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.
Thomas says
I’ve made 2 of the cakes and both sunk in the middle..what did I do wrong?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Thomas, sorry to hear that! I find most of the time that happens, it’s because the cake is slightly under baked in the middle and might have needed a few more minutes in the oven.
Taneille says
Very easy to make and absolutely delicious. I have made it twice now, used forest fruit yoghurt the first time and apricot yoghurt the second…both are amazing
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that!
Jeremy says
Hello,
Can I use regular yogurt or does it have to be Greek yogurt?
Would regular yogurt be too watery?
Thanks.
Looks delish. Can’t wait to make it later.
Jessica Holmes says
I haven’t tried Jeremy, but lots of readers have and said it worked fine!
Ria says
Hi,
Thank you for this recipe! What a yummy cake! I made the caramel from your Caramel Apple Cinnamon rolls recipe and put it on top of this cake ,along with the original cinnamon topping. Apple cinnamon and caramel-mmm.
Jessica Holmes says
Oh love that Ria! That sounds incredible!
Josephine says
What a beautiful and moist cake my husband loved it and so did l so easy to make and l am not good with cakes so thank you for your yummy recipe ❤️😋
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that! You are so welcome!
Constance says
Hi Can i use sliced canned apple slices in lieu of fresh apple? If yes do i need to make any liquid adjustments? Thanks
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Constance, I haven’t tried myself but I don’t see why not. I’d just make sure they aren’t too wet – maybe just pat them dry before adding?
Susan says
This was yummy… 5 stars from my family. Made it in my 9inch iron skillet ❤️ Used sour cream since I didn’t have Greek yogurt on hand. Worked fine.
Jessica Holmes says
Sounds amazing Susan! Thank you for the kind review.
Chris says
No yoghurt. Can I use anything else?
Jessica Holmes says
Sour cream would be the next best thing!
Debra says
I made it and it is the BEST Cinnamon Apple Cake. I especially liked that it was just the right size baked in a 9″ round pan. Just added the streusel, no glaze. I served it warm with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Can’t wait to have it with my morning coffee.
Jessica Holmes says
Love that Debra! Sounds delicious served with ice cream!
Jenny says
Oh my goodness this is seriously one of the most delicious apple cakes ever and it was super easy to make. The kids devoured it and you just want to keep eating it. Dangerous! 😂
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Jenny!
Pat says
Needed a last minute treat for a last minute coffee date. Dessert cupboard was bare but I did have an apple, so I whipped up this apple cake (without the yogurt). It was so quick and easy. Served it with just the streusel topping — skipped the glaze. This cake was absolutely delicious! I’m already planning to make it again in a couple weeks for a Sunday brunch.
Jessica Holmes says
Love that Pat! It really is the perfect last minute cake. So glad you enjoyed it!
Giselle says
Delicious! Took more than 35 minutes though. Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Great! Thanks for the feedback!
Nicole says
This is a fantastic recipe! I doubled the apple because I wanted it REALLY packed full of apple, it turned out great. A real keeper!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Nicole!
Andy says
Just made, just eaten, just delicious!
Jessica Holmes says
Yes Andy yes!
Jess says
Hello, I’m going to try make this next week! I’m so bad at baking honestly, the recipe feels simple so hopefully I won’t stuff it up!
Quick question, can I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
Jessica Holmes says
I’m sure you’ll nail it Jess! And yes you can!
Jess says
Hi Jess, thank you! I tried it with olive oil, and the cake turned out perfect!!! I’ve made it 2 weekends in a row now, last week for my partners birthday, and this week for family!! Thank you so much for this recipe, will definitely become a go-to of mine!!!
Jessica Holmes says
How awesome is that! So glad you love it Jess!
Emma says
I’m going to make this cake this weekend but only have a 7.5″ cake tin or 9″. Will either of these work?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Emma, yes either will work! If you do the smaller one, it might take a little bit longer to cook, or if you use the larger one, a few minutes faster.