Glazed Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake
This simple glazed cinnamon sugar apple cake recipe is tender, flavorful, and filled with juicy apples, topped with a crunchy, lightly glazed cinnamon sugar crust that makes every bite deliciously satisfying.
I am always in the mood to bake in the fall, and when I stumbled upon this easy cinnamon sugar apple cake recipe from Pinch of Yum, I made it for my daughter’s birthday. The house smelled like apples and cinnamon while it baked, and my daughter kept reminding me to let her know when she could try it. Thankfully, she ( and the rest of us) loved it and thought the crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping was extra delicious.
Glazed Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake
Apple Cake:
- 2½ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- â…“ cup vegetable oil
- 1Â egg
- 1 cup buttermilk or (1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon white vinegar)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2½ cups Honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced and chopped (no need to peel, unless you want to)
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
Glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tsp milk, or more, to achieve the desired consistency
- Dash of vanilla extract
How to Make a Glazed Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter (or cooking spray).
Prepare the cake by combining the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.
Whisk the brown sugar, vegetable oil, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla in a large bowl until very well combined.
Add your flour mixture to the liquid mixture until just combined.
Fold in your apples.
Pour the batter into the prepared 9×13-inch baking dish.
Prepare the cinnamon sugar topping by combining the sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter with a fork until combined and crumbly like damp sand.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the apple cake.
Place in the oven to bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until you achieve your desired thickness.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.
Slice and serve.
Store the cake, covered, in the fridge.
Ingredients
Apple Cake:
- 2½ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- â…“ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk or (1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon white vinegar)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2½ cups Honeycrisp apples thinly sliced and chopped (no need to peel, unless you want to)
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp butter melted
Glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tsp milk or more, to achieve the desired consistency
- Dash of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter (or cooking spray).
- Prepare the cake by combining the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.
- Whisk the brown sugar, vegetable oil, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla in a large bowl until very well combined.
- Add your flour mixture to the liquid mixture until just combined.
- Fold in your apples.
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Prepare the cinnamon sugar topping by combining the sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter with a fork until combined and crumbly like damp sand.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the apple cake.
- Place in the oven to bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
- Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until you achieve your desired thickness.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.
- Slice and serve.
- Store the cake, covered, in the fridge.
mmm…the topping seriously makes the cake!