Cinnamon swirl apple cake is the perfect blend of sweet and spice, with tender apple slices nestled in a moist, buttery cake. Each bite bursts with the warmth of cinnamon and the natural sweetness of apples, creating a dessert that's both homely and irresistibly delicious.
This apple cinnamon cake is a take on my very popular cinnamon roll cake! Swirls of cake and spice, interlaced with icing, now studded with bits of fresh apples, are simply heavenly. This delicious buttery apple cake has now become one of my go-to fall baking recipes!
Whether you're looking for a cozy treat to enjoy with your morning tea or coffee or a delectable fall dessert for a gathering, this cake promises to be a crowd-pleaser that you’ll want to bake again and again.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This easy cinnamon swirl cake is soft, fluffy, buttery, and full of juicy, cinnamon-flavored apples.
- It's an incredibly easy cake to make- just a bowl, whisk, and spatula.
- The cinnamon swirl topping makes the cinnamon and apple cake so deliciously crunchy!
- The milky glaze complements the juicy apples, crunchy cinnamon, and the buttery cake beautifully.
Recipe Ingredients
Flour: I used all-purpose flour for this recipe. Wholewheat flour works very well too.
Butter: We are using melted butter here for the cake batter and the cinnamon swirl filling. You can use coconut oil or any other vegetable oil, too.
Eggs: For giving the cake structure, richness, and flavor. You can use flax eggs if you want to make an eggless cinnamon apple cake.
Sugar: We are using 2 types of sugar here. Brown sugar for the cinnamon swirl and granulated sugar for the cake batter. You can use brown sugar for the cake batter too, this will make the cake a bit darker.
Apples: Use any kind of apples that are easily available to you. I always prefer to use in-season, local varieties.
Cinnamon powder: I highly recommend a good-quality Ceylon cinnamon powder for baking! It has a delicate floral flavor that really enhances the taste of any dish it is added to.
Vanilla extract: For well-rounded, enhanced flavor! Use store-bought or homemade vanilla extract.
Please see the recipe card for full information about the ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Cinnamon Apple Cake ( Step-by-Step)
Get ready to fill your home with the irresistible scent of apple cake from scratch, fresh out of the oven!
Step 1: Preheat the oven. Grease an 8" cake tin and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Step 2: Make the cinnamon swirl - Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon powder in a small bowl.
Step 3: Make cinnamon apples - Combine chopped apples with cinnamon powder and sugar. Keep aside.
Step 4: Cake batter- Whisk flour, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl.
Step 5: Whisk in milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Step 6: Gently mix in melted butter.
Step 7: Fold in the cinnamon apples and transfer the apple cake batter to the prepared cake tin.
Step 8: Place small spoonfuls of cinnamon butter mixture on the cake batter and create swirls using a skewer or a knife.
Step 9: Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 10: While the cake is baking, make the milk glaze - mix the icing sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth and thick. We want a thick pouring consistency for this cinnamon apple cake.
Step 11: Turn out the apple cake on a serving platter and pour the glaze on the warm cake.
Step 12: Let the cake cool completely before slicing it.
Pro Tips
- Keep all the ingredients measured and handy. This will help bring together the apple cake quickly.
- Any kind of apples will work here. Gala, Golden, Red Delicious, Granny Smith...all are good choices.
- Make sure your melted butter is not hot. Melt it and let it cool for a few minutes before adding to the batter.
- The eggs should be at room temperature and lightly beaten.
- As you swirl the cinnamon butter mixture, make sure to push your skewer deep into the batter. This allows the moist apple cinnamon cake to rise while the filling settles in, creating cozy pockets that hold all the delicious gooeyness.
- You can easily swap eggs for flax eggs to make this an eggless apple cake.
- Let the cinnamon apple cake cool completely after you have poured the milky glaze on top. This will help the glaze set, and the cake will not be crumbly when you slice it.
- You can make this apple coffee cake in an 8" x 8" square pan, like this cinnamon streusel coffee cake and apple fritter cake. Or in a loaf pan to make an apple loaf cake.
How To Store The Apple Cinnamon Cake
Store the cake in an air-tight container for 1-2 days at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze the unglazed cake for up to 1 month. Make sure it's wrapped well. Thaw in the refrigerator, glaze the cake, and serve.
How To Serve
This apple swirl cake is so wonderful as-is. But you could-
- Enjoy warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Serve with a cup of masala chai or coffee
- Drizzle extra glaze, or for a richer dessert, top with a cream cheese glaze as in this cream cheese pound cake recipe.
📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Swirl Apple Cake
Ingredients
Cinnamon Swirl
- 1/4 cup Melted Butter
- 1/3 cup Brown sugar
- 2 tsp Cinnamon powder
Apple Cake
- 2 Apples peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 2 cup All-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Melted butter
Glaze
- 1/3 cup Icing sugar
- 1.5 tbsp Milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C ( 350 f). Grease an 8" cake tin and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Cinnamon Swirl
- Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
Apple Cake
- Combine chopped apples, sugar ( 2 tbsp), and cinnamon powder in a bowl. Keep aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl.
- Add milk, beaten eggs, and vanilla extract.Gently stir in the melted butter.
- Fold in the apples and transfer the batter into your prepared cake tin.
- Put small spoonfuls of the topping on the cake batter and using a skewer or a knife, create swirls.
- Bake the cake at 180 C for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then carefully transfer to a serving platter.
- Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Let the cake cool completely, then slice and serve. Enjoy!
Glaze
- Combine the icing sugar and milk in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and thick.
Video
Notes
- Keep all the ingredients measured and handy. This will help bring together the apple cake quickly.
- Any kind of apples will work here. Gala, Golden, Red Delicious, Granny Smith...all are good choices.
- Make sure your melted butter is not hot. Melt it and let it cool for a few minutes before adding to the batter.
- The eggs should be at room temperature and lightly beaten.
- As you swirl the cinnamon butter mixture, make sure to push your skewer deep into the batter. This allows the moist apple cinnamon cake to rise while the filling settles in, creating cozy pockets that hold all the delicious gooeyness.
- You can easily swap eggs for flax eggs to make this an eggless apple cake.
- Let the cinnamon apple cake cool completely after you have poured the milky glaze on top. This will help the glaze set, and the cake will not be crumbly when you slice it.
- You can make this apple coffee cake in an 8" x 8" square pan, like this cinnamon streusel coffee cake. Or in a loaf pan to make an apple loaf cake.
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