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







Erin says
ReaLly good.
Rhetta L Haynes says
I love this recipe. The cake tastes amazing. My only question is that the middle did not cook and it sunk in. I tested it with a toothpick, and the batter was dry. I don’t know what happened. Do you have any suggestions?
I want to make it again because it is delicious.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Rhetta, so glad you enjoyed this one! I do find that is the nature of cakes with real fruit in them. It can be hard to tell if they are completely cooked and if not, they do tend to sink slightly. I would give it a few extra minutes next time and see if that helps. Also consider doing the toothpick test in a couple of places. I find that a butter knife can be more accurate.
Charina says
I quadrupled the recipe on my first try , luckily I have a large mixing bowl To mix the dry and wet ingredients.. easiest cake I have even made .. I shared the baked product to my co workers and everyone loved it. I will definitely bake this again .. yummy
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love that Charina!
jan says
Have you ever tried making this recipe as muffins, rather than cake?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jan, yes you can! Or you can try my Apple Muffin recipe for a more traditional, high-top muffin.
Nannacooks says
Hi there my tin 8 inches by 11/2 inches
Jessica Holmes says
That would be it! Mine cake pans are 2-inches high. I’ve linked to them in the recipe card if you’d like to see them. So sorry for the confusion!
Linda Thomas says
Hi I have no yogurt can I use anything else
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Linda, sour cream would be the next best thing! Otherwise buttermilk?
Jen says
I only had SR flour, tinned apple & brown sugar, used olive oil plus sour cream instead of yogurt & it was scrumptious!
Jessica Holmes says
That sounds fabulous Jen, so glad it worked out for you.
Alex Elvin says
It sounds delicious and I’m going to make it this week. Do you think I could layer this cake for a taller cake? Say with cinnamon frosting? Or is the cake so tender it wouldn’t hold up the weight?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Alex, it is quite a tender cake but if you were very gentle, I think it would be ok!
Oshin says
Super easy and delicious recipe! Thank you 😊
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Cheryl says
I just made this on a drizzly Sunday afternoon. It was so easy to put together and it really is the best cinnamon apple cake. My family demolished it! I will be making it again very soon. Yum!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so pleased to hear that!!
Nannacooks says
Why did my mixture run over the cake tin 8inch is to small for this recipe
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I’m sorry to hear that! I haven’t had that issue with this recipe. How high were the sides of your pan?
Lorna Cashmore says
I’ve made this cake many times one of my favorites as I have so many apples from my tree I put cinnamon in with the dry ingredients as well and tend to put a few more apples than you stipulate it’s always turns out fantastic clear well and everybody who tries it falls in love with it and once the recipe
Jessica Holmes says
That makes me happy to hear that Lorna!
Cj says
Yum! Perfect light, crumbly texture. I didn’t think the cake was too sweet on it’s own so I added vanilla frosting instead of the glaze and sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar. It took it to another level!
Jessica Holmes says
Sounds amazing!
June Gaw says
Just made it…looks absolutely delicious. Can hardly wait until cool enough to eat! So easy. Definitely a keeper! Thank you
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it June.
Lilly says
Quick question, is this recipe easily increased for a 10″ cake pan ? I’d love to make this it sounds delicious as I have an abundance of apples I harvestedfrom my tree
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Lilly, you could try increasing the recipe by 1.5? I hope you enjoy it! Otherwise I like to make it twice and then make a couple of cupcakes if there’s any leftover batter.