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.
Jayne says
How long will this apple cake last
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jayne, I find it keeps well for a few days or you can freeze it.
Rachael Lamb says
Can I freeze this cake?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! The crumb won’t be so crunchy as it is fresh but it’ll still be lovely!
Sarah says
Hi, just wondering if you can substitute the Greek yoghurt for anything else dairy like?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sarah, sour cream would be the next best thing.
Valerie says
Total success with this cake 😊 Could I replace apple with dates or cherries just for variety ?
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Valerie. I haven’t tried myself but I don’t see why not! I’ve used different fruit before and it works well as a base cake.
James says
Jessica, this recipe seems so easy! I just have one quick question…do all of the ingredients need to be at room temperature?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi James, it is super easy! I don’t find it makes much of a difference in this recipe since we aren’t creaming butter and sugar – that’s often when using cold eggs or milk can turn the batter lumpy. So I’d say just go with what you have!
Angela Vaz says
Thank you so much Jessica!
Bernie Higgins says
Such little trouble. Just my style! Love it. Thank you 🏆
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Bernie!
Angela Vaz says
What can I use in place of Greek Yogurt? Sounds like an amazing recipe ❤
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Angela, sour cream would be the best substitute.
Angela Vaz says
Thank you so much Jessica!
Sandy says
Lovely cake. Stands alone without the glaze. I served it as a dessert with whipped Greek yoghurt with lemon zest stirred thru. Guests approved! And one is a pastry chef!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that! What a compliment!
Kim says
Hi! do you think I can use green apple instead or red apple?
Jessica Holmes says
Definitely!
kim says
This was absolutely delicious!! I am going to keep this recipe forever 🙂 thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Awesome! LOVE hearing that Kim!
Marg says
I have made this cake at least 30 times and it comes out perfectly every time . I add a handful of walnuts for crunch along with the apple. The cake is light, yet very moist. The best consistency in a cake I have ever had. I have also made it in muffin form and it’s still fantastic. Thank you so much!
Jessica Holmes says
That’s amazing Marg! Love the addition of walnuts too.
Onyinye says
Hello, how many grams would a cup of Apple weight. Our apples in my side of the world is really small. So I just need an estimate to work with.
I would be baking these soon and am confident it would be perfect.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Onyinye, a cup of chopped apples weighs approximately 115 grams. I hope that helps!
Angie says
I often turn to recipes on the internet when I want to try things Ive not made before. More often than not, although I am a good savory cook, following these sweet recipes either produces too sweet of a product, or the sponge doesn’t feel right, or the filling is off.. (and not always sure if its just me or the recipe 🙂
This recipe is pure gold!
Super easy to follow, fast to make, very basic ingredients, and the result is mind-blowing! The sponge is, by faaaaar, the best sponge ever! Moist, delicate, yet very bouncy, full of life and taste!
I have tweaked a few things, I must admit – added one more apple, sprinkled some cinnamon in the batter, added half of the sugar in the brown sugar form, crushed almonds and walnuts and tossed them over the batter before the cinnamon drizzle, and added a bit of nutmeg in the glaze – but I am 100% certain that, even without these additions, this cake would be heaven.
Thank you so much!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it Angie! And I love the changes you made – the addition of nuts sounds just lovely!
Theresa says
This looks delicious! Do you think I could I use sour cream instead of greek yoghurt?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes you can!
Pippa says
Can you use dairy free yogurt? Coconut yogurt or natural plant based instead?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Pippa, I haven’t tried but it’d be worth giving it a go!
Gilly says
So easy and delicious – will make again and again
Jessica Holmes says
Yay!
Anna says
Fabulous!!!!
Made 3X so far in less than a month… And added a handful of chocolate chips for good measure.
Thanks for this new family favourite.
Jessica Holmes says
Love that Anna!
Spoorthi Ramesh says
The cake was absolutely delicious! I loved how good it tasted and how easy it was to make! Thank you for the recipe! Its a keeper.
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that!