Easy one-bowl cinnamon apple cake recipe! This moist apple cake is topped with a simple cinnamon sugar crumble. So easy, so good! 
Now that Fall is (finally) here, this Cinnamon Apple Cake is a yummy way to use some of the fresh apples that are just making their way into the stores.
This apple cake is so simple and easy to make! You can mix the batter in one bowl, and it's so quick and easy to stir up that the cake is ready to go into the oven by the time the oven preheats.
And the cake itself is pretty fantastic. It's really moist, and the cinnamon sugar topping gives the cake a bit of buttery crunch.
How To Make Cinnamon Apple Cake
This cake is so easy to make! I recommend stirring it by hand rather than using an electric mixer to avoid overmixing the batter.
In a large mixing bowl, stir the brown sugar, oil, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla together until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in just until combined. Don't overmix.
Fold in the diced apple just until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth as needed.
To make the topping, stir the butter, cinnamon, and sugar together. The mixed topping will look like wet sand.
Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar topping over the cake batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Tips For Making Apple Cake
- Any neutral oil will work in this recipe. You can use canola, vegetable, melted coconut oil, or even olive oil.
- Regular or low-fat buttermilk will work. If you don't have any buttermilk, you can make an easy substitute with this recipe.
- Be sure to properly measure the flour. Adding too much flour will give you a dry batter and a doughy or dense cake.
- I recommend stirring this batter by hand. It's easy to mix and mixing it by hand will help to avoid overmixing the batter.
- Any baking apple will work. Granny Smith, Gala, Jonagold, and Honeycrisp are all good choices.
How To Serve Apple Cake
This cake is great served as-is. If serving the cake warm, you can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream on top. It can also be topped with a drizzle of caramel sauce to make it more of a caramel apple cake.
How To Store Cinnamon Apple Cake
This cake will keep for 3-4 days stored covered at room temperature. This cake is very moist. If you live in a humid area, you may prefer to store the cake covered in the fridge.
More Apple Recipes!
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Cinnamon Apple Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar (packed)
- ⅓ cup oil¹
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk (regular or low-fat ok)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour2 (properly measured)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups peeled,cored, and chopped baking apples3
Topping
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir brown sugar, oil, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla together until well-combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir just until incorporated.
- Fold in chopped apple.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- In a small bowl, stir sugar, cinnamon, and butter together.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the batter.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes
- Any neutral oil such as canola or vegetable will work.
- To properly measure the flour, stir the flour, lightly spoon into measuring cup, and level.
- Apples such as Granny Smith, Jonagold, or Honeycrisp work well.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition Information
Originally published 10/2/12. Updated with new photos and tips 10/9/19.
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