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.
Gabriela says
The cake turned out perfect. I am not used to baking and am stressed, when I have to bake something for guests. Its really great how exactly Jessica describes the recipe! Often you see recipes like take one apple (big, small?) and cut it in small (eh how small is small?) cubes….. not very handy for beginners…..
Thank you so much for that wonderful easy to make recipe. Will definitely try others on your site!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Gabriela! Thank you so much for the lovely feedback.
Karin W. says
This is delicious, no need to buy a cake when it’s so easy to make such a moist and wholesome cake like this at home. Thank you for the recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Yaay! Love that Karin!
Korina says
Hi, I made this cake for my boyfriend’s family for thanksgiving and they loved it. Sadly I didn’t get to try it but it smelled really good when it was baking. I want to make a bigger one but I’m unsure would doubling the recipe effect the consistency and taste of the cake?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Korina, I’m so glad they enjoyed it. You should be able to double this recipe since it’s just a mix and stir recipe. I would just be careful to use a larger pan/s. If the batter is too deep, it’ll take too long to cook through. Two 8-inch pans would be ideal.
Chez says
Quick, easy & delicious!! And no beaters to wash – bonus! Thank you so much for this great recipe Jessica, it’s very much appreciated
Jessica Holmes says
You are so welcome Chez!
Robin Welborn says
Yummy and easy to make.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Robin!
Rua says
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times using gluten free flour. It turns out light and tender every single time, and everyone loves it!
Jessica Holmes says
Oh I’m so pleased to hear that Rua!
Tracy says
I have made this delicious cake a few times now and it turns out perfect everyday. Its delicious, easy to make and has become my go to cake
Thank you for sharing your wonderful receipe.
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Tracy! Thank you for your lovely feedback.
Janet says
Forgot to add my stars. Great recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Janet!
Janet says
I reduced the sugar content but otherwise a great recipe.
Fiona says
Tastes great and easy to make. I used some apples out of the garden so even better 😁😋
Jessica Holmes says
Love that!
Devika says
It came out perfect. Served it as part of a brunch menu for my friends and it was gobbled up. Thank you so much Jessica!!
Jessica Holmes says
That makes me so happy Devika!
Anna says
Easy to make, beautifully moist, great flavour. My boys declared it better than any other apple cake I’ve made
Jessica Holmes says
Such high praise! Thank you for sharing Anna!
Louisa von Behren says
Certainly the most amazing apple cake ever!! It’s absolutely delicious and so quick and easy to make! I’ve made it so many times already and everyone always loves it. And if it were up to my husband, I’d have to make it every week 🙂 Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
I love hearing that Louisa! So glad you and your husband enjoyed it.
Hannah says
SO delicious. Baked this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it!
Jessica Holmes says
Love that Hannah!
Amber says
It’s a shame because I wanted to like this so much. But it was just soooo oily. Maybe I will try again with less oil, but it was just so greasy.😞
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Amber, it sounds like something went wrong if your cake was greasy. It should be light and tender.
Astrid says
Love this, easy to make, great taste! My absolute favourite cake!
Thanks 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!