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







Marcy says
I made this and it was gone in a day. I didn’t have yogurt so I substituted 1 cup sour cream and half cup more flour. Next time I make this I will add some walnut and pecan nuts. It was the perfect level of sweetness and the dough was high.
Jessica Holmes says
That sounds wonderful Marcy! So pleased you enjoyed it. Nuts are such a wonderful addition too!
Marianne Robinson says
I just won my street’s baking competition with this cake for best tasting.
Jessica Holmes says
Really! That’s amazing Marianne! Well done 👏🏻
Marianne Robinson says
Thanks!
I just saw that you’re an Aussie 😄 I’m one too – I have lived in London for 17 years.
For a West London street to love your cake is quite the compliment.
I’ll follow your recipes now. I like the way you’ve designed your site. And I never follow cooking/baking websites, so you’re definitely on the right track!
You don’t have to reply 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
That is a huge compliment! Thank you so much Marianne!
Carol says
Lovely light, fluffy, moist cake but my crumble topping sank to the bottom? It didn’t spoil the cake though, we had it warm straight from the oven with cream for dessert.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Carol, so pleased you enjoyed this one. I love it warm as well. I don’t actually know why the crumble sank. Did you change anything in the recipe? The cake batter is usually quite thick so holds a crumb well. Did you spread it out evenly?
Lis says
Yes, very easy and takes little time to make. I added more apple (one small) and cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup and added 1/4 cup honey. It’s sweet enough, very moist and light. Thank yoi
Jessica Holmes says
That’s lovely to hear Lis!
Taryn Kukle says
How can i make this recipe dairy free?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Taryn, I haven’t tried but you could attempt it with a dairy free yogurt? For the cinnamon topping, you could use a vegan butter substitute? If you do experiment, let us know how it goes!
Debrah says
Thank you so very much for including the ingredient conversions…you rock !!
Debrah
MaryAnn Updike says
Perfection—we just used whatever vanilla yogurt we had and it was awesome!! 👏
Jessica Holmes says
Fantastic! Love that MaryAnn!
Enemdee says
Awesome cake. Moist & yummy
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Gianna says
Excited to make this! Just wondering if it can be prepped ahead of time (the night before) and baked the next morning?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Gianna, I’m excited you are going to try this one too! You can’t make the cake batter ahead of time unfortunately as the chemical leavener will start to react straight away. It is still nice the next day though if you wanted to make and bake it the day before.
Gianna says
I made it last night and served it today and it was fantabulous! Definitely putting this one on repeat!
Jessica Holmes says
Oh that’s wonderful to hear!
Pamela says
Hello, I made this last year it was perfect. Now I want to make it again and I can’t remember which yogurt I used, so can you tell me please was it Greek 0% fat, or 5% fat that you used or can you even use Greek style yogurt? Thank you
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Pamela, no worries at all. Either will work but I’d choose the one with a higher fat content myself. More fat = more delicious!
Mel says
Wondering how to store the cake and how long it will last for?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Mel, this cake keeps well in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. Otherwise, I would consider freezing it.
D says
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I added more cinnamon as we love it. A family favourite.
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that!
Su says
This is my second time posting re this recipe. I’ve made it 9 times since first review. Have made it for different people on various occasions and I/you always get two thumbs up from seniors to kids. This is a recipe that will be ‘handed down’, if you know what I mean. One in the oven now, just because it’s Father’s Day lol Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Wow that’s incredible Su! I love that it’s become one of your family’s favourite recipes! You can bet it’s going in the new cookbook I’m writing 🙂
Charlotte says
I’ve made this cake many times now, given it as a gift to friends, made it gluten-free for my daughter, changed the fruit to plums or pears, and adjusted the spices accordingly….and every time it comes out deliciously! Fab recipe – perfect for this time of year when all the fruit trees are laden!
Jessica Holmes says
How amazing is that Charlotte! Gotta love a recipe that’s so flexible like this one hey.
Julie Milne says
One of the few cake recipes that I have made that lives up to its promises. Its lovely!! I added a little more apple, cause I love apple and a little more cinnamon, cause I love cinnamon. It took another 15 minutes to bake in my oven. Please try it. You wont regret it.
Jessica Holmes says
How wonderful to hear that Julie! Thank you for the lovely feedback.