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 Malteser Chocolate 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
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.
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.
Maneesha says
Can you use a square pan? 9×9? Thank you
Jessica Holmes says
You can use a square pan, an 8-inch square pan would be ideal. Otherwise, a 9-inch one will give you a slightly thinner cake which may cook a few minutes faster.
Stephanie says
This cake was so easy and delicious! I didn’t have yogurt so I used apple sauce instead and it was super soft and moist! 5 stars
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Oh love hearing that Stephanie!
Antoinet says
Made this cake for a birthday and it was delicious , so moist and with a crunchy top. All the guests loved it.
Will be a favourite in our family 🙂
Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Hooray! I love hearing that!
Gregg says
Oh yes
Leonard says
Loved it! I used butter instead of oil and Demerara sugar. It was delicious.
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad it worked well for you!
Halima says
Fabulous
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Naglaa Dwidar says
Very nice and easy cake
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Sandy says
I need to know the difference in ml and grams as opposed to tsp, cups lbs, and oz. I just want to run to a recipe that I don’t have to decipher.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sandy, this recipe has both grams and cup measurements. Is there an ingredient in particular you need help deciphering?
Donna Jones says
Can you use Bramley apples?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes!
D P says
Hi how long can this last at room temperature and can it be couriered to dubai from india
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, this cake keeps well for 3 days. I’ve never couriered a cake before so I can’t say I’m sorry.
Bethanne Donovan says
Love it! Third time making it! However I did tweak the recipe a bit! 😁 Used approximately 1 1/2 cup finely chopped apples, added 1 teaspoon cinnamon and apple pie spice to cake batter with dry ingredients, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons vanilla, and have used interchangeably sour cream instead of Greek yogurt. Also, as cinnamon lovers, instead of sugar glaze, increased the amount of cinnamon topping! My son and husband love it as it tastes similar to an apple fritter! 😋!!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Bethanne! I love apple fritters too!
Kelly says
Amazing. I used canned apples. Can this be frozen?
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Yes it can Kelly!
Kim says
Made this and its delicious 😋
How do I store this cake
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you like it Kim. I recommend storing it in an airtight container at room temperature.
Sandy Gotter says
Can I put this cake in a bread pan .? Thanks. Sandy
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sandy, it depends on the size – you’ll need to work out the volume.
Rowena says
Perfectly balanced recipe.
I insist add:
-1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp each of nutmeg, cloves, cardamoms, ginger. They won’t taste but will carry the cinnamon apple.
-1/4 cup of milk and melted butter.
For topping sugar I used a mix of granulated sugar and caster instead of just caster bc I wanted that nice crumble at the top
★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Glad you enjoyed it Rowena!