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.
Dawn says
We love this apple cake. Thank-you for sharing it. My granddaughter is gluten intolerant and I wondered if I could make using gluten- free flour?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Dawn, I haven’t tried myself so I can’t say. But if you find a gluten free flour that says it works as a substitute for plain flour it might be worth a shot.
Esha says
Baked it today! Super delicious! Thanks Jessica 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So welcome!
Patricia says
This is a very good recipe. I’ve made this cake many times but I add more apples than the recipe and also I grate the apples . I find that in this way the apples are spread out in the whole cake and they don’t settle at the bottom
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you like it Patricia! And great tip re: grating the apples.
Holly says
Thank you, Jessica. Your recipes always work and taste amazing! I’ve made this apple cake so many times I’ve lost count!
Jessica Holmes says
Aw love hearing that Holly!
Christie Jacobson says
First apple cake i made that perfect. I had to leave the batter overnight and it still turned out perfect. And it tastes even better the next day.
Jessica Holmes says
Oh brilliant! Thanks for the lovely feedback Christie!
Christie says
Does this have to be refrigerated after.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I usually just store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Sanaa says
Love the fact that it’s a no fuss recipe…
Can I replace Greek yogurt with sour cream?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes you can!
Sowmya says
Made it for my husband’s birthday. It turned out great.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad to hear that!
Jenny says
An awesome recipe ..thanks a lot ..my family loved it …so tasty , soft and yummy
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Jenny!
Michele says
Delicious! My 12 year old granddaughter made this, one with oil and one with butter….. I liked them both, but definitely the one with oil was perfect. Thanks s much for sharing this recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So pleased to hear that!
Senya says
This recipe is great, so thank you for sharing. I have made it lots of times as so easy and fast and everyone loved it and have asked for the recipe. I did however stew the apples first in brown sugar and cinnamon and vanila extract and … Delicious.
I was wondering if I could also make this cake with spelt flour instead of plain flour?
Jessica Holmes says
Wow that sounds amazing Senya! I haven’t tried this cake with spelt flour so I can’t say I’m sorry.
Elaine Millard says
Can you freeze it please
Jessica Holmes says
Yes you can!
William Millard says
Keep making this
Paty P. says
Also.. do you think I could add some almond slices or chopped walnuts into the batter?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes and yes! Nuts would be a lovely addition!
Paty P. says
Hi Jess! I’m planning on making this cake for my birthday, so I was wondering if I could bake it in a bundt cake pan, do you think it’s possible?
Jessica Holmes says
I haven’t tried myself but I think it would be ok!