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.
Maureen Atkins says
Awesome just the way it is written. Beautiful texture. Delicious!
Jessica Holmes says
Aw love hearing that Maureen!
Joann Lazzarotto says
Outstanding! Very moist cake, great flavors,
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Julie says
Quick and easy and best of all super yummy! Used my apple crisp topping in place of the one listed. It’s a keeper! Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Julie!
Sarah says
Really yummy – super moist and fluffy cake, just enough apple and just enough cinnamon. Was looking for a good apple coffee cake – and this one is just the one! I made it when I went over to a friend’s get together, and they all raved about it. Will be making this over and over again, for sure! So glad I found it. Thank you for sharing!
Jessica Holmes says
Ohh love hearing that Sarah! Thank you so much for your lovely feedback.
Linda says
Hi I made the cake. My Greek yogurt was extra thick from a Amish farm where I purchased it on our trip.
The yogurt was never sour but so thick that I wonder if I should have thin it some before hand.
When I blended the liquid ingredients with the dry my mixture seemed dry and super thick.
I just took it out of the oven. It rose but looks and feels to the touch as it cools like a coffee cake. I also used small yellow apples we got on our trip.
Perhaps they did not have enough juice in them. I did cut them in small cubes.
Hopefully when it cools the inside will be moist.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Linda, wow fresh yogurt from a farm sounds amazing! The batter for this cake is quite thick so hopefully it’s still delicious!
sally says
great recipe so so easy and delicious
Jessica Holmes says
Love that!
Abdallah says
Used 4 small Pink Lady apples and substituted baking soda with baking powder. It was perfect. I was so anxious to eat it I forgot to make the icing. Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Brilliant! So glad you enjoyed it!
Loraine says
can I use a 9″ pan instead of an 8″?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! It just might cook a few minutes faster.
Jess says
Delicious and easy!!!! Best cake.
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love that Jess!
Aaron says
I double-ish the apples and double the topping. Best cake !!!
Jessica Holmes says
Sounds awesome Aaron!
deniz says
should we eat it warm or shall we wait a few hours?
Jessica Holmes says
It’s great both ways!
lijanel says
Such an easy, yummy cake. We skipped the icing and thought the sweetness is just right. This recipe is a keeper!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
Abby says
I have cooked it for 40 min and its still raw in the middle? Do I just keep cooking it? Could it be from the moisture of the apples?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Abby, yes keep cooking it if it’s raw in the middle. You should be able to tell it’s ready when a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Carol says
This cake is delicious- moist, light and flavorful! I, also, tried adding 2 tablespoons of cocoa plus 2 tablespoons of applesauce to balance additional dryness from cocoa. It turned out delicious, too.
Jessica Holmes says
That sounds amazing Carol!
Sue-Ann says
I was told that I need to sell this! Lol. It was a huge hit. It was gone in a half of day.
I did make a double batch of tge cinnamon sugar. Didn’t think one was enough. I also used a Macintosh apple.
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that Sue-Ann – what a compliment!