Picture this: you've just returned from your Trader Joe's Fall shopping trip. You picked up some juicy granny smith apples, brown sugar, warm spices and of course tons of their delicious fall treats! You sit down and think: what can I make with these ingredients to satisfy my fall cravings? Look no further than this warm, delicious apple cinnamon bread!
This recipe is based on my favorite pastry of all time: The Kaldi's coffee apple cinnamon bread, which unfortunately has not been found at cafes around campus since my freshman year. Instead of moping around about it, I decided to go on a hunt to find the best apple cinnamon bread recipe out there. This one has a delicious crispy streusel which is layered throughout the loaf and sprinkled on top. The bread itself is moist, spicy and filled with juicy, sweet apples which add a lovely contrast to the streusel.
Without further ado, here is this fantastic fall recipe (with some of my edits):
The BEST Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Prep Time:20 mins
- Cook Time:1 hr 10 mins
- Total Time:1 hr 30 mins
- Servings:8
- Medium
- For the cake:
- 2 cups apples grated - I find these better than chopped apples because you get more apples in each bite
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk any kind
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- For the streusel topping:
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter cold cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Ingredients
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 350° F
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Step 2
Prepare apples by removing skin and grating them. Make sure you squeeze out all the liquid to ensure your cake doesn't become too liquidy! Pro tip: you can add the apple juice to a pot with sugar and water to make apply flavored syrups for fall drinks!
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Step 3
To make bread mixture, mix together softened unsalted butter with granulated sugar, then add milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
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Step 4
Add dry mixture – all purpose flour, baking powder, salt. Mix well. Then fold in the grated apple.
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Step 5
To make the crumble mixture: cut the butter into small cubes, then add the rest of the crumble ingredients. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to cut and combine the crumble mixture until the butter is mixed in. The crumble should resemble the texture of sand but still have some bigger chunks for crunch!
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Step 6
Line a 9" x 5" load pan with parchment paper or grease it with some butter or oil.
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Step 7
Add half of the apple bread mixture, then top with half of the crumble mixture. Add the rest of the apple bread mixture, and then finish off with the rest of the crumble mixture.
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Step 8
Bake in the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes. When it is done, insert a toothpick into the center of the bread, if the toothpick does not come out clean, bake for a few more minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
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Step 9
Remove it from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
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Step 10
Then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool on a cooling rack for another 25-30 minutes.
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Step 11
Slice, serve and enjoy! This cake goes perfectly with a hot cup of coffee or some milk!
This Apple Cinnamon Bread goes perfectly with other treats for a cute fall picnic! Try it with a charcuterie board of your favorite fruit and cheeses, or accompanied with some hot or cold apple cider! Whatever you eat this with, it is sure to satisfy all your fall baking dreams and cravings!
Happy fall baking!