Apple Tea Cake with Cinnamon

This cosy apple tea cake is moist, buttery and loaded with slices of fresh apple and warm cinnamon. An old-fashioned recipe that is quick and easy to make, it tastes absolutely delicious plain, topped with a quick dusting of icing sugar, a dollop of cream or warm custard.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Quick and easy to make – this recipe comes together quickly and easily with simple pantry ingredients and no fuss. You only need a bowl and a spoon; no creaming butter, no electric mixers required.
• Tender and moist – this cake has a crisp exterior, with a melt-in-your-mouth soft and tender crumb. And it’s packed full of juicy apple slices!
• Easy to transport and serve right from the tin.
• Perfect for any occasion – ideal when you need a simple, crowd-pleasing dessert that is ready in a couple of hours. It’s perfect for slicing and serving for morning tea, as part of a brunch spread, an afternoon snack or served warm for dessert with cream or custard.
• Versatile – don’t have apples? Try nectarines, apricots or peaches. So many fruits and berries will work here.
• Stores well – this cake is freezer friendly and stores well. So you can keep it handy for several months.
• Perfect for beginners – it’s such an easy cake to make. It bakes in one springform tin and doesn’t require any special equipment or fancy techniques. Simply mix, layer and bake! It’s so easy that anyone can make it.

For more delicious “fruit cakes”, check out this orange syrup cake, apple sour cream slice, lemon syrup cake, and super soft banana cake.

Ingredients you will need

** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. This photo is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!

• Fresh apples – use firm baking apples that hold their shape as they bake. Other apples will turn mushy or grainy inside the cake. Avoid soft, bruised or mealy apples. Granny Smith apples have a crisp, firm structure and tart flavour that make them perfect for this cake. Jonathan apples are also ideal. But you can use any type of sweet or tart baking apple (or a mixture of tart and sweet). Alternatively, add equal quantities of pitted and sliced peaches, nectarines, apricots or plums, or drained and tinned fruit.
• Self-raising flour – the base of the cake. Self-raising flour is a mixture of plain flour, baking powder and salt that will help the cake rise and provide a fluffy texture. If you don’t have self-raising flour, you can make your own by mixing 2 teaspoons of baking powder into every 1 cup of plain flour, along with a pinch of salt. Be sure to weigh the flour, for accuracy. 
• Baking powder – this ingredient helps your cake rise. Check the expiry date to ensure its effectiveness.
• Butter – use real, unsalted butter.
• Vanilla – to enhance the apple flavour. Use real vanilla bean paste or vanilla essence where possible. Alternatively, you could use almond extract.
• Caster sugar – to sweeten the cake. Use superfine caster sugar rather than granulated sugar.
• Lemon juice – 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice prevents the apples from turning brown and also brightens and lifts the apple flavour. I recommend freshly squeezed lemon juice, where possible.
• Eggs – add to the cake’s structure. You need 2 eggs, warmed to room temperature. Room temperature eggs incorporate more easily into the cake batter. If your eggs are cold, place them in a bowl and top with warm water for 5 minutes.

Step by step instructions

Full ingredient notes and quantities can be found in the detailed recipe card below. But here is a brief overview of what you can expect;

Step 1 – Prepare the apples;

Peel and thickly slice the apples and toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice and half of the cinnamon.

Step 2 – Make the cake batter;

Since we’re not creaming butter, there is no need for a mixer. Use a large bowl and whisk together the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients and mix together until combined.

Step 3 – Assemble;

Layer half of the cake batter into a lined, springform cake tin and spread.

Add the apple slices in 2-3 layers and top with the remaining cake batter. Add a few remaining sliced apples to the top of the cake and sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar if desired.

Bake until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Expert tips

• Weigh your ingredients for best results. For accurate results, I recommend using a scale to measure your flour. If you don’t have kitchen scales, fluff the flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your measuring cups before levelling with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without packing it too tightly into the cup. Too much flour will result in a dry, heavy cake.
• This recipe goes really well with a sprinkling of icing sugar and dollop of double cream, whipped cream, warm custard or crème fraiche.
• You can use a mix of apple varieties (some sweet, some tart) for a contrast in apple flavour.
• For contrast, keep the apple slices quite thick.
• Use a springform cake tin with a removable bottom and line the tin with baking paper for easy removal.
• For extra texture and flavour, sprinkle the cake with coarse, raw sugar, cinnamon sugar or flaked almonds.
• If the cake is browning too much on top, cover with foil in the last 10-20 minutes.
• All ovens are different and cooking times can vary depending on the type of oven, temperature calibration and the type of cake tin used. Check the cake at 60-65 minutes and cook longer, if necessary. The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. It should be golden brown and pulling away from the edges of the tin.

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