Apple Cinnamon Cake Recipe
Emma Fontanella’s apple cinnamon cake
About My Apple Cinnamon Cake
Incredibly simple and comforting, this cake captures all the flavors of fall. It's so easy to make, and requires only one apple. Less peeling, less chopping, but still packed with apple flavor.
This recipe is incredibly versatile. So, if you wanted to swap out the apple for a juicy, ripe pear you could. Or you could even use something like a quince.
This recipe can be found in my new cookbook, Simple Pleasures. In the book you’ll find many more delicious snacking cake recipes as well as showstopper celebration cakes.
What are the best apples for baking a cake?
Generally speaking you want a firm apple for baking an apple cake. It could be a firm sweet apple, like a Pink Lady apple (which is what we use here), or a firm tart apple, like a Granny Smith.
This recipe, though, uses the apple cut into tiny pieces. So you can use whatever kind of apple has the flavor you like best.
EQUIPMENT
8 × 4-inch (10 × 20cm) loaf pan
Handheld or stand mixer
Food processor
INGREDIENTS
1½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 large Pink Lady apple or an apple of your choice, about 5½oz (150g)
8 tbsp (1 stick / 115g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (150g) granulated white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
⅓ cup + 2 tbsp (100g) plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup (60g) whole milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven and prepare the pan
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour the loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang to make it easy to lift the cake out of the tin. Grease and flour the parchment paper as well.
Mix the dry ingredients
In a medium bow, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Set aside.
Prepare the apple
Peel and core the apple and chop into small chunks. Place the chunks in the bowl of the food processor along with the milk and ground cinnamon.
Pulse the mixture a few times until the apple is finely chopped into tiny pieces. (Alternatively, you can use a grater to grate the apple.)
Mix the wet ingredients
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, if using a handheld mixer), cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute to incorporate air into the mixture.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated. Add the yogurt and beat to incorporate it. Don't worry if the mixture curdles at this point-it will come back together in the next step.
Finish the batter
Add the apple mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix to combine. While continuing to mix, add the dry ingredients. Stop mixing when the dry ingredients are almost combined.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to finish combining the ingredients. As soon as there are no more visible spots of flour, it's ready. Your batter should be quite thick.
Bake the apple cake
Transfer the cake batter to the loaf pan and spread it out as evenly as you can. Tap the pan on the countertop a few times to level out the batter.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. After 45 minutes, do the toothpick test . When the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready.
Cool the cake in its pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve
Cut the loaf cake into slices and serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream.
Hi! I’m Emma Fontanella. Here you’ll find trusted, tested recipes to satisfy your baking addiction and carb cravings. Learn more…
Tried one of my recipes? Please let me know on Instagram (@emmafontanella) or TikTok (@emma.fontanella)! Hashtag #emmafontanella
Search for another recipe…
