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, 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.
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
- 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 cinnamon, sugar 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.
Linda Condon says
It came out good, but next one i will add more sugar. I added 2. Also I will put the cut up apples in the dry mix and let it sit for 5 minutes I am thinking coating the apples will give the apples a better flavor.
Suzanne Showman says
What a fab cake! I added cinnamon and some honey to the batter. Hoping I can freeze it…… Perfect cake for Jewish New Year when we eat lots of sweet things.
Jessica Holmes says
Ooh love hearing that!
Ravina says
Came out amazing! Delicious , moist and light!
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that!
Meredith says
Amazing recipe will make again. So moist and didn’t drop in the middle at the end loved it!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Meredith!
Nahtheiyaa says
I tried out this cake. It was really amazing. I used 1:1 ratio of wheat flour and APF. It turned out so yumm.
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that!
Archana Mahajan says
Still can’t believe it came out so well! Sobsimple and delicious, moist, perfect, and made with whole wheat flour… I increased the cinnamon to 2 tea spoonfuls and substituted the castor sugar in the topping to granulated sugar. And no glaze. Divine!
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Archana!
Dolly says
Delicious, perfect cake. Will send you the pics.
Jessica Holmes says
Wonderful Dolly! Can’t wait to see!
Norma White says
The best apple cake ever. Recipe shared many times.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you like it Norma!
Jan says
This cake is absolutely divine, especially with the crunchy cinnamon topping. I’ve made it several times now and my grandson says it’s my best cake ever!
Jessica Holmes says
Wow, such high praise! Love hearing that Jan!
theresa luck says
I have a 3 section lasagna pan . Can I bake 1 in each section and do I need to double it for each section? Thank you. Wanting to make and share with neighbors.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m not sure sorry!
Rosemary says
Can I sub the flour for gluten free flour? Would that change the cake texture and baking time?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Rosemary, I haven’t tested the cake with gluten free flour so I can’t say.
Bea Priddle says
Delicious cake….can it br frozen ?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes it can. Although like most cakes, I think it’s best eaten fresh.
Radhika says
I’m no baker, but this was so easy and came out delicious. Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! You’re so welcome.
Tania says
I have this cake in the oven right now! It’s my go to apple caKe. I’ve made it about 10 times and have shared the recipe too. It’s definitely a keeper. I have made it with buttermilk when I’m out of yogurt. But I always leave out the glaze. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Aww love hearing that Tania! So happy to know it’s become a true favourite ❤️
saba says
What can i substitute greek yogurt with , not available
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Saba, sour cream would be the next best thing.
Natasha says
I meant to say I used milk instead of yoghurt ! 😊 Still Yummy x
Jessica Holmes says
Glad you enjoyed it Natasha!