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.
Konnie atom says
Lovely recipe, hope to try it this weekend.
Liliana says
This is unbelievable cake!!!! Thank you so so much for sharing this recipe. Absolutely delicious. Please don’t change anything when you are making this masterpiece or your result might differ.
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks for the lovely feedback Liliana! So glad you loved it!
Michelle says
I made this today and it came out great. It was so easy to make and looks beautiful. The house smelled terrific. I will make this again.
Jessica Holmes says
Aw so glad you enjoyed it Michelle! I love the sweet cinnamon smell too! ❤️
Ri says
Hi there 🙂 I’m 15 and have been baking for just the last couple years. This is easily the best cake I’ve ever made, I get compliments all the time! Thank you for this recipe❤️
Jessica Holmes says
Aw so happy to hear that Ri!
Sanet says
Easy, fail proof and absolutely delicious!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!
KATHY says
I MADE THE CAKE FOR MY BIRTHDAY IT WAS PERFECT .BUT INSTEAD OF GREEK YOGURT I USED CREAM.THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL RECIPE.
Jessica Holmes says
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed it Kathy!
vicky t says
Caster sugar?? Same as powdered sugar??
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Vicky, no it’s not. It’s a fine refined sugar. You can read more about it and substitutes here.
Alicia says
Hi,
We are dairy free so I substituted soya cream for the yoghurt and water for the milk in the icing. The cake was still gorgeous – thank you. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Alicia!
Kris says
There is no salt in this recipe. How is the Baking soda and baking powder activated?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Kris, the yogurt acts as an acid in this recipe.
Marie says
This cake is absolutely delicious. Reminded me of the apple cake we ate whilst in Germany years ago. I served it with a little leftover cream cheese icing…oh my word it was amazing! Thank you 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Aww so glad you enjoyed it Marie! And serving it with cream cheese frosting sounds amazing!
Sabeen says
Is it possible to replace the Greek yogurt with normal yogurt?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sabeen, it’s best to use Greek yogurt or sour cream as regular yogurt is sweetened.
Sarah says
Made this yesterday & now again to take to a friends. Absolutely the easiest cake ever and so so moist and Delish. Makes the house smell amazing also.
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Sarah! I love the smell as well!
Marilyn van lambaart says
This looks delicious. Love all apple cakes and slices. Would this work if I made into a slice or is it too crumbly thanks !
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Marilyn, I’m not 100% sure what you mean by a slice? It’s not a crumbly cake, it’s nice and soft!
Lara Whitehead says
If I can translate for you, a ‘slice’ is used in Australia and New Zealand to mean what Americans would call a ‘bar’, as in something you bake in a shallow pan and ‘slice’ up into ‘bars to eat! Ie a 7-layer bar. I’m guessing this lovely cake is a bit soft for a slice. They are usually a bit more solid so you can pick them up or pack into a lunch box.
Cheers,
Lara, an American transplant to Australia 🙂
정안지 says
My go to for potlucks and family gatherings. Absolutely delicious and sooooo moist!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that!
Fathima Nooruddin says
Thanks a lot dear for this wonderful recipe! It turned out so tasty, moist, fluffy, what not😊and the cake vanished in a jiffy! Definitely making this again and again!
Jessica Holmes says
Aww so glad you enjoyed it!!