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
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
- 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.
Helen says
I’m not usually a baker, love cooking, but my granddaughter has sweet tooth for cookies and cake. This was an easy great recipe….used honey crisp apples….thanks for making this grandma a hit!
Jessica Holmes says
How good is that! So happy to hear that Helen!
Carole says
Simply delicious, highly recommend
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks Carole!
Ramya Priyadarshini says
Tried this cake last week . I must say, this is the best cake ever. My hubby and kids loved it. Especially that cinnamon sugar crust on the top. Thank you Jessica for the wonderful recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that!
Chelsea says
Could the yogurt be substituted for anything else I’d love to give it a go but dont have the yogurt.
Jessica Holmes says
Sour cream would be the best substitute.
Sharan says
Hi, is there anything I can replace the eggs with? I’d like to make this cake for my family, but they don’t eat egg. Thank you
Jessica Holmes says
I haven’t tried without eggs I’m sorry.
Miamoo says
Hiya – I made this with two ‘chia eggs’ (google it if you haven’t done this before) and it turned out yum!
Coco says
My top didn’t being come out as sweet and crispy as I wanted…any advice is for me?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Coco, I’m not sure. You could double the cinnamon sugar next time if you like.
Zell says
Can I put not so sweet chocolate frosting in this recipe? Thanks
Jessica Holmes says
You could frost the cake if you like Zell.
Tanaka says
Made this cake today! Super moist!!!! And not overly sweet so you can use frosting. I did a bit of cream cheese frosting. Super YUM! Best recipe so far.
Jessica Holmes says
Sounds delicious!!
Lora says
I have made this yesterday and it so easy to make !!! Very tasty 😋
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Lora!
Saba says
Wow that was great 👌🏻❤
Jessica Holmes says
Yay!
Jan sale says
I have made this cake today totally different to any other apple cake I must admit I did add come dried fruit but it seems to have sunk slightly .
And advice would be appreciated. Jan .
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jan, dried fruit can be quite heavy and the weight of it may have effected the rise. Alternatively, cakes often sink if they are a little underdone, so if it’s a little wet or soggy in the middle, it might have needed a little longer in the oven.
Jan says
Thank you for your reply I believe it needed longer cooking
TravisNTexas says
Same here Jan Mine sank and was raw towards the bottom in the center. I think underdone. I used fresh gala apples cut into small chunks. I don’t think apples were the issue. I think skewer coming out clean may be a false indication of doneness. Just my guess.
Dana says
I made the cinnamon apple cake today, and it was delicious. It is entering my list of keep and repeat recipes. The only thing I did different from the original recipe is double the apples to finish off what I had in. I shall be sharing the recipe with family members. Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Dana!
Denise says
Qual o tamanho da forma?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Denise, this recipe makes one 8-inch cake.
Titi says
Will make definitely.
Emma says
So delicious! I used a 13×9 pan which produced perfect little squares for snacking. I didn’t bother with the glaze and it was still perfect. Can’t wait to make again!
Jessica Holmes says
Love that! Thank you for the lovely feedback Emma!