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Apple and Cinnamon Cake to Cook with Kids

Fall is in the air and the apples are ripe on the tree. The perfect time for some baking with the kids and this delicious apple and cinnamon cake is perfect for early autumn and late summer cooking. Made with cooking apples this is an easy recipe that you can cook along with your younger kids and your older kids can make themselves. So here go our autumn loaf cake with freshly picked apples and cinnamon.

Apple and Cinnamon Loaf Cake

Layers of cake, apples and cinnamon sugar make this a moist and tasty treat for you and the kids to enjoy. The cooking apples stay in form but are deliciously sweet after baking and the cinnamon sugar forms the perfect crust on the top.

Have lots of apples? Why not try some of our other delicious apple recipes to cook with kids?

I first made with back in 2014 with my 3-year-old as part of our cooking the alphabet series here on Rainy Day Mum. We’d been to an orchard to pick some apples (see our preschool learning on an apple picking field trip for more about that) and decided to use some to make this delicious recipe. It was originally made using cups instead of grams but as part of our maths over the years we have converted the recipe to grams for you.

To make it easier for you and your kids the recipe can be printed out below or used on a tablet or screen to follow.

Pinnable image of an apple and cinnamon cake to cook with kids showing adding cinnamon sugar and the finished cake sliced

Ingredients for Apple and Cinnamon Loaf Cake

Large cooking apple – Bramley or similar is really good.
Soft brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
White sugar – we use caster sugar
Unsalted butter
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Plain
Baking powder
Semi Skimmed or whole fat milk

Loaf pan liner with a non-stick loaf pan and tea towel on a marble work top.

I use a 2lb loaf pan with a liner in it to save on washing up as well as keep the cake moist when storing.

image for apple playdough mats on Rainy Day Mum

Cooking with kids: A is for Apple and Cinnamon Loaf Cake

child peeling apples over a wooden chopping board

Cooking provides such a great opportunity to work on fine-motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination, and this recipe is a fantastic one. It’s great to make year round but of course it’s a favourite with the apples straight from the tree in the autumn or from the cold store once you’ve picked them. We started off by peeling the apple. I love the peelers that have a chunky handle which makes them ideal for use with kids. They can grip them, and it’s easier to put more pressure on them than the traditional knife-style peeler.

Peeled, cored and chopped cooking apples in a bowl.

With the apple peeled, I cored and then split it into manageable parts for J to cut. Once the apple is chopped up put it aside until you come to make up the loaf.

A bowl of brown sugar with teaspoon with cinnamon in beside on a white marble worktop.

Into a bowl, add the brown sugar and the cinnamon and stir until well combined – again put to the side.

creamed sugar and butter in a bowl with eggs beside.

This recipe is ideal to make with a stand mixer or by hand. If you are making by hand with young kids be aware that you will likely have to help to cream the butter and sugar together.

A top tip from me is to take the butter out about an hour before you want to cook this will make it much easier to cream together.

cracking an egg on the side of a bowl.

Cracking eggs without ending up with the shell in the mix or the egg everywhere is a skill that kids need to learn – I have to tell you that although this recipe calls for 2 eggs we ended up using 3 as the first went outside of the mixing bowl and all over the kitchen floor. However, with coaching, we managed the next egg together, and with supervision the final egg on its own and got it into the bowl.

eggs in the creamed butter and sugar in a bowl with vanilla extract beside.

Mix up the creamed sugar/butter and egg and then measure out the vanilla extract and add to the mix. Add the flour and the baking powder and mix it all together. It’s quite stiff at this point so you need the milk to get it to a better consistency.

Adding flour and baking powder to make cake.

If you have milk in glass bottles like us you may wish to measure out the milk yourself before hand.

adding milk to cake batter for an apple and cinnamon cake that kids can make.

In fact, when you are cooking with toddlers one of our top tips is to measure out all of the ingredients and do the prep parts yourself ahead of time to minimise stress during the cooking. Want more tips for cooking with toddlers then read to find out what made it easier to cook with 2 kids at once from a young age.

Loaf pan half filled with cake batter ready to add in cooking apples.

With the mix made up, spoon half of it into a 2-lb loaf tin which you have lined.

half of the cooking apples added to the cake batter for an autumn bake with kids.

Then add in half of the apples, pressing them down into the mix. 

Sprinkle on Cinnamon Sugar mix to the top of cooking apples in a cake.

Spoon on half of the cinnamon and brown sugar mix, and then add on the remaining cake mix.

Remaining cake batter added to a loaf pan, with a bowl of chopped cooking apples beside.

Add the final half of the apples to the top and again press down.

Apples and cake batter in a loaf pan.

 Now sprinkle the top with the rest of the brown sugar-cinnamon mix and press in with your hand.

Place in the oven at200C for around 35 minutes.

Apple and cinnamon cake out of the oven with cooking apples beside.

Put aside to cool and then after around 10 minutes turn out onto a cooling rack.

Image of the top of a cooked apple and cinnamon cake with cooking apples beside. Below the image text reads Apple & Cinnamon Cake for Kids to Bake rainydaymum.co.uk

Check out even more Apple Activities for Learning with Preschoolers here!

Apple and cinnamon cake on a tea towel with 2 fresh cooking apples beside.

Simple Apple and Cinnamon Cake to Cook with Kids

Cerys Parker
Easy recipe for delicious apple and cinnamon cake with cooking apples perfect for autumn baking with kids.
3.25 from 16 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Cake
Cuisine British
Servings 10 people
Calories 274 kcal

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 200C
  • Grease or line a 2lb loaf tin
    Loaf pan liner with a non-stick loaf pan and tea towel on a marble work top.
  • Peel, core and chop the large cooking apple and set aside
    Peeled, cored and chopped cooking apples in a bowl.
  • In a separate bowl mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and set aside
    A bowl of brown sugar with teaspoon with cinnamon in beside on a white marble worktop.
  • Into a large mixing bowl or mixer add the white sugar and butter/margarine and mixed until creamy in texture
    creamed sugar and butter in a bowl with eggs beside.
  • Add in the 2 eggs and vanilla extract and mix
    eggs in the creamed butter and sugar in a bowl with vanilla extract beside.
  • Combine flour and baking powder and add to the mix
    Adding flour and baking powder to make cake.
  • Mix well and add the milk until smooth
    adding milk to cake batter for an apple and cinnamon cake that kids can make.
  • Pour half of the mixture into the prepared loaf tin
    Loaf pan half filled with cake batter ready to add in cooking apples.
  • Add 1/2 the apples and 1/2 the brown sugar cinnamon mix and press into the cake mix
    Sprinkle on Cinnamon Sugar mix to the top of cooking apples in a cake.
  • Pour the remainder of the mix on top
    Cake batter in a cake pan with chopped cooking apples beside in a bowl.
  • Into the cake top add the remaining apples and press in
    Apples and cake batter in a loaf pan.
  • Cover with the brown sugar and cinnamon and press
  • Place in the centre of the oven for 35 minutes until a skewer comes away clear
  • Take out and cool and then Enjoy!
    Apple and cinnamon cake out of the oven with cooking apples beside.

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 98mgPotassium: 100mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 358IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 76mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Apple and Cinnamon Cake, Apple and Cinnamon Loaf, Apple Cake Recipe, Apple Loaf Cake, Autumn Cake Recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Author
Cerys Parker

Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, teacher, mum, and home educator from the UK. She loves getting creative, whether it is with simple and easy crafts and ideas, activities to make learning fun, or delicious recipes that you and your kids can cook together you'll find them all shared here on Rainy Day Mum.

4 Comments

  1. I used smaller braeburn apples and over compensated. I cut up three apples and that was too much. There ended up not being enough room for all the batter and it over flowed all over the place. Luckily I suspected this would happen once I saw how full the loaf pan was. I preemptively placed a cookie sheet under the loaf pan. Good thing I did! Lol. Maybe a measure ment of how much apple would help…:)

  2. awesome healthy one prepared by kids they enjoy doing cooking activity………

  3. Katie Rutherfurd says:

    My kids with moderate autism loved making this. They each made their own as they leek different apples and different levels of spice

  4. Thank you for this series – it has given me the push to spend more time in the kitchen with the kids. That loaf looks scrummy – I bet it tasted lovely!

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