So glad you enjoyed it. I find it keeps well for a 3-4 days since it’s oil-based but you can definitely freeze it. I prefer to freeze any leftovers on day two just to ensure it stays extra fresh.
Dragana says
What a beautifully balanced apple dessert. Just packed with flavour and perfectly moist, right in the middle. I did a double measure for a family gathering, adding a bit more apples than it says in the recipe. Another change I made was using brown sugar, it worked nicely with all other ingredients. First half was eaten quite warm, with vanilla ice cream and the other on the following morning with some nuts. Thank you, I’m saving this recipe and will definitely make it again ❤️
Jessica Holmes says
How wonderful! Thank you for sharing this with me Dragana. Love the idea of brown sugar and vanilla ice cream – yum!