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







Scot Imrie says
Fantastic recipe, this is cake is truly moist amd delicious. As a couple of others have suggested, I used salted butter and love the extra dimension it takes on.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Diane Connor says
Really beautiful tasty light cake. Absolutely scrumptious.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Diane!
Tulsi says
Sorry, I thought this cake was gummy and lacked flavor.
Jessica Holmes says
Sorry to hear that.
Diane Thomson says
Loved it; so moist. Dod not add glaze though as topping quite sweet.
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Diane!
Sylvie says
You should write a cookbook!!!
Thanks for all of your amazing recipes!!
Jessica Holmes says
So kind! Thank you!
Veronica Green says
can i use sour cream i stead of yogurt
Jessica Holmes says
Yes you can!
Georgoulla says
Lovely!!!! Moist apple cake !
Very easy to make !
Absolutely delicious!!!!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Glad you loved it!
Carol says
Best Apple cake I’ve ever made so easy. Would this freeze well?
Jessica Holmes says
Amazing! And yes you can freeze it.
Tamara says
Just made it for breakfast. Easy and delicious. Added walnuts to the topping for my own taste. It’s a keeper. Thanks!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that Tamara!
Chris says
I notice there is no salt in this recipe. Odd
Alex says
This recipe definitely needs salt. Flavor was meh and I doubt I’ll make it again.
Jessica Holmes says
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it Alex.
Susan says
Used sour cream, 3/4 c almond flour and 3/4 c A/P Flour; added cinnamon, 1 chopped Granny Smith & 1 Fuji and about 1/4 c homemade almond paste to batter! Fabulous! Thank u for this recipe
Jessica Holmes says
Oh love the addition of almond paste – yum.
Denice Stirling says
Lovely, moist apple cake. Easy recipe. I don’t bother with the glace, it’s perfectly delicious without.
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Glad you love it Denice!
Ruth Darley says
I made this for the first time 2 days ago & it was such a “hit” I am having to make another one today. Absolutely delicious & so light. 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Ruth!
Tammy Nutt says
This was so easy to make and it is so good. The guys at work absolutely love it so I making a second one! Thank You!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Tammy!
AJ says
Hello! If I cannot get my hands on Greek yogurt would you recommend normal full fat yogurt or sour cream instead as the next best thing?
Jessica Holmes says
Sour cream is the next best thing!
Merryn van der Westhuizen says
I have used berry yogurt and it was yummy 🙂
I also use soft brown sugar in the topping instead of white.
Casta says
Absolutely delicious. Moist, tasty and Just the right texture. Easy to make too. Have to make another one.
Jessica Holmes says
Glad you enjoyed it Casta!
Reshma says
Absolutely delicious… easy to make . I used hung curds instead of Greek yogurt and it was perfect 😄