Here’s a delightful cake for afternoon tea – Cinnamon Apple Teacake! Apples take centerstage here – you’ll find them inside AND on top, mingling with buttery cinnamon flavours.
While it’s sheer perfection fresh out of the oven, this is one of those rare cakes that is still truly great 3, 4, 5 days later!
Cinnamon Apple Teacake
I call this a teacake because it just seems like the perfect cake to serve at a quaint afternoon tea with friends. Filtered sunlight streaming in, a rustic table laden with baked goods (scones essential), freshly brewed tea served in teacups, sitting around with my friends, chatting and laughing gently.
The reality of gatherings with my friends is quite the opposite. We screech, we ROAR with laughter. We’ll debate economic policy, but you’re more likely to walk into an animated discussion about Real Housewives, cheeky jokes about Magic Mike (& XXL😈), or dissecting Survivor.
This from a group of highly educated women – lawyers, finance executives, journalists.
And a food blogger. 😂
All jokes aside though, I do have some semblance of logic for why I call this a teacake – because it’s a single layer, not very tall, simple cake. Exactly the sort of cake you’d whip up for an impromptu afternoon tea with friends – as opposed to a dramatic two layer Red Velvet Cake or Carrot Cake piled high with fluffy frosting.
(In case you’re interested – other quick ‘n easy cakes I make for impromptu gatherings include this Strawberry Cake, Blueberry Cake and a chopped Apple Cake.)
LOTS of apples in this teacake recipe!
I say this is a simple teacake recipe, and the cake batter itself IS simple to make. But it does take time to chop the apples because I use quite a generous amount.
600g/1.2lb, to be exact. Because if we’re going to make an apple cake, I want to make sure we can TASTE the apple in it – rather than just a few token bits of apple littered throughout the cake!
Here’s what you need:
-
Apples – use any type of apples you want. My personal favourite is Granny Smith – I just adore the slight tartness to offset the sweetness of cakes;
-
Butter for flavour, oil for moisture – a winning combination I use frequently. We all love butter, but it does nothing to hold moisture in cakes;
-
Flour and baking powder – these can be switched with self raising flour;
-
Cinnamon – because apple + cinnamon is a match made in heaven.
How I chop apples for cake
Here’s how I peel, core and chop apples for this cake. I find this method yields the least waste / is speedy.
But use whatever means works for you – if you don’t have a scooper like you see in Step 2 below, just quarter it then cut out the core using a knife.
Peeling is optional for the slices used for the topping, but recommended for the chopped pieces mixed into the batter (biting into skin in a tender cake isn’t ideal).
How to make Cinnamon Apple Teacake
After you get past chopping the apples, the cake batter itself is dead easy: whisk wet, whisk dry, mix them together. Top with apples, bake.
The one thing I do very deliberately is to only use cinnamon to coat the apple. I feel like you get more bang for your buck to get good cinnamon flavour in the cake – you need a fair amount to make the crumb itself really taste of cinnamon.
Also I like having a pale cake crumb – it looks nicer with the contrast to the deep golden apple topping!
Glazing the cake
Brushing the cake with warmed jam is entirely optional – it’s just to give it a lovely shiny finish.
It’s best to use apricot jam because it glazes on clear. Other flavour jams (strawberry, raspberry etc) work just fine but there is a slight tinge of colour – though not really noticeable in this teacake because the apples are golden!
No photo – not even the recipe video – can capture how beautifully moist the crumb of this cake is. And the smell when it’s baking…. ugh! Cinnamon! Apple! Butter! Cake!
There are not enough exclamation marks in this world!
So, I guess you’re just going to have to make it so you can experience it for yourself. 😇 – Nagi x
PS BIG UPSIDE – this is one of those rare cakes that actually really truly holds up perfectly for days and days. Yes it is spectacular fresh out of the oven. But it is near perfect for 3 to 4 days, and will keep for 5 to 6 days in the fridge, weeks, months in the freezer!
Watch how to make it
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Cinnamon Apple Teacake
Ingredients
Cinnamon Apples:
- 600g/ 1.2 lb Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored (or any other - red, green, golden) (4 large, 5 small/medium, Note 1)
- 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 50g/ 3 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 2 tbsp white sugar
Dry:
- 1 1/2 cups flour , plain/all purpose
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wet:
- 4 tbsp/ 60g unsalted butter , melted
- 1/2 cup oil (canola, vegetable)
- 2 large eggs , at room temperature (~55g/1.95 oz each) (Note 2)
- 3/4 cup white sugar , caster / superfine best (but not essential)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze (optional):
- 1 1/2 tbsp apricot jam (or other flavour)
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
- Grease a 20cm / 8" springform pan with butter, then line with baking paper (parchment paper).
Apples:
- Chop half the apples into 1.25 cm / 1/2" pieces.
- Slice the other half into 3mm / 1/8" thick slices.
- Place into separate bowls. Sprinkle/drizzle each bowl with half the butter, sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat, set aside.
Batter:
- Whisk Dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Pour Wet ingredients in a separate bowl in the order listed. Whisk well to combine.
- Pour Wet into the Dry ingredients bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until flour is incorporated.
- Add chopped apple. Gently mix through until JUST dispersed (to keep cinnamon on apple, not dispersed through batter).
- Scrape into cake pan, smooth surface.
- Top with sliced apples - fan them out in a circle, overlapping each other by 1/4 (fiddle away to use up all the apple / make it even!).
- Bake 50 minutes, or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (Note 3). Cover loosely with foil if you have to bake beyond 50 min (to stop apples burning).
- Place on cooling rack, release sides of springform pan.
Glaze & Serve:
- Heat Glaze: Place jam and water in a small bowl, microwave 20 seconds to warm, then mix.
- Glaze: Brush apples on surface with glaze.
- Cool: Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before cutting with sharp knife. It is sheer perfection when it's still slightly warm in the middle.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More apple recipes
I am very fond of apple desserts!
Life of Dozer
Compost in action!
This really is such a lovely teacake. Growing up I was never a huge fan of apple cinnamon teacakes but this converted me! The prep work is well worth it – and it makes the house smell divine! The apricot jam glaze elevates it to the next level too.
Have been meaning to try this recipe for a while & it didn’t disappoint. Took me a lot longer than the 15 minute prep – but then i was just cruising in the kitchen, not rushed. It was easy to put together …….. and oh yes, smelt & tasted delicious. Yum!
Easy and delicious. Everyone loved it. I will make it again.
Very easy to make and absolutely yummy! I am a huge fan of apple cake and this one is a winner. I cannot vouch for how well it lasts as it has never lasted past the day I made it LOL. Now my go-to when I want to whip up something to bring for tea when visiting friends.
Hi Nagi!
I have a glut of yellow peaches this week… What are the chances of this cake working if I cut the top fruit a little larger since it’s softer?
So easy, so yummy and moist, THANKS Nagi!
Hi Nagi, do u think I could make this into a traybake and double the recipe? I do that all the time with your apple crumble but thought I might do this instead to go with your custard recipe. Love to Dozer xx
Hi nagi, how well would this cake freeze do you think?
I made this for a friend, with 4 med/large Granny Smith apples, and used an 8 inch pan with 1 1/2 inch height. Should have used a taller pan (or smaller apples) because it overflowed onto the baking sheet it was on. My friend said it was delicious, next time I’ll make it for myself, glad to see it freezes.
Hi Nagi,
One question, is the weight of the apples in the recipe the weight before or after peeling and removing core?
Came out amazing, even though my tin was too big! Looks really pretty too. Thank you .x
Delicious! Just in case anyone else was wondering if it would work, I made this in muffin tins, to keep on hand in the freezer as a snack. Turned out great, took 30mins in the oven.
I am no baker, didn’t read the recipe properly and cut all the apples into dice instead of slicing half. My cake also took an extra 10-15 mins to cook. However it was absolutely gorgeous. Yum thanks Nagi, you made me feel like a baking queen!
I’m glad it turned out for you Jodestar! I do always recommend that you read the whole recipe before starting just to be sure you know what you are in for! N x
This cake was delicious. I am not a baker but this recipe was quick and easy with an outstanding result. I will definitely be making this again and feel confident enough to share it with others!
Woo hoo!! I am glad that you liked it Linda! N x
Super moist and filled with fruit. And so easy to make. This is going to be a dangerous recipe on repeat!
Lol Stella!! I LOVE a dangerous recipe!! N x
This is an amazing recipe. Made it for a family gathering and it turned out just perfect. This has become a family fav now. Thankyou so much for the recipe.
Hello Nagi. I made this Apple Tea Cake this afternoon as I had some apples in the fridge that needed to be used up. It turned out fabulously and the apricot jam glaze was perfect to finish it off! It is definitely company worthy as well. Thank you for such a simple and delicious recipe. I love your website!
Great recipe, if you have a lot of slices left over would recommend baking spread out on a tray until soft! Did the maths on doubling the recipe wrong and ended up with heaps left over but they tasted great baked 🙂
Great tip Cait! N x
Nagi. Well i have to say, i just love your recipes. You are my go to all the time!
I do tweak as im not a fan of sugar and love wholemeal flour also my husband a diabetic so i tend to go his way.
Well i made 2 today, one traditional and one my way. For your followers, mine was wholemeal flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 6inch round tin, in fact it was nice and deep. It took 20mins longer , both were perfect.
Tomorrow its your Christmas cake, will be my 19th this yr, just so easy to do.
Thank you
Excellent.
Thanks Nagi!
Holly x
So glad you enjoyed it Holly! N x