Cinnamon Apple Bread with Brown Sugar Swirl and Cinnamon Glaze
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
15 min
Cook
50 min
Total
65 min
Servings
10
Level
Easy
Choose a firm apple variety such as Braeburn, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith. Peeled, cut apple pieces will hold their shape in this cinnamon apple bread recipe. This bread recipe includes juicy, tart apples and a soft, moist crumb topped with a brown sugar and cinnamon glaze.
Basic baking supplies needed are all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, softened, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and milk. Cinnamon and brown sugar are combined with chopped apples and added to the batter before baking. Extra cinnamon and brown sugar are sprinkled on the loaves before baking, and cooked loaves are icing with a mixture of confectioners' sugar and water.
Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Mix in flour and milk at low speed to avoid a tough texture. Layer baked-in apple slices fairly thickly throughout the batter rather than mixing. Pierce the baked quick bread with a toothpick to test doneness; a few moist apple slices are acceptable. Overmixing can lead to a tough quick bread.
Cool the apple bread in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes before transferring it to a rack to apply glaze. Allow the bread to cool completely before serving. Covered apple bread at room temperature will last 2 to 3 days. Individual loaves can be frozen for longer storage after cooling and wrapping.
Why we keep this one around
- Braeburn and Granny Smith apple varieties retain their form and texture when used in a quick bread loaf, adding small pieces of apple to the moist bread instead of disappearing.
- Brown sugar is an ingredient in the apple swirl and topping. A pantry ingredient adds caramel notes to the swirl and crust.
- Small and medium dice of peeled apples are included in each slice.
- This prevents pieces of apple from clustering on the slice and becoming soggy areas after baking while allowing the apple to be seen.
- Unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt in your recipe. Soft butter is easier to combine with sugar to achieve the pale color specified in the recipe.
- One large apple is the amount of fruit required by the recipe. This is a good recipe for using fresh apples in season that doesn't call for many apples.
- The cinnamon glaze contains powdered sugar, cinnamon, and water. It adds a subtle sweet flavor to the spiced apple and brown sugar layers.
Ingredients
- •1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- •1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- •½ teaspoon salt
- •½ cup unsalted butter (softened (1 stick))
- •½ cup granulated sugar
- •2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- •2 large eggs
- •½ cup milk
- •½ cup light brown sugar (packed, for apple mixture)
- •1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon (for apple mixture)
- •1 large apple (peeled, cored, and chopped into small pieces)
- •2 tablespoons brown sugar (for topping)
- •¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for topping)
- •¾ cups confectioners’ sugar (for glaze)
- •¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for glaze)
- •2 tablespoons water (for glaze)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan.
- 2
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- 3
Using an electric handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth and pale, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- 4
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
- 5
With the mixer on low speed, add about half of the flour mixture, alternating with half of the milk. Add the remaining flour mixture and milk and mix to combine.
- 6
In a mixing bowl, combine the light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and chopped apple. Set aside.
- 7
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Set aside.
- 8
Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with half of the apple mixture. Lightly swirl through the batter with a knife or skewer.
- 9
Pour the remaining batter on top, then add the remaining apple mixture. Swirl through the batter a couple of times in both directions with a knife or skewer, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar topping over the loaf.
- 10
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs from the soft apples.
- 11
Remove the bread from the oven and cool it in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes. While it cools, whisk together the glaze ingredients.
- 12
Remove the bread from the pan and place it on a cooling rack. Drizzle with the glaze, cool completely, and then slice.
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