Who needs fall candles when you’ve got an amazing Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe at your beck and call?!
Here’s how this recipe is going to go down: first, your house is going to smell like heaven, then you’re going to deliver a little slice of heaven directly to your mouth!
Amen and hallelujah — apple season has officially arrived.
This apple quick bread recipe comes fully loaded with all of the flavors we adore from apple pie…only you can legitimately get away with eating this cake for breakfast and it comes together quick and easy!
Swirled with pockets of brown sugar and cinnamon, with bursts of tart and tender apple all throughout, there’s not a more delicious way to ring in the fall!
You’ll see there’s no special equipment or stand mixer needed for this apple bread recipe. Just 20 minutes of prep time, a wooden spoon, and a whisk will do the trick just fine!
Looking for more awesome fall recipes to try? Bookmark these Apple Crumble Muffins in your internet browser for next time!
HOW TO MAKE APPLE CINNAMON BREAD
- Prep
- Mix the Brown Sugar Swirl Ingredients
- Mix the Dry Ingredients
- Mix the Wet Ingredients
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
- Add the Batter To the Pan and Bake
1. PREP
There are a few things you’ll want to get out of the way before you get hot and heavy whipping up the batter for your Apple Cinnamon Bread!
First things first, preheat the oven to 350°F. It’s very important in regard to bake-time, that your oven is properly preheated before the apple bread goes in!
You should also go ahead and get your fruit prep out-of-the-way at the start. Peel and slice and dice those apples! You want your apples to be about a half of an inch diced.
THE EASIEST WAY TO DICE APPLES FOR BAKING
The easiest way to dice an apple is to quarter the apple, lay each quarter flat side down, cut them into half-inch-thick slices, stack the slices (3 to 4 at a time), and slice into half-inch strips. Lastly, cut those strips into a half-inch dice.
WHY CREATE A PARCHMENT SLING?
Another prep item (which is technically optional, although highly recommended) is the parchment paper sling.
Taking the time to create a parchment paper sling will save you from any potential headaches later on down the road when it comes to removing your apple cinnamon cake from the pan!
To create a parchment paper sling, you will simply cut a sheet of parchment paper in the approximate dimensions of 14″ X 8″. Then, you’ll grease the pan, and lay the parchment sling inside.
The key is to be sure there is an overhang falling over the long sides of the pan, and this will make it very easy for you to lift the Apple cinnamon bread out of the pan once the cooling time is completed. It creates a mess-free removal, and guarantees you’ll bring all of that delicious apple goodness out of the loaf pan in one piece!
2. MIX THE BROWN SUGAR SWIRL INGREDIENTS
Now you’re going to mix up the brown sugar cinnamon swirl. This is going to add an extra beautiful touch to your apple cinnamon bread, and bonus alert: the swirl could not be any easier to make!
All you have to do is combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and a small bowl and mix it all together. Then, set it aside and it’s time to move on to the batter!
3. MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS
We’ll begin the batter with the dry ingredients. Mix together flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Then, make a well in the center of the bowl; this is where our wet ingredients will be added once they are mixed up!
NOTEWORTHY DRY INGREDIENTS
An important thing to note in regard to the dry ingredients is that you should use all-purpose flour, and not attempt to sub in any other type of flour.
Different types of flours contain different protein structures. Using any type of flour (aside from all-purpose) could affect both the leavening and the texture of your apple cinnamon bread.
It is also important to pay attention to the quantities of both the baking soda and the baking powder, and to take extra care not to accidentally mixed those quantities up!
Both of these ingredients are considered chemical leaveners, but they do not behave the same in recipes.
4. MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS
Now that your dry ingredients are all mixed up, you can move on to the wet ingredients. This part is really easy!
You’ll add melted and cooled unsalted butter, buttermilk, one large egg, and vanilla extract to a medium-sized mixing bowl or a large measuring picture and whisk everything together. That’s it!
NOTEWORTHY WET INGREDIENTS
The wet ingredients worth an extra mention is both unsalted butter and buttermilk.
It is best to use unsalted butter so that you have full control over the amount of sodium going into your apple cinnamon bread. Subbing in salted butter would likely result in a slice of apple bread that is far too salty!
However, if you’re in a pinch and you only have salted butter on hand, cut the salt from the dry ingredient mix and hope for the very best as far as flavor goes.
In regard to buttermilk, you can use low-fat or full-fat buttermilk. The importance of buttermilk is the acidity it adds to the batter, not the fat content. The acidic nature of buttermilk results in a more tender and moist Apple Cinnamon Bread!
5. COMBINE WET AND DRY INGREDIENTS
Now it’s time to combine all of the ingredients. Pour your wet ingredients into the well you created with your dry ingredients. Grab yourself a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula and stir the batter, stopping as soon as that everything is mixed.
Pro-tip: Take care not to over mix the batter, as this will overdevelop the gluten in the flour, and could result in dense and chewy apple cinnamon bread.
Once the batter is combined, add in your chopped apples and stir until evenly mixed.
6. ADD THE APPLE CINNAMON BREAD BATTER TO THE PAN AND BAKE
Add half of the apple cinnamon bread batter to the prepared pan. Then, add half of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture.
Top that off with the remaining apple cinnamon bread batter, and then finally finished the whole shebang with the remaining brown sugar-cinnamon mixture on top.
To ensure your apple bread has extra gorgeous, irresistible cinnamon vibes, grab a sharp knife and use the tip of it to swirl that brown sugar mixture throughout the apple bread.
To do this, make a swooping motion using either a knife or a skinny, offset spatula, and dig almost to the bottom of the pan. Then, gently pull up on the batter below, and swirl up and over. Repeat until you’ve reached the opposite edge of the pan.
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 65 to 70 minutes. Around the 45 minute mark, you’ll want to tent the Apple Cinnamon Bread with aluminum foil. This will keep the top of the bread from over-browning.
Once the bake time is up, remove the apple bread from the oven and place it on a cooling rack.
Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. Turn the bread out, and let it cool for another 25 minutes or so until it is just warm to the touch. Then, it’s time to slice, serve, and enjoy!
HOW TO KNOW WHEN THE APPLE CINNAMON BREAD IS DONE
To know if your apple cinnamon bread is ready to come out of the oven, insert either a cake tester or toothpick into the center of the bread. The toothpick should come out mostly clean, with maybe a few crumbs clinging to it.
If there is any wet batter clinging to the toothpick, the cake will need to bake for longer.
CAN I BAKE THIS IN MINI LOAF PANS?
If you are baking this apple cinnamon bread to give as gifts for friends and family, you might want to convert it into a mini loaf recipe! If that is the case you will need to have three mini loaf pans measuring 5-3/4″X 3″ X 2″.
Divide the batter evenly amongst the three pans and bake the mini loaves at 350°F, checking them for doneness around the 35-minute mark (although they might take up to 45 minutes to fully bake through).
Once your Mini Apple Cinnamon Bread Loaves have finished baking, you will transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pans.
CAN I FREEZE APPLE CINNAMON BREAD?
Apple Cinnamon Bread freezes and thaws beautifully!
To freeze leftover bread, cut it into slices, wrap each slice in wax paper, and place those wrapped slices into a gallon-sized zip-top freezer-safe bag. Then transfer to the freezer and freeze for up to two months.
If you’d like to freeze a whole loaf, wrap it in two layers of plastic wrap. Then, wrap in a final layer of aluminum foil.
6 MORE APPLE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Applesauce Banana Bread (Low-Fat Recipe)
- Apple Crumble Cake
- Apple Crisp Pie
- Apple Strudel
- Baked Cinnamon Apples
- Apple Pudding Cake
Applesauce Banana Bread
Apple Crumble Cake
Apple Crisp Pie
Apple Strudel Recipe
Perfect Baked Cinnamon Apples
Apple Pudding Cake
Moist, fall-flavored Apple Cinnamon Bread swirled with pockets of brown sugar and cinnamon, with bursts of tart and tender apple throughout each and every slice!
No special equipment needed -- just 20 minutes of prep time, a wooden spoon, and a whisk are all you need!
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, separated
- 1 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, separated
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup peeled and diced tart, crisp apples (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8 1/2"X4 1/2" metal loaf pan and line with a parchment paper sling. Set aside until ready to use.
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In a small bowl, mix together 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and a 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt. Set aside until ready to use.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, baking powder, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the mix and set aside.
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In a medium-sized mixing bowl or large measuring pitcher, whisk together the buttermilk, cooled butter, egg, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined with a wooden spoon. Add in the chopped apples and stir once more.
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Add half of the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle with half of the brown sugar-cinnamon mix. Add the remaining batter and then sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Then, use the tip of a knife to swoop and swirl the sugar mixture into the batter.
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Bake for 65-70 minutes, loosely tenting the pan with foil around the 45-minute mark. Remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Turn out and allow to cool until just warm to the touch, about 25 minutes more. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Good stuff for the holidays!