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.
Caroline says
I made this for the first time last week, after being given some lovely apples. It went down so well I have made 2 more today! So easy to make but looks amazing. I don’t know if it’s my (English) oven or the tin I’m using, but it does take 70-75 minutes to cook (covered last 30 minutes). Thank you for including grammes, not just cups. I have recommended!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you love it Caroline! Thank you for your feedback.
Hayley says
Going to try this recipe after reading the positive comments! How long can the cake be kept as I plan to bake it ahead?
Jessica Holmes says
I hope you love it Hayley! It keeps well for a few days, but I prefer to freeze my cakes on the day they are made for maximum freshness.
Jo Hammond says
Really delicious cake but did take quite a lot longer to cook – tried 40 mins but still v wet so covered with foil and another 10 or so – still a bit uncooked right in the centre but not enough to worry about! I did tweak slightly so added 1/2 tsp of mixed spice and 1/4 tsp of pumpkin spice to the batter and it balanced beautifully with the cinnamon – probably just as lovely without but I can’t help myself! Thank you for helping me use my glut of apples. x
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Jo. Thank you for your kind feedback!
Eman says
Hello, what could I use instead of greek yogurt? Could I use regular homemade yogurt or sour cream without changing the flavor and texture?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, yes a regular yogurt or sour cream will work well.
Debi says
It was okay, but I thought lacking in flavour – maybe the royal gala apples weren’t the best choice…I could have put up with more cinnamon. However, the texture was perfect – I love the oil/yogurt mix was a very good idea.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Debi, thanks for your feedback. You could definitely add a little cinnamon into the batter if you prefer.
Rebecca says
Mine is in the oven. Using sour cream instead of yogurt. Brown sugar for topping. Not sure if I will use the glaze. Looking forward to it.
Jessica Holmes says
I hope you love it!
Wendy says
First time ever making an apple cake which is strange as I bake a lot but this was requested by my son so I baked. Simple recipe, followed exactly and the results were superb. The only thing was it took another 20 minutes to cook but that may have been their oven.
Definately top of the cake list now. Thank you
Jessica Holmes says
Oh love hearing that Wendy! So glad you enjoyed it. And thank you for the feedback on the cooking time too.
Jill says
This cake was delicious and easy to make…Yummy!! 😋
Jessica Holmes says
Love that Jill!
Esther says
Tastes like Donuts in cake form. About to make it for probably the sixth time in six months 😅
Jessica Holmes says
Hahaha a monthly tradition – love that!
Alice says
Simply amazing, family asks for it and loved it.
Jessica Holmes says
Love that!
Alyson says
A perfect apple cake (I have spent a long time looking!) I agree that it could take more cinnamon if you like the flavour
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Thanks for the kind feedback Alyson!
Carolyn Shirley says
Best cinnamon apple cake I have ever made. I did add a teaspoon cinnamon in the cake mixture also – amazing. Stays fresh for days and is now a favourite in our house. Thanks for a great recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! Love hearing that Carolyn! Thank you for your kind feedback.
Gosia says
Insanely delicious. I just added a few walnuts, and did half whole wheat) half regular flour. It tastes like heaven. Oh …and totally by mistake did 2 cups of apples instead of 1. But i think it worked great. Thank you so much . Wish I could add pictures:)
Jessica Holmes says
Walnuts would be an amazing addition! So glad you enjoyed it Gosia. And you can always show me a photo on Instagram or Facebook – I love to see them!
Tracy says
Super quick, super easy, super tasty. A real hit with all the family – they all request it every Sunday after our roast dinner now
Jessica Holmes says
Oh how cool! Love that!
Jan says
Hi Jessica, I made this lovely moist cake. It was delicious .I will be making it again and again. Thanks for all of the recipes
Jessica Holmes says
Love that Jan, so glad you enjoyed it!
Aida Rodriguez says
It was so easy to make and quite delicious. My family and friends loved it. I have made it numerous times to use up apples I was given. I gave the cakes to many friends and family. I ran out of apples and used peaches I had on hand and my family said they liked peaches better than apples. I like both,and love how easy it is to make. By the way I used two cups of fruit. Delish—thanks for sharing your recipie. By the way I didn’t make the sugar glaze.
Jessica Holmes says
Oh I love hearing that Aida! I can’t wait to try a peach version as well when it’s peach season here.