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This cozy fall cake recipe is a family heirloom. I adapted my grandma’s Cinnamon Apple Cake for modern bakers, then added a powdered sugar glaze. I bet she would be proud of the delicious results!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Apples: A wide variety of apple styles work well in baking, especially easy cake recipes like this. I love to mix two or three varieties to offer sweet and tart flavors, but feel free to stick with just one style if you like. Jonagold, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Jazz, and Braeburns are among my favorites for this Cinnamon Apple Cake. (Here’s a refresher on how to cut and core apples.)
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12- to 14 1/2-cup bundt pan. In the bowl of a standing mixer, or by hand using an electric mixer on medium speed, mix together the apples, egg, and vegetable oil.
- Add flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and ground cinnamon, and beat until well combined. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes in pan, and turn out cake onto a cooling rack.
- To make the glaze, in a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, water, and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled cake.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Apple Cinnamon Cake recipe makes one bundt cake which can generally serve between 12 to 20 depending on the thickness of your slices. At my home, this usually serves about 16 nice slices.
- Storage: Cover any extra cake in plastic wrap and store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: The unglazed cake can be cooled, wrapped tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.
- Bundt pan: Opt for a 12-cup to 14 1/2-cup bundt pan.
- Make this your own: I took some liberties by adding a powdered sugar glaze to my grandma’s cake recipe, so feel free to adjust as you see fit! I bet pears would work beautifully in place of the apples, or how about a drizzle of Caramel Sauce instead of (or in addition to) the glaze?
How to Cut Apples
Learn how to cut apples like the pros: It’s easy, efficient, and guaranteed to be your new favorite culinary trick.
View Recipe
Bonus fall baking inspiration
Eats
Pumpkin Muffins
Fruit Dessert Recipes
Apple Crisp
Pie and Tart Recipes
The Best Pecan Pie
Breakfast Recipes
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
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Cinnamon Apple Cake
This cozy fall cake recipe is a family heirloom. I adapted my grandma's Cinnamon Apple Cake for modern bakers, then added a powdered sugar glaze. I bet she would be proud of the delicious results!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 4 apples peeled, cored, and small diced
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup or larger bundt pan.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, or by hand using an electric mixer on medium speed, mix together the apples, egg, and vegetable oil. Add flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and ground cinnamon, and beat until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes in pan, and turn out cake onto a cooling rack.
- To make the glaze, in a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, water, and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled cake.
Notes
- Apples: A wide variety of apple styles work well in baking, especially easy cake recipes like this. I love to mix two or three varieties to offer sweet and tart flavors, but feel free to stick with just one style if you like. Jonagold, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Jazz, and Braeburns are among my favorites for this Cinnamon Apple Cake. (Here’s a refresher on how to cut and core apples.)
- Yield: This Apple Cinnamon Cake recipe makes one bundt cake which can generally serve between 12 to 20 depending on the thickness of your slices. At my home, this usually serves about 16 nice slices.
- Storage: Cover any extra cake in plastic wrap and store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: The unglazed cake can be cooled, wrapped tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 366kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 3gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 47mgPotassium: 80mgFiber: 2gSugar: 44gVitamin A: 71IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Excellent!! I added a teaspoon vanilla since I wasn’t going to drizzle it…it will be frozen for future use.
I used honey crisp apples.
Sounds great Jeanne, so glad you enjoyed! – Meggan
Can I substitute a cup of applesauce for the cup of oil in the cinnamon Apple cake?
Hi Susan, while I’ve substituted applesauce for oil in other recipes, I haven’t tried it specifically for this cake. I’m adding it to my list to test in the future. I hope it comes out delicious! – Meggan