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







Liz says
Amazing cake! I followed this recipe to an exact T (used a scale as well). I used northern spy apples and it gave the cake a mix of sweet and tangy flavors. So good
Sue says
Hi can you use spelt flour instead of normal plain flour?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sue, I haven’t tested this recipe with spelt flour so I can’t say. But it will likely change the texture.
Sue says
Hi Jessica I used half white spelt and half plain flour and coconut yogurt and it turned out great. I also added a few blueberries with the Apple it’s so light and fluffy and delicious
Thank you so much. Sue
Jessica Holmes says
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it Sue!
Sandra says
Great recipe. I used sour cream instead of yogurt and extra light olive oil instead of vegetable oil as that’s what I had on hand. I will definitely make it again.
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks for the lovely feedback Sandra!
Norma Agnew says
Great recipe and loved how easy it was! Don’t bake many cakes so used a loaf tin and it turned out fine. Used some of our glut of County Armagh (the Orchard County) apples.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Norma!
Russ warne says
Absolutely loved this cake it didn’t even last 24hrs. I made 1 plain as recipe and another with apple and crystallised ginger. Will make both again very soon
Jessica Holmes says
Amazing! And love the idea of adding ginger!
Linda Alger says
I made this delicious cake last weekend. So easy and everyone said how delicious it was. So light due to oil and yogurt.
Thank you so much for such an easy but tasty recipie.
There is one in the oven baking as I am writing this.🎋🍈
Jessica Holmes says
Aw love that Linda!
Jane says
I made this cake using Red Mill Gluten free one to one flour. It came out perfect! I added pumpkin spice and walnuts. Making another to take to my gluten free family tomorrow. My husband who is NOT gluten sensitive loved it! Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Ooh so happy to hear that Jane!
Jeanne says
I just made too many swaps to actually comment on the recipe, but I wanted to thank you for the inspiration!
The cake also turned out fantastic!
Julie says
Hello, I have just taken this cake out of the oven and it took longer than stated, but I know ovens can vary, but it has also sank in the middle, why do you think this may have happened.
Hopefully it will still taste ok.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Julie, there are a number of reasons why a cake sinks but it can often be because it’s under baked. You are right – every oven is different so only use baking times as a guide. Instead, look for visual cues like an even browning on top and insert a skewer into the centre and see if it emerges clean. Opening the oven door while the cake is cooking can also cause it to sink.
Sudha says
Hi Jess
It was a moist yummy cake. Loved it ! Had only 1 apple, so I combined it with two bananas.
Thank you!!!!
Lisa says
I’m a novice baker based out of Colorado and this recipe was incredibly easy! The results pleased with my entire family. Thank you for posting something so tasty and yet fool-proof! I stuck to the recipe exactly and can’t wait to make this again.
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Lisa! Thank you for your kind review!
Natasa Bikova says
Very easy to make and so delicious! Will make it again for sure!
Kristin says
I am very confused. The first and second part of the recipe calls for caster sugar and when I Google it’s reveals that’s powdered sugar. Then the sugar glaze calls for icing or powdered sugar…so the entire time am I using caster sugar which is powdered sugar?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Kristin, sorry for any confusion. Caster sugar is not powdered sugar. It’s a fine white sugar used for baking – you can swap it 1:1 for granulated sugar. You can read more about caster sugar here.
Kristin says
Thank you!
Karen says
Absolutely Delicious. Thank you for an easy recipe that tastes great!
Holly says
Hi Holly from Boston here. I’m making the cake tomorrow for the second time per my husband’s request. He said it was the best cake he’s ever eaten so thank you! Im going to double the crumble topping and try all spice. Tell me, are you adding the glaze while the cake us hot or after its cooled? Thanks again for the recipe? I’ll definitely be trying others
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad to hear that Holly! I usually add the glaze when the cake is cooled. Hope you enjoy it!
linda sanchez says
Hi. I can’t wait to try out this recipe. I’m wondering if I could replace the yogurt with sour cream?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes you can!
Anastasya says
Its so moist, soft and fluffy, one of the best apple cakes I have ever made. The only thing I did differently is that I used half of the amount of sugar and it was just the right level of sweetness for me. Thank you for the recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Anastasya!