Warm up your kitchen for fall baking with Cinnamon Apple Bread topped with cinnamon streusel and a simple white icing.
This Cinnamon Apple Bread recipe is dedicated to my oven thermometer which has saved my recipes time and time again. Even when the first one fell and disintegrated into the bottom of my oven, its replacement has been a life saver (err grocery saver?).
Moving into a new apartment means making sure everything works properly, which includes the oven. Ovens are fickle. You may set the temperature to 350F, but it’s rarely accurate. My electric oven at my last apartment was accurate up to 400F. Once I went above that, it would be under by 25F (so 450F would really be 425F).
However in my current gas oven, my oven is 25F degrees HOTTER than it says. Yes, hotter. I don’t think I’ve ever known an oven to be hotter than expected.
And the knob on it is weird. There are no markings for in between temperatures like 325F, 375F, 425F, etc. This threw me off because I thought it meant I didn’t have them at all. When I set it in between 350F and 400F, it would heat up to 400F. Here I’m thinking, “oh great it just jumps up to the next temperature”. It wasn’t until last week I realized duhhhh my oven is off by 25F degrees, so that made perfect sense. 375F became 400F. All I had to do was set it to 350F in order for it to be 375F.
I wouldn’t have known any of this without my trusted oven thermometer. I have this one from OXO (affiliate link) (and OXO will replace all disintegrated thermometers free of charge). No matter which brand you buy, it’s important you use one every time, especially if you’re baking.
And especially if you’re baking Cinnamon Apple Bread. Quick breads need to be baked at the proper temperature in order to rise and bake properly. Otherwise, the outside may bake faster than the inside, leaving you with golden brown edges and raw batter in the center.
Earlier this month, I went apple picking with my parents. We picked 12 pounds (!) of fresh apples. Empire, Gala, and something called Cox’s Orange Pippin, which I haven’t seen before. I’ve posted so many apple recipes, I didn’t know what was left to make. Then I thought about apple bread with a cinnamon streusel on top. One of the few recipes I don’t have yet.
To be honest, I thought apple cinnamon bread was too simple to post. Sometimes I forget simple recipes are best. After all, my banana chocolate chip bread and double chocolate banana bread recipes are popular.
The cinnamon streusel on top was a last minute addition. I knew I wanted some kind of cinnamon crunch, whether it was a swirl or filling. Instead, I opted for a topping, similar to a crumb cake.
To finish it off, I drizzled a simple white icing on top. Make sure the bread is completely cooled first. Otherwise you may end up with disappearing white icing on top as it’ll melt into the bread.
Yields 1 loaf
30 minPrep Time
50 minCook Time
1 hr, 20 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 cup finely chopped peeled apple (roughly 1 small apple)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
- First, make the streusel: In a medium bowl mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry blender or with your fingers, cut in the butter until small pebbles form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a another large bowl, beat together the butter and both sugars until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated then beat in the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture alternating with the milk, adding the flour in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions (begin and end with dry ingredients). Stir in the apple and nuts.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan. Top evenly with streusel.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. If it's too thick, add a touch more milk. If it's too thin, add a little more sugar. Drizzle over cooled bread. Let glaze harden before slicing. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
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