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







Dolores Olshansky says
The cake was delicious!
I am making it again the second time!
Jessica Holmes says
Hooray!
D. Voulopos says
Just made this afternoon and it was delicious! I didn’t use the icing but I did add 1/2 tablespoon rum in addition to the vanilla as well as adding 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to batter.
I’ll definitely make again. I used a Cosmic Crisp apple and it was still a little crunchy although the cake was done perfectly. Next time I’ll use a different type of apple.
Thank you for an easy fall cake recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
Love that! Thanks for your feedback!
Lynette says
Quick, easy ….. plus delicious and light! I followed the recipe to the letter with the exception of finishing it with the milk glaze (to save on sugar content!) but its exclusion certainly wasn’t in any way detrimental! My husband and son both “waxed lyrical” & I have added it to the list of “firm favourites”! Thank you so much, Jessica…It’s a tasty winner, for sure! xx
Jessica Holmes says
Oh how wonderful Lynette! Thank you for your kind feedback!
Kim says
Quick and easy. I used sour cream in place of the yogurt and didn’t make the glaze. Will definitely make again. Very moist.
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love that Kim!
Maria says
This recipe is a hit for the fall season! The oil (I used olive) and yogurt made it perfectly moist and I appreciated not needing to use a mixer. I did not find it too sweet which is a plus. It baked easily and quickly too. I added some thinly sliced apples to the top of the batter before baking and it made a beautiful presentation. It’s equally delicious served warm or at room temperature. Will definitely make it again. Thank you for this recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! That’s so lovely to hear Maria. It really is the perfect fall cake!
Vanessa says
I made this apple cake because of all the great ratings. I was suspicious of the Greek yogurt. It isn’t a favorite ingredient–taste or smell wise. The batter is smelly because of the yogurt. I’m so glad I trusted the process. I made the recipe as written.
This apple cake was a crowd pleaser for my family. The cake was light and moist with just enough and sweetness. The recipes goes together quickly. I highly recommend this recipe.
Thank you for a great fall recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
That’s fabulous to hear Vanessa! So glad you and the family enjoy this one!
Mareena McKenzie says
Love this cake ! Can I bake in a loaf pan ?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! You just might need to cover the top near the end of baking so it doesn’t overbake. Enjoy1
Madison says
Amazing recipe!! I used McIntosh apples (I used a bit more than 1 cup of chopped apple and it worked fine) and skipped the glaze – I prefer my cakes a bit less sweet. great as a coffee cake, would probably be great with any tart variety of apple. The texture of the cake is incredible! Love the addition of greek yogurt. Overall a great success!!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that Madison!
Mandy Clinch says
I’ve made this twice now. First time it tasted and smelled of oil.
So this week I made it again. Bought new oil, using half the recommended amount.
And it still smells and tastes oily.
Really disappointed.
I frequently make other cakes and bakes with no issues. No idea what the problem is. The cake itself is moist and light. It’s just the oily flavour that ruins it.
I’ve made other recipes of yours with no problems.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Mandy, what oil did you use? I find they can vary alot so I’ve been using either grapeseed oil which has virtually no flavour or a light tasting olive oil in my baking. You could also use melted butter if you prefer.
Al says
Very tasty cake, however I must say, it is a little too sweet for my liking. Is it ok to decrease the amount of sugar or will that change the batter too much?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Al, you could try reducing it slightly, maybe 20-25%. Just remember sugar adds moisture too!
Judy Aldrich says
This is one of the best cakes I’ve made for a long time. Very tasty and moist without being too much so (often the case with an apple cake). I didn’t in fact put the final glaze on top as I’m trying to keep my weight down! This didn’t spoil it at all. My husband loves it as a dessert with custard. Highly recommended.
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! This makes me so happy Judy!
Brooke Abbruzzese says
Could you use a nine inch springform cake pan? Thanks
Jessica Holmes says
Yes you can Brooke! It’ll just be thinner and cook faster.
Polly says
I put 3 medium eggs and whole milk vanilla flavored yogurt.
It was Awesome.
sooooo good.
Thanks
ciao from italy
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Polly! Thank you so much for trying one of my recipes!
Anne says
Can i use a Bundt cake instead of a round shape?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Anne, I haven’t tried myself. I do worry that the cake is a bit too tender for a bundt pan and you may have trouble removing it.
Polly says
I put 3 medium eggs and whole milk vanilla flavored yogurt.
It was Awesome.
sooooo good.
Thanks
ciao from italy
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Polly!
Trae says
Forgot to rate
Trae says
Delicious. My skill is usually baking from box mixes, but so glad I gave this a go. Easy and the result is exactly what I’ve been craving. Having it hot out the oven right now, it’s like an English pudding, just off to heat up some custard, yumm oh
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! This makes me so happy Trae – serving with custard is a brilliant idea!
Danielle says
I love this apple cake, so good!! Can you use oat flour instead of all purpose?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Danielle, so glad you enjoyed this one. I’ve never tried with oat flour so I’m not sure! If you do try it, let us know how it goes!