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.
save this recipe

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
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.
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







Zoe says
I love this recipe, it’s my go to cake recipe! I want to adapt it to make muffins. How would it affect the cooking time?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Zoe, so glad you love this one. You can absolutely make muffins. I’d check them around the 16-18 minute mark. You might also like my Apple Muffin recipe which was based off this one!
Jenira says
I keep coming back to make this time and time again, it is so delicious and a massive family favourite. I am very much beginner in the kitchen but this gives me the confidence to really pursue more of this! thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
That makes me so happy Jenira! I hope you get to do more and more baking! Sounds like you nailed it 🙂
Star says
Perfect Cake! The texture was nice and fluffy and I thought the sweetness level was just right. I used Avocado oil instead of vegetable oil. I also made mine in a bundt cake pan. Fantastic!
Jessica Holmes says
Oh that’s wonderful to hear Star!
Kim L says
Love, love, love! Baked this again today, this time for mother-in- law’s 89th birthday. The whole family loved it. Thanks, Jessica, for a super easy, quick, tender, moist and absolutely delicious recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
How special! Love that you made it for such a special celebration!
Homa Danieli says
So Easy and delicious….The best apple cake recipe I have found so far. Thank you very much for your recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
So welcome Homa!
Alice says
Made this today and was so delicious, super moist and fluffy! I was wondering what would happen if i reduce the olive oil? Could I substitute the oil completely for greek yoghurt?
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Alice! I wouldn’t typically think removing the oil would be a good idea. Oil adds fat, moisture and tenderness creating a perfectly fluffy cake. But you might have to do some experimenting to find out!
Jas says
Hi, can you make this with melted butter to replace the oil?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jas, absolutely. You can read in the recipe testing section of the post that I tried just that. It definitely works but doesn’t have quite the same springy texture and moisture that the oil provide.
Jordan Snooks says
Wondering if there’s anything I can substitute the Greek yogurt for? Thanks!
Jessica Holmes says
Sour cream is the next best bet!
Frida says
I made it for the first time today and it is delicious and moist. I will definitely make it again. I followed the recipe exactly as you have it. Thank you for such an excellent recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
That’s wonderful to hear Frida!
El says
Is this OK to freeze ? If so, for how long?
Jessica Holmes says
You sure can! Teacakes like this one typically last for a month or two in the freezer if stored well.
Julie Fanelli says
Hi! I’m making this for Thanksgiving for the first time and am looking forward to it. I live in New Mexico and would need a high altitude recipe. Do you know if anything needs to be added to this? And if so, what? I appreciate any help. Thanks! 😊
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Julie, excited you are going to try this one! Unfortunately I have no experience with high altitude baking so I can’t help you I’m sorry. Hopefully another reader who does might reply though!
whitney says
can you make this in a 9×13 pan? if so what would you change? Making for family Thanksgiving
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Whitney, absolutely! You will just need to double the recipe. Enjoy!
Angela says
Delicious and easy! Not too sweet.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Cathy Eglington says
Beautiully moist and very light
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you liked it Cathy!
Sheila says
Very good and moist. Many compliments
Jessica Holmes says
So glad to hear that Sheila!
Laurie Marcoux says
It was so good!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Laurie!
Kopfan1965 says
made this and your coffee cake, both are superb and went down a storm, made in a 20×20 square tin so I increased the ingredients by a factor of 1.27 and they came out brilliantly am defo gonna try some other recipes. Thank you so much.
Jessica Holmes says
That’s wonderful to hear!