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.
Sandra Simm says
Absolutely fantastic. Moist, tasty and also a hit with friends who popped in for a cuppa. It went down a treat with them also.
Jessica Holmes says
Love that Sandra!
Amanda says
I am really excited to try this recipe out!
Curious if I can use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
Jessica Holmes says
You can Amanda but the taste of olive oil will come through – a light-tasting olive oil would be best. Or try another flavourless oil like grapeseed.
Maureen Bosker says
love it…easy…perfect flavor…i did add a little cream cheese to the drizzle..
Maureen Bosker non baker
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Glad to hear that Maureen!
Nancy says
Would I be able to grate the apples instead of chopping them? I don’t like chunky cakes. Otherwise this looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it.
Jessica Holmes says
Yes that should work Nancy!
S. King says
What can I substitute the yogurt with?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, the next best thing would be sour cream, but I do recommend trying it with the yogurt if you can!
Shari says
Oh yes this cake is fantastic! I did not have the yogurt on hand but I did have whole fat buttermilk. That’s what I used and it turned out delicious.
Jessica Holmes says
That’s wonderful to hear Shari!
Shani says
I have made this cake so many times that I have lost count. It’s absolutely fool proof, it comes out great every single time, this is my go to recipe for any potluck :).
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
This is so lovely to hear Shani! Thank you for your sweet feedback.
Tania says
I have been looking for a moist apple cake for a while and could not find any to my liking. I just tried this recipe and OH MY GOD! thank you! it was perfect. Moist, not too sweet and tasty. added pecans on the top and enjoyed every bite. From Canada a big huge thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Aww this makes me so happy Tania! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Elaine says
Delicious and easy!!…I didn’t use the glaze 🥰
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Elaine!
Sarah says
Dang, this cake is so good! Moist, and tender, with the perfect amount of crunch and sweetness on top. We ate it slightly warm with some vanilla ice cream. Also terrific with my morning coffee. It’s a keeper!
Jessica Holmes says
Hahaha love that Sarah! Thank you for your lovely feedback.
Benny Rocadas says
As American living in Portugal ,when September comes along all I think about is baking with apples ,pumpkin and cinnamon.
came across this recipe and made it yesterday for a dinner party.
It was amazing!! The cinnamon /sugar and butter top layer took it to another level….
I drizzled the cake with homemade salted caramel and added 1/2 cup of dry cranberries to the batter.
thank you so much for a great recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Benny! Salted caramel and cranberries sounds amazing!
Setareh says
I have made apple cinnamon cake several times with different recipes, but this time it was by war the best of them. Thank you for this brilliant recipe you shared with us!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Maria Salomone says
Easy and delicious !!!! Came out perfect!!!!!
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! Love hearing that Maria!
Debbie says
Hi… my first ever apple cake… in the oven and looking amazing so far ♥️ Because I am a greedy idiot I tend to double or triple the recipe as they are never generous….until now 😂😂
My question is..as I’m going to end up with two huge cakes…can they be frozen?
Hope they taste as good as they look ♥️♥️♥️ Thank you
Jessica Holmes says
Yes absolutely Debbie. This cake freezes well. Hope you enjoy them!
Maria says
Like I wrote I’m amazed at how incredible this cake is!!! I’m going to try muffins this time!!! I can guarantee it’s a 🔝!!!!
Debbie says
Enjoy them?….BEST cake I’ve ever made ever!!!! Now I’m wondering if I can now use the oil/egg/yogurt style for other cakes 😂
Thank you so much ❤️❤️
Jessica Holmes says
Yes!! Love that Debbie!
Jo says
I think the timings of this are questionable, looking at other comments it takes a lot longer. Mine has now just been returned to the oven 3rd time and seems to be ruined. Sunk a bit more each time it’s been out, which is what happens when you take cakes out too soon.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jo, thanks for your feedback. I’m sorry your cake has taken longer to cook. Every oven is different so it’s always best to use cooking times as a guide only. I’m sure your cake will still taste delicious.