Apple Cinnamon Loaf Cake

An apple cinnamon loaf cake with soft apple cake, brown sugar swirls, and a crumble topping perfect for Autumn

A deliciously cosy and autumnal loaf cake… what more could you want?! We all know I adore a bake like this so I hope you all love it too. 

Loaf cakes

After the amazing feedback on my toffee apple loaf cake and the continued love for classics like my white chocolate & raspberry loaf, I knew it was time to bring you another seasonal bake. Say hello to this brand new apple cinnamon loaf cake – and oh wow, it’s a good one.

This recipe is all about warm and cosy vibes and the kind of bake that makes your kitchen smell like autumnal heaven. I’ve added just the right amount of cinnamon to complement the sweetness and sharpness of the apples without overpowering them, creating a soft, spiced loaf that’s perfect with a cup of tea or a mug of coffee like me.

While my toffee apple loaf is all about that sticky, toffee richness, this one leans into the classic apple-and-cinnamon combo we all know and love. You’ve been asking for more loaf cakes, and I’m more than happy to deliver; especially when they’re this delicious.

Apple bakes

I’ve always had a soft spot for apple-based bakes… from my ever-popular toffee apple loaf cake to the indulgent caramel apple crumble pie, apples have a permanent place in my baking rotation, especially at the moment. And now, I’m excited to introduce a brand new addition: this beautifully spiced apple cinnamon loaf cake.

Growing up, my garden had a couple of apple trees, so we were never short on fresh apples. And even though I used to think any bake with fruit in it was disgusting (stubborn child syndrome), I now regularly raid their garden and my neighbours gardens for apples as they are always in abundance.

I always recommend baking with cooking/baking apples over eating apples, for the flavour, level of sharpness as well as texture once baked – and they’re relatively cheap to buy, so useful for a bake like this.

Crumble mix

To take this apple cinnamon loaf cake to the next level, I added a buttery streusel crumble topping – and trust me, it makes all the difference. Made simply with light brown sugar, melted butter, and plain flour, this crumble bakes into a golden, slightly crisp layer that adds the perfect texture.

You simply mix together the sugar, butter and flour until it’s lumpy, and then chill it in the fridge whilst you prepare the apples and cake mix. You then mix it up with a fork to crumble it up, and sprinkle it over the cake. As it bakes, the brown sugar caramelises slightly, giving you those rich, toasty notes that pair beautifully with the cinnamon and apple in the cake.

Cake mix

This apple cake batter starts with a beautifully simple mix of baking staples… unsalted butter, light brown sugar, self-raising flour, eggs, and of course, plenty of fresh apples. Creaming the butter and brown sugar together gives the cake a soft, rich base with a hint of caramel flavour, thanks to the molasses in the sugar and prevents any lumps.

The self-raising flour keeps things light and fluffy, while the eggs help bind everything together into a smooth, velvety batter. Folding through peeled and chopped apples adds natural sweetness and moisture, with a little sprinkle of cinnamon for flavour, making every slice soft and full of fruity flavour. It’s the kind of cake mix that feels simple and easy, but bakes up into something truly special.

Brown sugar

There’s a reason the combination of brown sugar and cinnamon is so iconic. Just think of the gooey centre of a freshly baked cinnamon roll – a mixture typically consisting of brown sugar and cinnamon. The natural caramel notes of brown sugar melt beautifully into the warm spice of cinnamon, creating that sweet, cosy flavour we all know and love.

It’s the kind of combination that instantly makes you think of comfort baking so, when developing this apple cinnamon loaf cake, I knew I had to bring that same magic into the mix. Swirling that cinnamon roll-inspired blend through the batter not only adds a rich depth of flavour, but also gives the loaf those delicious, slightly sticky pockets of spiced sweetness throughout – making every bite extra special.

Often, the swirl isn’t visibly present once baked, unlike a cinnamon roll, because it basically melts into the mixture instead – but that’s not a bad thing. It creates a different layer of flavour compared to just having cinnamon in the cake mix.

Baking a loaf cake

One of the best things about loaf cakes is just how easy they are to make. Everything comes together in one tin – no separate cake layers, no fancy shaping, just simple, fuss-free baking. Most loaf cakes need around an hour in the oven, making them perfect for when you want something homemade without spending all day in the kitchen.

Once baked and cooled, they’re incredibly easy to slice and serve, whether you’re enjoying a piece with your afternoon tea or packing up slices for lunchboxes and picnics. It’s classic, straightforward baking at its best – and always a crowd-pleaser.

I always use this 2lb loaf tin in all of my loaf cake bakes – and I always add this note to recipes now to say, unfortunately, 2lb loaf tins have no consistency in sizing, so only ever fill your cake tin two thirds full. If you have any spare mix, you tin is smaller than mine – but you can make cupcakes with the spare batter (bake for 20 mins at 160ºc fan).

Decorating the cake

This time, I decided to skip the buttercream… not because I don’t love it (we all know I do), but because I didn’t want to hide the gorgeous crumble topping. It adds such a lovely texture and flavour that it really deserved to be the star.

Instead, I went for a simple cinnamon icing made with just icing sugar, ground cinnamon, and a splash of water. It’s light, sweet, and drizzles beautifully over the top without overwhelming the cake, but even this is optional. The subtle spice in the glaze complements the apples and adds that extra finishing touch, without covering up what makes this apple cinnamon loaf so special.

Tips & Tricks

• This cake will last for 3+ days at room temperature (or in the fridge on a hot day)
• You can freeze this cake for 3+ months
• I would recommend cooking/bramley apples for best results 
• The crumble topping is optional
• The icing drizzle is optional
• If you LOVE cinnamon, I’d would recommend increasing the quantities and making sure you use a good quality cinnamon
• I use this 2lb loaf tin in my recipe 

Apple Cinnamon Loaf Cake!

An apple cinnamon loaf cake with soft apple cake, brown sugar swirls, and a crumble topping perfect for Autumn

Print Pin Rate

Category: Cake

Type: Loaf Cake

Keyword: Apple, Cinnamon

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Cooling/Decorating: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours

Servings: 10 slices

Author: Jane's Patisserie

Ingredients

Crumb

• 90 g plain flour
• 65 g light brown soft sugar
• 50 g unsalted butter (melted)

Cake

• 225 g unsalted butter/baking spread
• 225 g light brown soft sugar
• 225 g self raising flour
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cooking apples (200g chopped weight)
• 0.5-2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

Sugar

• 50 g light brown soft sugar
• 1-2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Drizzle

• 50 g icing sugar
• pinch of cinnamon
• water

Grams - Ounces

Instructions

Crumb

• Add the flour, sugar and melted butter to a bowl and mix to combine until lumpy
• Chill in the fridge for now

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc/160ºc fan and line a 2lb loaf tin
• Peel and chop the apples into cubes, about 2cm in size
• Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and beat until light and fluffy
• Add the flour, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon and mix until smooth
• Add the chopped apple and mix through

Sugar

• In a separate small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together

Assembly

• Put one third of the cake mix in the lined tin, and sprinkle half of the brown sugar mix over the top.
• Repeat with another third of cake mix, and the rest of the brown sugar
• Top with the last third of cake mix
• Grab the crumb mixture, and fluff it up slightly with a fork to break it up into smaller pieces, and then sprinkle over the top of the cake
• Bake the cake in the oven for 55-65+ minutes, until baked through. If towards the end it's starting to brown a lot, cover with foil until baked fully.
• Remove from the oven and cool fully in the tin

Decoration

• Mix together the icing sugar, cinnamon and add water 1tsp at a time to reach a drizzle consistency that you like
• Drizzle over the cake and serve

Notes

• This cake will last for 3+ days at room temperature (or in the fridge on a hot day)
• You can freeze this cake for 3+ months
• I would recommend cooking/bramley apples for best results 
• The crumble topping is optional
• The icing drizzle is optional
• If you LOVE cinnamon, I'd would recommend increasing the quantities and making sure you use a good quality cinnamon
• I use this 2lb loaf tin in my recipe 

Enjoy!

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