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







Sam says
Great recipe! Easy to make and works every time!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Sam!
Helen says
I make a lot of cake and this is now my favourite. First time, I used a round tin and it needed nearly an hour to bake. Now I use an 8’ square which is a 40 minute bake and very easy to cut into 16 pieces for sharing. Thanks so much for your fabulous recipe
Jessica Holmes says
That’s wonderful to hear Helen! Thank you for the feedback on cook time too!
Stephanie says
Haven’t made this yet and just wondering: can we substitute sour cream for Greek yogurt? Or would that change the taste too much?
Jessica Holmes says
You absolutely can! You can add a splash of milk to create a more yogurt-like consistency, but sour cream works great too.
Surbhi Tyagi says
I am a beginner in baking! Stumbled across this recipe and it was a super hit with family and friends! Cooking it again today (second time) and it has turned out the same.. absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. You have given a massive boost to my baking confidence. Question: can this cake be left at room temperature? For how long? If in refrigerator, does it last?
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Surbhi! I prefer to keep this one at room temperature in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap. I find it will last 3-4 days, otherwise I freeze any leftovers.
Samantha says
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe but wondering if I were to convert it to gluten free, could I simply exchange the flour 1:1 gf flour mix or should I add an extra egg to bind it better?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Samantha, I haven’t tried so you might have to experiment. I do recall some readers letting me know they have had success using gf flour but I know not all gf flours are the same. If you do give it a go, do report back!
Mia says
Loved this recipe and had an amazing result! I substituted the vegetable oil for butter for a healthier option and it worked just the same!
Jessica Holmes says
That’s wonderful news Mia!
Hettie says
I’ve added olive oil instead of vegetable oil will that effect the cake and I didn’t have any yoghurt so I added milk
Jessica Holmes says
Olive oil will work fine Hettie! It will work will milk also but yogurt helps the cake stay soft and moist for days.
Elisa Ferrara says
Hi,
I love this cake, the taste is amazing. Just one question, my cake always seems to sink in the middle once it’s cooled, is this normal? Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks so much for your help
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Elisa, so glad you enjoy this one! Great question, I’ve found in my experience that is usually because the cake is slightly underbaked – is it a little wet right in the centre? If not, it could be that you added a little more apple so there’s slightly more moisture in the bake. I actually wrote an article about why cakes sink that you might like to read.
Debbie says
will it work if I use tin pie apples and drain off the syrup
Jessica Holmes says
It will Debbie, but the apple will be super soft and sort of melt into the cake – still yum though!
Ian says
Jessica, many thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe. You can’t beat the yoghurt/oil combination for moistness and soft texture.
Made two of these cakes this afternoon (fan oven @160C). Used fan to ensure even heat distribution around the two cakes. 50 minutes cooking time.
Enjoying one cake now. My wife is taking the other for the ladies at her tennis club tomorrow.
Much appreciated.
Jessica Holmes says
Love that Ian! So glad you enjoyed it. The ladies at the tennis club will be pleased I bet!
Kyoko Molleneaux says
The most delicious moist apple cake ever tasted!! Everyone truely loved it!! Thank you so much!! I will keep baking this as its so simple yet incredibly yummy.
Thank you.
Kyoko
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! I love hearing that Kyoko! Thank you for your kind feedback.
Julia says
I’m going to make this tomorrow. Can I mix the ingredients and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours before transferring to the tin and baking?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Julia, I wouldn’t recommend letting the batter sit – I’d bake it straight away for optimal rise and texture.
Dorothy Lenthall says
Thanks for such an easy and SO delicious recipe! Everyone loves it. I added a handful of blueberries and it worked very well.
Jessica Holmes says
Love that Dorothy! Blueberries would be a great addition!
Kim L says
This could not be any easier to bake. I made this today and it’s almost all gone. I’ll have to bake another! Absolutely delicious. Super moist too. Thank you, Jessica.
Would pears work too?
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So glad you love it Kim! You could definitely make it with pears. Or I have a lovely Pear Cinnamon Cake recipe you might like to try too.
Faye says
This recipe is sooooo darn easy and oh so most and scrumptious 😋.
It’s so easy, I have made 12 cakes in a 5 days, and it was loved by all and there have been no left overs. It’s now requested by friends and family to every event.
I shall try some of the additions mentioned by others.
Jessica Holmes says
That’s incredible Faye! So glad your and family love it too!
Caitlin says
Great recipe! Turned out really well.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Caitlin!
Sharon says
looks great ! just wondering, what pan’s size did you use?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sharon, I used an 8-inch round cake pan (see step 1). Hope you enjoy this one!
Sharon says
Thank you ! And another question please. The greek yogurt – what the far percentage you recommending to use ?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sharon, I use 10% fat yogurt – I hope that helps!