Quick, Juicy Milk Apple Cake with Cinnamon

This tender, wonderfully moist milk apple cake with fragrant cinnamon comes together with very little effort: the batter is mixed in minutes, and the oven does the rest. Soft crumb, a golden crust, and generous pieces of apple make it the perfect homemade treat with tea.

Ingredients

• Eggs — 4
• Milk — 3/4 cup | 200 ml
• Sunflower oil — 3/4 cup | 200 ml
• Sugar — 1 cup | 200 g
• Vanilla sugar — 1 packet
• All-purpose flour — 2 1/2 cups | 300 g
• Baking powder — 1 packet
• Apples — 3–4
• Sugar for sprinkling — 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp
• Ground cinnamon — 1 tsp | 1 tsp
• Butter for the pan — about 1/3 oz | about 10 g
• Flour for dusting the pan — 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp

Step-by-step recipe

1. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar and vanilla sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
2. Pour in the milk and sunflower oil, then gently mix until smooth.
3. Add the sifted flour and baking powder, and stir into a smooth batter with no lumps.
4. Grease a 9–9.5 inch | 22–24 cm cake pan with butter, dust with 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp flour, and tap to coat the base and sides evenly. Shake out the excess.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
6. Peel the apples if needed, cut into medium dice, and scatter evenly over the batter.
7. Mix the sugar for sprinkling with the cinnamon and scatter over the top of the cake.
8. Bake at 356°F | 180°C on top and bottom heat for 35–40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
9. Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.

Tips and variations

• Any fragrant apples work well: sweet-tart varieties give the brightest flavor and juiciest result.
• A 9 inch | 22 cm pan will give you a taller cake; in a 9.5 inch | 24 cm pan it will be slightly lower. Adjust baking time by 3–5 minutes.
• If you use convection, reduce the temperature to 338°F | 170°C.
• Prefer less sweetness? Reduce the sugar in the batter to 3/4 cup | 150 g; you can also use less for the topping.
• For a deeper aroma, add a pinch of nutmeg or the zest of half a lemon.
• To keep the bottom from turning soggy, do not chop the apples too finely and do not press them into the batter.

Nutritional value

Serving	1 slice out of 8
Calories	≈ 584 kcal
Protein	≈ 8 g
Fat	≈ 29 g
Saturated fat	≈ 4.3 g
Carbohydrates	≈ 68 g
Sugars	≈ 37 g
Fiber	≈ 1.5 g
Sodium	≈ 180 mg
Cholesterol	≈ 90 mg

FAQ

Can I reduce the oil or replace it?

Yes. For a lighter version, use 2/3 cup | 150 ml oil and add 3 tbsp | 50 ml milk. You can partially replace it with melted butter (4 1/4–5 1/4 oz | 120–150 g), though the cake will be a little denser.

What size pan do I need for this cake?

Ideally 9–9.5 inches | 22–24 cm. In a 9 inch | 22 cm pan, the cake will be taller and may need 3–5 extra minutes; in a 9.5 inch | 24 cm pan, it will be lower and bake a little faster.

What if I don’t have vanilla sugar?

Simply leave it out or replace it with 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. You can also add a tiny pinch of vanillin.