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.
Kim Lonergan says
Absolutely delicious cake. Super moist and so easy to make. I used pink lady apple and cut back on the sugar a little. Served it with some whipped cream. Delightful! My husband and mother-in-law loved it. This is a keeper. Thank you for this delightful recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
Sounds amazing! Thank you for the lovely feedback.
Lillian says
When I found this recipe, just had to make it, did the wet ingredients 1st then the dry and realized, I did not have enough flour so…… I used Bisquick and it was amazing. i tried it with flour another time but went back to the Bisquick. Hubby loves it and it is so delicious and moist, Thank you, it is a go too all the time for us now.
Jessica Holmes says
Oh awesome! Thanks for the feedback Lillian.
Alexandra says
How do you store the cake and how long does it stay fresh?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I just store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature. It keeps well for a few days or you can freeze it.
Barbara says
Delicious! Super easy to make but taste’s as though you worked harder.This is a keeper…
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that!
Liz says
Jessica, I’ve made this cake so many times and with minor variations and it’s always a winner! Such a great go to cake for a non baker! Today I’ve got some in season figs and a few end of season apples so I’m looking forward to having a go & see what happens 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Amazing Liz! So happy to hear that. And figs and apple sounds amazing!
Sandr says
Really nice texture and flavor, but….to say you only need “a bowl and a spoon”, and is incredibly easy to make, is really misleading. I used 4 measuring cups, a set of measuring spoons three bowls and cup to melt the butter, two knives, an a sorted implements.
Jessica Holmes says
Glad you enjoyed the cake Sandr! And the description was more talking about how you don’t need an electric mixer or any fancy equipment but I hear your point. Thanks for the feedback.
Diane Connor says
Fantastic light moist tasty cake. Mmmmm
Jessica Holmes says
Glad you liked it!
Lisa says
Very easy to make and delicious 😋
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Lisa!
Nidhi says
Hey … how can I make this healthy .. can I use while wheat flour instead of white flour ?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I haven’t tested this cake with wheat flour so I’m not sure.
Rebecca says
So simple, easy, delicious and moist! I hate that word but there is no way around it. Deliciously moist cake!! I doubled it and made two cakes. There was overflow but the baked bits were crunchy and soft delicious. Nothing wasted:) THANKS
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Thanks for the lovely feedback Rebecca!
Ana says
I just baked this today and i tell you it was beyond amazinggg 💜
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that!
Amna says
Can i use regular full fat yogurt instead of Greek yogurt?
Jessica Holmes says
It should be ok!
Meg says
Can I use sunflower oil instead of vegetable? Thanks can’t wait to try this tomorrow!
Jessica Holmes says
Yes that should be fine Meg! Hope you enjoy it.
Sandra says
I made this cake in my air fry oven. I reduced the sugar to half a cup in the cake mix because I only had that much sugar. I also used brown sugar for the cake mix and the topping – again only because I didn’t have white in the house. It was wonderful. I had to cook it for a bit longer because the air fry oven baking temperature is 160c so it took 40 minutes. I will be making it again this weekend and I am sure many times in the future. Husband and I both said it was the nicest cake ever! I will stick to the lower sugar because I always try and avoid sugar and it worked for me. Thank you so much for such an excellent recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that Sandra! Thank you for the lovely feedback!
Kim says
Am keeping this recipe – delicious!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay!