This cinnamon apple cake is moist and buttery with a tender crumb, filled with apples, and a cinnamon swirl topping, and a drizzle of simple glaze.
You will absolutely fall in love with this apple cake! It is incredibly moist and combines the most delicious flavors of apples and cinnamon.
This moist and fluffy cake is perfect for any occasion, from casual gatherings to special celebrations.
The cinnamon adds a comforting spice while the apples provide a burst of fruity sweetness.
Whether enjoyed on its own or paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or with powdered sugar on top, this apple cake is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.
If you like apple recipes, check out our apple cinnamon rolls, apple crumble cake, apple fritters, apple crumble muffins, easy apple cake, apple crumble pie, and apple turnovers!
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Why this recipe works
- Cinnamon topping- this cake is topped and swirled with a simple and easy buttery cinnamon swirl which adds so much delicious flavor and a buttery texture to the cake.
- Texture- this cake is moist and tender with the softest crumb that will melt in your mouth along with soft and tender apples.
- Flavor- this cake has the perfect flavor combination of cinnamon and apples that wins every time!
- Ease- this cake comes together in one bowl and topped with an easy two ingredient cinnamon topping, and is extremely easy to make!
- Loaded with apples- This cake is filled with freshly chopped and peeled apples. It is an awesome way to use up some ripe apples.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this dessert.
Eggs- you will need large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Baking powder and baking soda – to help the cake rise. Ensure that your baking powder and baking soda are not expired.
Cinnamon- we love adding cinnamon to apple-flavored desserts, it adds so much flavor that compliments the apple flavor.
Sour cream or Greek yogurt- you can use either Greek yogurt or sour cream. Get your sour cream to room temperature. Any percent of fat will work for this recipe.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Milk- use whole milk for this recipe.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Apples- we like to use granny smith apples for this recipe, they are a little bit less sweet and very sturdy, but any kind of your favorite apples will work! I also love using pink lady apples for a sweeter cake.
For the glaze
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Milk- use whole milk for this recipe.
Instructions
Peel and cut the apples into small cubes. I like using my apple corer and slicer to make this process easy and quick.
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a 9x9 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, cooled melted butter, cinnamon, yogurt, granulated sugar, milk, kosher salt, and vanilla extract, and mix well with a whisk.
Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix with a whisk until almost combined.
Add the chopped apples and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible. Do not overmix.
Into a small mixing bowl, add melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar, and mix with a spoon until well combined.
Pour the cake batter into a prepared 9 by 9 inch pan with parchment paper and smooth it out with a spatula. Spoon the cinnamon topping on top of the cake and make swirls using a butter knife.
Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 45-50 minutes (depending on your oven) or until a toothpick comes out clean.
In a small mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Mix with a spoon until the mixture is well combined and until the glaze is smooth and silky.
Top the cake with as much glaze as you would like, and serve warm next to a cup of coffee or hot tea. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- To make this process easy, quick, and clean, use an apple peeler and corer. Here is the one I use all the time.
- Butter your pan with butter and sprinkle flour to prevent sticking. This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cake will release easily from the pan.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cake and not dense and dry cake.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat this cake as soon as it's ready. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before eating the cake. This step prevents the cake from falling apart.
Faq's
This cake will last up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out.
Use your favorite kind of apples! We like using granny smith apples, but any apple kind will work. If you like sweet apples, use Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady.
We use all-purpose flour for this cake. Cake flour will work great as well.
Storing
It’s okay to store this cake at room temperature. Make sure that you store this cake in an airtight container so it won’t dry out.
Freezing
This cake is very easy to freeze. After baking, let the cake cool to room temperature, transfer it into a freezer-friendly Ziploc bag, or wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw: place the cake in the refrigerator overnight or place it a room temperature for a few hours.
Substitutions
Dairy-free - If you are dairy-free, replace the butter with vegan butter or plant-based butter. Do not use margarine. It will change the flavor of this cake and leave a weird taste. Also, replace the buttermilk with vegan buttermilk or plant-based milk.
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Variations
Crumble topping- top this cake with crumble topping for a delicious texture and an added crunch. You can use the same recipe for crumble topping from my apple crumble cake.
Spices- add your favorite spices for cinnamon-spiced desserts! Like nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin spice, ginger, etc.
Nuts- add your favorite nuts to the cake batter. We love adding chopped pecans and walnuts.
Topping- instead of topping this cake with a simple glaze, top it with either homemade or store-bought salted caramel sauce!
Add ins- you can add your favorite adds ins to the cake like chopped nuts like chopped pecans or chopped walnuts, or add mini chocolate chips.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Apple corer and slicer
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- 9 by 9 inch pan
More apple desserts
Apple pie cookies- These apple pie cookies are made with a soft cinnamon cookie and filled with apple pie filling. These taste just like apple pie in cookie form!
Apple Crisp Bars- These apple crisp bars are made with a shortcrust base, topped with a spiced apple mixture, topped with a crumble topping, and topped with caramel sauce.
Puff Pastry Apple Tart- This puff pastry apple tart is the perfect easy apple dessert. It is made with caramelized apples and store-bought puff pastry!
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📖 Recipe
Moist Cinnamon Apple Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- ½ cup Butter melted and cooled
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- â…” cup Greek Yogurt
- ½ cup Milk
- 2 cups Apples peeled, cored, and chopped
- 2 ½ cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
Cinnamon topping
- ½ cup Butter melted and cooled
- â…” cup Granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
Simple glaze
- â…” cup Powder sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon Milk
Instructions
- Peel and cut the apples into small cubes. I like using my apple corer and slicer to make this process easy and quick.
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a 9x9 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, cooled melted butter, cinnamon, yogurt, granulated sugar, milk, kosher salt, and vanilla extract, and mix well with a whisk.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix with a whisk until almost combined.
- Add the chopped apples and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible. Do not overmix.
- Into a small mixing bowl, add melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar, and mix with a spoon until well combined.
- Pour the cake batter into a prepared 9 by 9 inch pan with parchment paper and smooth it out with a spatula. Spoon the cinnamon topping on top of the cake and make swirls using a butter knife.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 45-50 minutes (depending on your oven) or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Mix with a spoon until the mixture is well combined and until the glaze is smooth and silky.
- Top the cake with as much glaze as you would like, and serve warm next to a cup of coffee or hot tea. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- To make this process easy, quick, and clean, use an apple peeler and corer. Here is the one I use all the time.
- Butter your pan with butter and sprinkle flour to prevent sticking. This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cake will release easily from the pan.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cake and not dense and dry cake.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat this cake as soon as it's ready. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before eating the cake. This step prevents the cake from falling apart.
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