Easy Apple Cinnamon Cake Recipe

By
Yvonne Ruperti
A photo of Yvonne Ruperti, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Yvonne Ruperti
Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and cookbook author. She is also an adjust professor of baking at the Culinary Institute of America in Singapore.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated April 01, 2025
Yvonne Ruperti

Soft cinnamon apples top a tangy, moist cake flavored with applesauce and yogurt.

Notes:I like to use soft, tart, baking apples such as Gala or Cortland. I find Granny Smiths, though tart, are too hard and don't soften properly on top of the cake. For the topping, the butter should be soft enough to spread easily over the apples with a brush.

Recipe Details

Easy Apple Cinnamon Cake Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 45 mins
Active 15 mins
Cooling Time 35 mins
Total 90 mins
Makes 1 cake
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

For Cake:

  • 12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter, very soft

  • 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounce) granulated sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt

  • 1/2 cup applesauce

  • 1 3/4 cup (8 3/4 ounces) all purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 pound Cortland, Macintosh, or Gala baking apples (about 4 apples), peeled, cored, sliced into 1/4-inch wedges

For Topping:

  • 2 tablespoons butter, very soft (see note)

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

  1. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.

  2. Whisk butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until creamy. Whisk in eggs, one by one, then yogurt and applesauce until combined.

  3. Add flour, baking powder, and cinnamon to bowl and stir with whisk until just combined. Spread batter into pan and smooth the top.

  4. Fan apples out on top of batter. Brush softened butter on top of apples. In the same unwashed bowl that contained the batter, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle over apples.

  5. Bake until edges are golden, apples have softened and center is just set, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool in pan 20 minutes, then remove sides of pan to cool.

Special equipment

9-inch springform pan

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
3567Calories
175gFat
460gCarbs
47gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories3567
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 175g225%
Saturated Fat 105g526%
Cholesterol 806mg269%
Sodium 2469mg107%
Total Carbohydrate 460g167%
Dietary Fiber 20g71%
Total Sugars 248g
Protein 47g
Vitamin C 3mg15%
Calcium 953mg73%
Iron 15mg86%
Potassium 1315mg28%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes