This moist apple cinnamon bread is next level. With fresh apples, tons of spices, crunchy oat streusel topping, and a sweet icing drizzle, it’s definitely a winning recipe!
This post is sponsored by Kroger but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Butternut Bakery possible!
What are the best apples to use in apple cinnamon bread?
Pumpkin and pecans really get all the attention when it comes to fall baking…but what about apples? I get so excited when I walk into my local Fry’s and see the wide variety of colorful apples!
From Gala and Granny Smith to Fuji and SweeTango, there’s just about every type of apple you’ll need.
But with so many different apples to choose from, how do you know which one is right for your recipe? It all depends on the flavors of the recipe, the sweetness, and the way in which the apples are baked.
For this apple cinnamon bread, I chose classic Honeycrisp. The bread itself serves as a blank slate to showcase the bold flavor of Honeycrisp. It also pairs really well with all the warm spices because it has a slight tartness.
I also wanted to ensure that the apples stayed in tact and added a hardy texture to the bread. I needed a firm apple that wouldn’t turn too soft once baked, and Honeycrisp holds up really well when exposed to high heat.
It’s a very crisp apple, so you still get tender bits of apple in each slice that are very clear and distinct…just what I was looking for!
And Fry’s is stocked full of them which was great for all my recipe testing…I ran through so many Honeycrisp apples to get this recipe just right!
How to make apple cinnamon bread
Now that we have the right apples picked out, it’s time to make this delicious apple bread!
The very first step is to mix together all of the dry ingredients. This includes all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. We’re using a whole tablespoon of cinnamon in here to really get that flavor.
Next, peel and chop up the apples. It’s important to do this as late in the process as possible so they don’t oxidize and turn brown.
Once those are prepped, mix together the sugar, oil, and applesauce in a large bowl. The oil makes the bread SUPER moist, along with the applesauce. Make sure to use unsweetened applesauce, otherwise the loaf could turn out a little too sweet.
When the 3 main elements are prepped, it’s time to put them all together. Pour half of the dry ingredients into the oil and sugar mixture and stir until smooth.
To avoid the batter from getting too thick and clumpy, mix in the 1/3 cup of milk. Then mix in the other half of the dry ingredients. Alternating the two ensures a smooth batter and prevents over mixing.
Pour the batter into a 9×5 aluminum baking pan and sprinkle with the oat streusel. It’s very important to use an aluminum baking pan here and in any bread recipe – like my pumpkin bread. It heats up and cools down fast, so the center fully bakes through and the edges don’t continue to bake even after it’s removed from the oven.
Baking apple cinnamon bread
The bake is the trickiest part about this recipe because it’s VERY easy to over do it. Near the end of the baking time, it’s important to watch this apple bread like a hawk to ensure a perfectly moist texture.
This is why I can’t bake without an oven thermometer. I recently moved into a new house so I’m adjusting to a completely different oven. I quickly learned that 325F really means 350F so I had to adjust my temperature accordingly.
Once you nail down the temperature, bake the apple cinnamon bread for 1 hour. The bread probably won’t be fully baked at this point, but it gives you a window of time to monitor the bread.
After the hour, test the center with a toothpick. If it’s still too raw, bake for another 3 minutes and test again. Keep working in 3 minute intervals until it’s fully baked.
When it’s done, the top should be an even golden brown and the center will puff up nice and high. Let the bread cool in the pan while you start on the icing.
Apple bread maple icing
Ah, my favorite part. Drizzling on the heaps of icing to finish off this delicious apple cinnamon bread.
It’s a very simple recipe consisting of powdered sugar, real maple syrup, and a bit of milk. Use the real deal maple syrup here for the perfect consistency so make sure the ingredients are just “maple syrup”.
Mix all of the ingredients together and tweak the milk-sugar ratio to get it just right. If it’s too thin, add a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar. Too thick and do the same for the milk, but adding only one to two teaspoons at a time.
When the bread is still warm but not too hot, either lift it out of the pan or leave it in. Drizzle the entire top with the icing, not leaving a drop behind.
Now slice and serve! This is one of those cakes that just continues to get more moist as it sits. Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for 5 days. But trust me, it definitely won’t last that long!
For more delicious apple recipes, check out my:
- Gluten Free Peanut Butter Apple Sandwich Cookies
- Vegan and Gluten Free Apple Crisp
- Deep Dish Apple Pie
- Caramel Apple Muffins
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and comment below if you make this Apple Cinnamon Bread. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
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Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Description
This moist apple cinnamon bread is loaded with fresh apples, warm spices, and topped with a crush oat streusel and maple icing drizzle.
Ingredients
Oat Streusel
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (or vegan butter), room temp
- 2/3 cup quick oats
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Apple Cinnamon Bread
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk (any type of milk will work, even non-dairy)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 2 cups Honeycrisp apples, peeled and chopped (2 medium apples)
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp real maple syrup
- 1–2 tsp milk
Instructions
Oat Streusel
- In a small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 2 tbsp of flour.
- Use your fingers to work the butter into the oat mixture.
- Once combined, add the remaining 1 tbsp of flour and continue working it in. It will be a little sticky but that last bit of flour should help. Place the bowl in the fridge and work on the batter.
Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with some nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices in a bowl and set aside.
- Peel and chop the apples into small 1/4 inch cubes and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, vegetable oil, and applesauce. You can do so by using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, a hand mixer, or with a whisk.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour in half of the dry ingredients, mix, then mix in the 1/3 cup of milk. Once combined, mix in the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Lastly, fold in the apple chunks.
- Pour into your prepared loaf pan and sprinkle an even layer of the oat streusel.
- Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. The center should puff up nice and tall and the streusel should be golden brown. Test a toothpick in the middle before removing from the oven.
- Let the bread cool in the pan while you mix together the icing.
Icing
- Combine the powdered sugar and maple syrup in a small bowl. When it gets too thick to mix, add 1 teaspoon of milk.
- The consistency should be thin enough to drizzle but not too runny. If it’s still too thick, add one more teaspoon of milk. If it gets too thin, add one to two tablespoons of powdered sugar.
- When the bread is still warm and the pan has cooled, drizzle on the icing. You can either do this when it’s still in the pan or you can lift the bread out of the pan beforehand.
- It’s best served warm but is still delicious even days after. Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Keywords: apple cinnamon bread, apple bread, apple desserts
Hello! I’m wondering if cutting the apples in smaller chunks will change anything. Thank you!
Niki
Yep you can! But I would also add an extra tablespoon of flour to the recipe since smaller pieces will release more juices.
Ok, thank you!