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







Michelle says
Perfection, this recipe produces a winning apple cake. I did mine without the topping. I just mixed the cinnamon into the batter. With the drizzle at the end. Thank you for the recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
You are so welcome Michelle!
Maria says
Made it a few times, it’s the BEST apple cake/pie I ever tried!
I just made a batch for my friend but she will be coming a few days later, I was wondering what happens if I freeze it and then warm it up in the oven? Would that work or cake will be destroyed? I don’t have much experience with cakes so I would appreciate an advice!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Maria, so glad you like it! You can freeze the cake but I do think it’s best fresh!
Joyce says
This cake turned out amazingly! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was very easy to make and tasted great. I modified the recipe a little to reduce the sugar and oil – I used about 0.4 cup sugar instead of 3/4 cup for the cake batter, and 1/3 cup oil instead of 1/2 cup. I added some milk to make up for the liquid amount and thin out the batter a little. It was perfectly sweet and delicious!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Joyce!
Sisi P says
Made this twice already. Making it as the main dessert today for my family Christmas lunch😋
Jessica Holmes says
Aww love that! Hope you have a Merry Christmas!
John says
The cake tin is overflowing with the batter
Leah says
If I make the cake ahead, should I hold off on the glaze until right before serving?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes I think that’d be best Leah!
Stephanie says
Hello! Merry Christmas! I tried to make this cake, but it didn’t rise at all. When the timer went off for 30 minutes, it looked as if I’d just put it in there! it was so strange. I had preheated the oven, and I tried to follow the recipe carefully. What do you think might be the problem?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Stephanie, that’s strange. Do you think your baking soda and/or baking powder may be expired?
Stephanie says
The baking powder is a bit old, you’re right. Maybe that was it. But, by the way, it was still a hit for Christmas breakfast. I was wishing I could taste more apple. I put one cup, like you suggest in the recipe, but I’d like to try adding more. I assume this will affect how the cake bakes, though. Any suggestions on how to adjust the quantities? I’m a horrible baker.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Stephanie, so glad you were still able to enjoy it. You can definitely throw in an extra apple, no worries!
Becky says
My kids had 2 slices each, they loved it! I followed the recipe exactly as written😁
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Becky!
Karim says
Help why the cake still liquid in the oven
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Karim, perhaps it needs longer in the oven. Get hold of an oven thermometer to double check your oven temperature.
Rebecca says
This is my favorite apple cake! I’m making two more for Christmas; 1 to give and 1 to keep. Love it, thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Rebecca! Merry Christmas!
Zee Lee says
Made this as written and while the flavors were very good, the cake’s crumb was gummy. The expectation from reading the reviews was high so it was disappointing when it was finished. There are better recipes out there for a quick apple cake.
Jessica Holmes says
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it Zee!
Felicity says
Need to Taste first as the batter/cake does not look light & smooth
Vandyd says
The cake turned excellent
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Millicent says
Since coming across this recipe a few months ago I’ve made this cake six times! It is so beautiful and yummy. My boys love it.
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love that!
Annette says
Can this be made into a layer cake?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Annette, I think so!
Pat says
One of the families favourite cakes. Doesn’t last long and then they ask for another one
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that Pat!