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.
Mrs Joan Macphail says
Made this cake. It was delicious, needed more apples I will put more in next time I make it.
I come from Pembrokeshire West Wales. UK.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Joan!
Onyinye says
Hello and thanks for this recipe. I didn’t see salt as part of the ingredients in your recipe. Is there any reason you didn’t add it, I thought salt balances the taste.
If am to add, what quantity would I be adding. Thanks.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, feel free to add a pinch of salt to the dry ingredients!
Roseanne says
Can the cinnamon apple cake be frozen for future use once baked and cooled?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes definitely!
Sarwat says
Amazingly tasty and scrumptious. This is a print-worthy recipe to store with my other go-to recipes.
I did however make a few changes. I didn’t peel the apples, I had a little bit of almonds leftover from another bake, so I chopped them finely and sprinkled them on top for some crunch. I used softened butter instead of melted, so could still technically sprinkle the topping but it was more of a “dolloping” situation. I also didn’t have any icing sugar, but for me it was plenty sweet.
My friend and I ate the whole cake in one evening, it was impossible not to grab another piece! It is just THAT good!
This recipe seems to be very forgiving and flexible and I can’t wait to try it out with other spices, fruits and levels of sweetness. It’s a keeper!
Jessica Holmes says
That’s awesome Sarwat! Thank you so much for the kind feedback.
Maria Fahey says
I have made this at least 3 times and everytime it turns up perfect. I have changed tge greek yogurt to natural and the vegetable oil to extra virgin olive oil and added spices and other things and it still end up a perfect cake that lasts as fresh for a long time. Love it!
Jessica Holmes says
Fantastic! Thank you for the lovely feedback Maria!
Lalani says
Sooo easy and delicious! Perfect for Autumn when we have loads of apples to harvest and use. I think I might put some crushed walnuts in the next one while they are also in season. Thank you for this gorgeous recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So happy to hear that! Crushed walnuts would be a lovely addition.
Debbie says
Hi, could I make this in a muffin pan for individual cakes? Thanks
Jessica Holmes says
Absolutely!
Halima Saddiyah says
Hi
This is the most amazing cake ever thank for sharing it with the world, I’ve probably made it more than 10 times lol
Jessica Holmes says
Aw love hearing that Halima! 10 times – amazing!!!
Liberty says
It was good my husband says! This cinnamon apple cake and easy recipe and came out exactly, thank you I this is now my favourite
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Jane says
This is a firm favourite in our house. Love it!
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Jane!
Rocio Herrera says
Amazing cake! My first time to make and it was a hit. Can’t believe how moist it is and the perfect sweetness. I made two batches yesterday (gave one away) and I’m going to make 2 more for my parents, today!
I did have to bake it longer as I have a gas oven
Thank you so much for sharing
Jessica Holmes says
This makes me so happy! Thank you for the lovely feedback Rocio.
bakewithliz says
Amazing recipe! I halved the recipe for a 6 inch round pan and subbed greek yogurt for sour cream and it came out perfectly. I also added sliced almonds to the topping – it gave the cake an additional nice crunch. Make sure to look for visual cues when checking for doneness, as my oven took a little longer than 30min for the cake to bake through. Thanks for the recipe Jess, my whole family loved it!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thank you for your lovely feedback.
Mercy says
Super easy to follow and very delicious. This recipe never disappoints and everyone loves it
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that Mercy!
Nahla says
Tried this recipe for the first time. It is excellent, there is hardly any piece left in the dish.
It cooked in less than 30 minutes.
I used 4 small eggs instead of 2 large.
5 apples.
I did not do the glaze, however it is sweet enough.
many thanks for sharing.
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks for your feedback Nahla, so glad you enjoyed it!
James says
Good on you Jessica, you did your homework and I did mine. From the infinite ‘Apple cakes’ on Google search I eventually settled on yours; straightforward, everything made sense and it looked easy. Followed your instructions exactly, result 100% beautiful apple cake. I’m definitely going to explore your blog further. Thanks, for a really lovely cake!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that James. Thank you so much for your kind feedback.