Apple Fritter Bread

Get ready to meet your new favorite apple recipe! This incredible Apple Fritter Bread is so flavorful, moist and tender with a simple buttery vanilla cake batter layered with gooey cinnamon-spiced brown sugar-coated apples. The intense fragrance that fills your house as it bakes will give you all the warm cozy feelings, making this recipe perfect for Fall, but it is also great all year round to serve for a weekend breakfast or brunch or weekday snacking. I drizzle a quick vanilla glaze over top while it's still warm like a traditional apple fritter and it is very moreish. If you love baking with apples, check out my Brown Butter Caramel Apple Crumb Cake, Apple Cinnamon Bread and my Apple Cinnamon Muffins.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Tender vanilla butter cake - this simple one-bowl cake recipe makes a very soft and tender cake that melts in your mouth.
• Moist texture - the brown sugar apples bake into the batter and make it so moist.
• Fresh apples - there's a layer of diced apples through the middle and on top and they become soft and delicious as they bake into the cake.
• Cinnamon sugar filling - you sprinkle a generous amount of cinnamon brown sugar over the apples and, not only does it flavor the apples, but it makes flavor-packed ribbons through the cake that are so pretty.
• No deep frying - this cake really does taste like an apple fritter without all the oil.
• Sugar glaze - this is the finishing touch to the apple fritter concept. It's just a quick 3 ingredient glaze with a hint of vanilla and it makes it extra special.

INGREDIENTS FOR APPLE FRITTER CAKE

• All purpose flour - unbleached all-purpose flour works great for this tender loaf cake batter.
• Unsalted butter - this is a pure butter-based batter. I use unsalted butter, but salted butter also works if you reduce the added salt in the recipe. First melt it and then let it cool slightly before starting.
• Granulated sugar - simple granulated sugar keeps this loaf cake soft and sweet.
• Brown sugar - I love pairing brown sugar with apples and cinnamon. I use light brown sugar so the molasses flavor isn't too strong and doesn't take over the apples. You can also use dark brown sugar.
• Eggs - one large egg will add enough structure for the cake batter without making it gain so much volume that it can't hold up the apple layer.

• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to make this delicious butter cake. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Sour cream - use full fat sour cream to add richness and balance the flavor. If you don't have sour cream where you live, read down below in my FAQ section for my substitution recommendations.
• Milk - any type of milk will do. I prefer whole milk for baking. It should be at room temperature so measure it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before baking.
• Apples - you must use fresh apples for this recipe. It really works with any kind of apple, but I prefer tart apples such as Granny Smith or Red Prince, which is what I used here.
• Cinnamon - what would an apple fritter bread be without cinnamon? You'll mix diced apples with brown sugar and cinnamon and layer them into the batter with more cinnamon brown sugar. It creates a sticky, gooey apple layer that is irresistible!

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Make the cinnamon sugar. Combine brown sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl and stir to blend well. Set aside.
• STEP 2). Make the cinnamon apples. Combine diced apples, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a medium small bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
• STEP 3). Make the cake batter. Combine cooled melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, sour cream and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
• STEP 4). Combine dry ingredients. Blend flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and whisk to blend well. Add this to the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold it in gently. After a few strokes, it will be mostly combined but still rather lumpy and dry. Stop mixing and add the milk. Continue mixing gently until the batter just comes together smoothly.
• STEP 5). Assemble the loaf. Transfer half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Spoon half the cinnamon apples over the batter and sprinkle half of the cinnamon brown sugar on top to cover the apples. Spoon the remaining batter over the apples and use an offset spatula to spread it out into an even layer. Top with the remaining apples and sprinkle over all of the rest of the cinnamon sugar.
• STEP 6). Bake for 55-60 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before icing or slicing. If you slice it while still too warm, it may fall apart.
• STEP 7). Make the glaze while the loaf cools. Combine powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and salt and whisk until smooth. Once the loaf has cooled sufficiently (it can be still slightly warm), drizzle the glaze over top and let it drip over the sides. Enjoy!

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR APPLE FRITTER BREAD

• Use room temperature ingredients. Since this is a simple one bowl mixing method, it is important to have all ingredients at the same temperature (not cold!) in order to help them blend evenly together. Make sure eggs and sour cream are at room temperature.
• Don't let the spiced apples sit too long. As soon as you mix sugar with apples, it will draw the moisture out of them, so don't let them sit for too long as you prepare the batter. Inevitably they will loose a bit of water for the few minutes that you are mixing up the batter ingredients, but that's ok - just give them a final toss before layering them into the loaf pan. The point is: don't let them sit for 20+ minutes.
• Sift the dry ingredients. This is optional, but it will minimize the amount of mixing needed to combine the ingredients evenly so that you do not over-mix the batter. It will give you the best results for a finer texture crumb as well since the sieve will break up all the flour particles and help disperse the baking powder.
• Do not over-mix the batter. It is important that the batter is smooth, but stop as soon as you get to that point. Over-mixing can lead to a gummy and dense loaf, although this particular recipe is pretty foolproof.
• Do not over-bake. It is important to not under-bake this cake since the apples will add a lot of moisture which increases the baking time, however over-baking can lead to a dry cake.

RECIPE FAQ

STORING AND FREEZING

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Video

Cinnamon Apple Fritter Bread

Christina Marsigliese, Food Scientist MSc.

This incredible Apple Fritter Bread is so flavorful, moist and tender with a simple buttery vanilla cake batter layered with cinnamon-spiced brown sugar-coated apples. The intense fragrance that fills your house as it bakes will give you all the warm cozy feelings, making this recipe perfect for Fall.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

  

Cinnamon Sugar:

• ⅓ cup (70g) packed light brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Spiced Apples:

• 2 cups (250g) diced peeled apples (about 2 large apples peeled, cored and cut into small ¼-½ inch cubes)
• 2 tablespoon 30g packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Apple Fritter Bread Batter:

• ½ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• ⅓ cup (70g) packed light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup (80ml) full fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
• 1 ⅔ cups (235g) all-purpose flour
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (120ml) whole milk

Vanilla Glaze:

• ⅓ cup (40g) powdered confectioner's sugar
• 2-3 teaspoon (10-15ml) whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pan or 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper on all sides and set aside.
• Make the cinnamon sugar. Combine brown sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl and stir to blend well. Set aside.
• Make the cinnamon apples. Combine diced apples, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a medium small bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
• Bake the cake batter. Combine cooled melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, sour cream and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and whisk to blend well. Add this to the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold it in gently. After a few strokes, it will be mostly combined but still rather lumpy and dry. Stop mixing and add the milk. Continue mixing gently until the batter just comes together smoothly.
• Transfer half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Spoon half the cinnamon apples over the batter and sprinkle half of the cinnamon brown sugar on top to cover the apples. Spoon the remaining batter over the apples and use an offset spatula to spread it out into an even layer. Top with the remaining apples and sprinkle over all of the rest of the cinnamon sugar.
• Bake for 55-60 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before icing or slicing. If you slice it while still too warm, it may fall apart.
• Make the glaze while the loaf cools. Combine powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and salt and whisk until smooth. Once the loaf has cooled sufficiently (it can be still slightly warm), drizzle the glaze over top and let it drip over the sides. Enjoy!