This easy Apple Bread is made from scratch with applesauce, warm spices, and plenty of fresh apples. The moist and tender quick bread is topped with cinnamon and sugar for a delicious breakfast or snack that's ready for the oven in just 15 minutes!
While this Cinnamon Apple Bread recipe is perfectly appropriate at any time of year, it's especially inviting in the fall when local Virginia apples are at their peak. You just can't beat the aroma of the fresh fruit baking with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. The bread is cozy, moist and bursting with apple flavor!
What is Apple Bread?
Apple Bread is a type of bread made from applesauce or diced fresh apples. It is often a moist, sweet, cake-like quick bread, and may include warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. While apples have been added to yeast breads for centuries (likely coming to the United States via European traditions), the modern quick bread became popular in American cookbooks with the popularization of baking soda and baking powder in the 1930s.
These days, we enjoy apple bread as a make-ahead breakfast, a sweet snack with coffee or tea, or even a simple dessert when paired with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Apple Bread with Applesauce
The applesauce is a key ingredient in this simple quick bread recipe. It adds sweetness and a rich apple flavor, while also keeping the bread moist (without too much oil or butter). I use an unsweetened smooth applesauce, but you can substitute with homemade applesauce, sweetened applesauce, cinnamon applesauce, or chunky applesauce. Any variety will work here!
The Best Apples to Use for Apple Bread
I prefer baking with apples that have a firm flesh and don’t break down into mush in the oven. Granny Smith apples are delicious because of the tart flavor, but other good options include Pink Lady, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, Braeburn and Jonagold.
How to make Apple Bread from Scratch
This apple bread just gets better as it sits! Go ahead and bake a loaf in advance -- the flavors will come together and the bread will become even more moist as it rests. You'll wake up to a delicious morning treat!
Ingredients
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon juice
- Applesauce
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger
- Salt
- Apple
- Raisins or walnuts (if desired)
- Sugar and cinnamon for topping
Step 1: Cream Together Wet Ingredients
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar. Then beat in the egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and applesauce.
Step 2: Whisk Together Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk (or sift) together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt.
Step 3: Mix Batter
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until barely combined.
Step 4: Fold in Apples
Gently fold in the apples and any other mix-ins that you want to include (such as raisins or walnuts).
Step 5: Transfer to Baking Dish
Transfer the batter to a well-greased 8 ½ x 4 ½ -inch loaf pan.
Step 6: Add Topping for Snickerdoodle Apple Bread
Sprinkle a hefty dose of cinnamon and sugar on top of the batter. It will taste like Snickerdoodle Apple Bread!
Step 7: Bake Cinnamon Apple Bread
Bake the bread in a 350 degree F oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool it in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
How to Serve Grandma's Apple Bread Recipe
Serve the bread warm, at room temperature, or even straight from the refrigerator! It’s a great option for breakfast or snack when paired with a mug of hot coffee or tea.
The bread is delicious on its own, but you might also enjoy it with butter, cream cheese, almond butter or peanut butter. For dessert, try topping the bread with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Apple Cinnamon Bread with Glaze
I prefer the cinnamon-sugar topping because it's not messy, it's quick and easy to prepare, and it makes the loaf taste like Snickerdoodle Apple Bread! If you would like to finish the bread with a glaze instead, that will also be delicious!
Powdered Sugar Glaze for Apple Bread
Once the bread is completely cool, drizzle with a cinnamon glaze. In a small bowl, combine 2 cups of powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Gradually whisk in 3 tablespoons of heavy cream until completely smooth. If the glaze is still too thick, add more heavy cream, one teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is thin enough to pour on the bread.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make-Ahead: This bread just gets better as it sits! The flavors come together and the applesauce helps to keep the bread nice and moist.
- How to store Apple Bread: Always wrap your loaf in plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. The bread will stay fresh at room temperature on the counter for 2-3 days, and it will last in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze: Cool the loaf completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations
- Shredded Apple: I like to stir in finely-diced chunks of fresh apple, but you can also grate the apple into smaller pieces. The shredded apple will bake right into the bread and become almost undetectable, yielding a smoother texture.
- Mix-Ins: Feel free to stir in chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans; raisins, dried sweetened cranberries, currants; or even grated orange zest.
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients just until they're combined. Too much mixing and the bread will come out tough, dense, or dry. The key to keeping a quick bread moist is NOT over-mixing.
- Healthy Apple Bread: To add healthy whole grains to the loaf, swap out half of the all-purpose flour and replace it with whole wheat pastry flour. You can also decrease the brown sugar to ¾ cup and omit the cinnamon-sugar topping for a less-sweet bread.
More apple recipes that you might enjoy:
- Easy Apple Crisp
- Old-Fashioned Cranberry Apple Crisp
- Mom’s Apple Walnut Cake with Caramel Glaze
- Apple Dump Cake
- Mom’s Easy Apple Pie
Apple Bread
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup applesauce, at room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup peeled, finely-chopped apple
- Optional add-ins: ½ cup raisins; ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
For the Topping:
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 ½ x 4 ½ -inch loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and applesauce.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Gently fold in apples, raisins and walnuts, if using.
- Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Sprinkle on top of the batter. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Shredded Apple: I like to stir in finely-diced chunks of fresh apple, but you can also grate the apple into smaller pieces. The shredded apple will bake right into the bread and become almost undetectable, yielding a smoother texture.
- Mix-Ins: Feel free to stir in chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans; raisins, dried sweetened cranberries, currants; or even grated orange zest.
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients just until they're combined. Too much mixing and the bread will come out tough, dense, or dry. The key to keeping a quick bread moist is NOT over-mixing.
- Healthy Apple Bread: To add healthy whole grains to the loaf, swap out half of the all-purpose flour and replace it with whole wheat pastry flour. You can also decrease the brown sugar to ¾ cup and omit the cinnamon-sugar topping for a less-sweet bread.
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