This apple cinnamon bread is buttery moist and cake-like with plenty of apples dotted in each slice. Tossing the juicy apples in brown sugar and cinnamon before layering and swirling in the loaf pan is an important step. Assembling the loaf this way adds pockets of sweet cinnamon swirl and keeps the batter light. There’s so much flavor from swirling in the brown sugared apples that you really don’t need icing or a crumb topping. Still, if you want to try either, I recommend the crumb topping from peach bread and the brown sugar icing from these pumpkin donuts or even a salted caramel drizzle.
1 loaf disappears FAST!
Let me teach you how to make your next favorite recipe. I’ll walk you through what to expect before explaining my recipe testing trials and tribulations. (All very worth it!)
One reader, Edie, commented: “Forget those other fall flavored quick breads, this is the one you need to make! Sally, I followed your recipe exactly and this is SO SCRUMPTIOUS! The bread is light and somewhat fluffy, not dense like many other quick breads. The delicious layer of cinnamon apples takes this recipe to the next level. It’s like apple pie hugged by cinnamon bread. This is definitely the family’s new fall favorite. Thanks, Sally! ★★★★★“
Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread Details
- Flavor: The notable stars of this quick bread recipe are, you guessed it, cinnamon and apples. The bread’s crumb tastes like buttery cinnamon nutmeg spice cake, so you get a flavor punch even without the apples. Toss the apples in brown sugar and more cinnamon before layering into the loaf pan. These brown sugared apples add sweet, spiced, and moist swirls throughout the loaf as if we were indulging in apple cinnamon babka. (If you have the time and are up for a challenge, that recipe is a must make!)
- Texture: Have you ever tried this blueberry muffin bread? The texture of today’s apple cinnamon bread is similar—soft and moist, yet sturdy enough to hold a slice with your hand when you take a bite. And thanks to the liquid from the brown sugared apples seeping to the sides, the bread’s edges crisp up beautifully in the oven. (The top of the loaf stays pretty soft.)
- Ease: This apple bread recipe comes together with basic baking ingredients like butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. Applesauce is likely the only “special” ingredient, but if you don’t have any, sour cream makes a fine substitution. Just like banana bread, creamed butter + sugar is the base, so an electric mixer is certainly helpful. Overall, this is an easy fall baking recipe that bakers of any skill level can manage.
See my entire collection of Fall Baking Recipes including my must-make apple cake and apple cupcakes.
Why This Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe Works
When I first visualized this recipe, I pictured an apple cider bread—sounds good right—almost like apple cider donuts baked in a loaf pan. I reduced the apple cider and added shredded apples to the batter. The loaf was good, but it ended up tasting exactly like harvest spice bread. I added more spices, used more apple cider, but I closed the book on my efforts because the apple and apple cider flavors were slight. Feeling determined, I tried again with creamed butter + sugar as the base of the bread. Chocolate chip loaf cake was my starting point and I swapped chocolate chips for cinnamon-tossed apples. Sadly, the loaf was squat, pale, and wet.
About to throw in the towel—are you even still reading this?—I tried 1 more time. Forget determination, I was just plain stubborn at this point but we can call it strong-willed. I reduced the butter, added some baking soda for color and lift, added more apples, tossed them in brown sugar, closed the oven and crossed my fingers.
IT WORKED! So about 14 loaves and 200 words later, here we are. The recipe ended up being a cross between the chocolate chip loaf cake mentioned above and blueberry muffin bread. It’s tested and tight with flavorful and delicious results. And it certainly speaks volumes that I’m willing to make this bread on repeat after quite the journey getting here!
Overview: How to Make Apple Cinnamon Bread
Let me show you how to make this apple cinnamon bread. Despite the saga above, it truly is an easy recipe. First, chop 1-2 peeled apples into 1/2 inch chunks and then toss them in brown sugar and cinnamon. Do this step first so the apples have time to absorb some of the brown sugar and cinnamon flavors. We’ll layer and swirl them into the loaf pan soon.
I really want to show you the next two photos so you don’t get nervous when it’s your turn to bake the bread. On the left, you can see that the batter looks curdled. This is normal and expected. At this point, you’re trying to combine creamed butter and sugar with eggs, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Even though they are all brought to room temperature, these wet ingredients have different textures. Once you add the dry ingredients and begin mixing in the milk, the batter comes together. Have no fear!
Why Layer & Swirl the Apples? Instead of folding the fruit right into the batter, layer and swirl them in the loaf pan. We do this same step in peach bread and there’s a few reasons why. (1) By doing this, you get pockets of sweet cinnamon and apple swirl inside a cinnamon spiced bread. (2) You also have the chance to introduce brown sugar into the loaf. When using brown sugar as the base of the bread (creaming with butter), the loaf had a heavier texture. And (3) the test loaf made with apples directly folded into the batter was quite wet (not just moist).
It’s almost like we’re making cinnamon swirl banana bread or cinnamon swirl quick bread, but today’s recipe has a lovely buttery base! If you’d rather make muffins, use my apple cinnamon muffins recipe instead because it’s quite similar. (Would be hard to swirl apples into such a tight space!) Or try these healthy apple muffins for a wholesome option using whole wheat flour and no refined sugar. Want to add some zucchini? Try this apple zucchini bread next!
And one more piece of advice before you start:
What Are the Best Apples to Use for Baking?
Firmer apples are ideal for baking so avoid soft, mealy, and mushy apples. If you’re baking a recipe that calls for many apples such as apple crisp, apple cobbler, or apple crumble pie, use a mix of tart apples and sweet apples. This apple cinnamon bread only needs 1 or 2 apples, so it’s fine to use tart OR sweet. I use Granny Smith because overall, its flavor and texture are the best for baking. I also love sweet apples in this bread like Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Pink Lady. For a more detailed list, I have a full post explaining the best apples for baking.
Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes (includes cooling)
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This apple cinnamon bread is buttery moist and cake-like with plenty of apples dotted in each slice. You can use tart or sweet apples in this loaf, but avoid soft and mushy apples. Feel free to turn this recipe into muffins or mini loaves. See recipe notes below.
Ingredients
Apples
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) peeled & chopped apples (1/2 inch chunks; you need about 2 medium apples)
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Batter
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80g) unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position (just below center) and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
- Apples: Stir the apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
- Batter: Whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the eggs and then beat on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the applesauce and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined. Mixture will look chunky and curdled—this is normal and expected. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, turn the mixer on low speed and with the mixer running, slowly pour in the milk. Beat just until combined and do not overmix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be sticky and slightly thick. You’ll have about 3 cups of batter.
- Pour and spread about 1/2 of the batter into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. Spoon apples and any cinnamon/brown sugar juices leftover in the bowl evenly on top. Pour and spread remaining batter on top, making sure to scrape out every last drop of batter. Using a knife, swirl the batter down the center of the loaf pan.
- Bake for 60-75 minutes, loosely covering the bread with aluminum foil at the 30 minute mark to help prevent the top and sides from getting too brown. This is a large heavy loaf, so if your bread is taking longer, that’s completely fine. A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean when the bread is done. Begin checking at 60 minutes. Mine takes 70 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Once cooled or nearly cooled, cut into slices and serve. (Bread falls apart if you try to slice it when it’s warm.)
- Cover and store bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled loaf for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If desired, bring to room temperature before serving. To learn more details about how to freeze quick breads, see my post called Make-Ahead Baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Apple Peeler | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack
- Apples: This apple cinnamon bread only needs 1 or 2 apples, so it’s fine to use tart OR sweet. Avoid soft, mushy apples. I use Granny Smith because overall, its flavor and texture are the best for baking. I also love sweet apples in this bread like Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Pink Lady.
- Applesauce: If you don’t have unsweetened applesauce, use the same amount of plain yogurt or sour cream.
- Muffins: Use my apple cinnamon muffins recipe. The recipe is very similar to this one. Feel free to substitute the yogurt in that recipe with applesauce. If you love nutmeg, add 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg to that batter when you add the cinnamon.
- Mini Loaves: You can use this batter to make mini apple breads. Follow the recipe above as written, dividing the batter/brown sugared apples between your mini loaf pans. Swirl batter and apples together as instructed above. Bake time and yield depends on the size of your mini loaf pan. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Reader Comments and Reviews
One of the best loaves I’ve ever baked. I used a small cast iron skillet and made an oat crumb topping. I also used Greek yogurt as I did not have apple sauce. Oh my gosh! Can’t stop eating it. Thank you so much for this recipe! Perfect for the fall.
Where do you add the milk?
See step 3: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, turn the mixer on low speed and with the mixer running, slowly pour in the milk.
I have tried making this twice and both times it was a fail — the only time I have ever had trouble with a Sally’s recipe. There was no swirl, just a bunch of wet, gooey apples at thr bottom of the loaf, and it sunk way down in the middle after taking it out of the oven. It still tasted good, but it looked awful. I still don’t know what I did wrong, but I have made it without a swirl — just mixed the apples into the batter before putting in the pan — and it was terrific!
hi sally, i have 4×8 loaf pans and would like to gift 2…would making a 1.5 batch work(not double)? also, would greek non fat yogurt work better than applesauce for moisture since i’m mailing out the loaves(unless the applesauce adds additional flavor). ty 😉
Hi Sonny, the loaves may be a bit short, but you could certainly 1.5x the recipe for 2, 8×4-inch loaf pans. (Or double it and use any leftover batter for a few muffins on the side.) You can swap the applesauce for the same amount of yogurt or sour cream. Hope you enjoy it!
I must admit, this one was a very good recipe. I used two Honeycrisp apples kinda large, but sufficient to layer the batter with the apples but one small thing that bothered me is after it is cooked, What is the cooling time on it to remove it on the rack. I gave it 10 mins and it still tried to break apart on me when cutting. Also, why call it quick bread when it takes that long to make?
Hi Adrienne, this bread will not be cooled down enough to cut after 10 minutes. We recommend allowing it to cool in the pan for at least an hour.
Hi Adrienne, A Quick Bread is a bread that does not use yeast, and therefore does not take any waiting for rising time before baking. ….thus making the process quicker. It is made with a muffin like batter. For more details google ” what is a quick bread” Quick breads using a loaf pan 9x5x3 or appx 8 1/2 x 4 take 55 to 65 min to bake…mini loaves less time
I made this yesterday and it was the best quick bread I ever had! Love your recipes, they are also fantastic!
This was very good! I used a little less cinnamon and nutmeg. I used a mix of Galawas very good! I used Gala and Spartan apples since that what I had on hand. I was lazy and just dumped the apples into the batter after they sat in the brow sugar and cinnamon a while. It made two smaller loaves.
Can you grate the apples. I have an Austin grandkid.
Hi Peg, They may prefer our Harvest Spice Bread where the apples are grated instead of cut into chunks.
Ok. I may try that one
Followed exactly as written and it’s PERFECT. I always love your recipes though so I’m not surprised. I’ve cut down the sugar in the bread and it’s sooooo good as well. Yummmm
Love all your recipes! Can I substitute maple sugar for the granulated sugar?
Hi Tash! Substituting maple sugar would require some testing because of the added moisture. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
How long cook time for muffins
Hi Brian, for muffins, we recommend following this apple cinnamon muffins recipe instead. You can follow the baking time and directions there. Enjoy!
I was wondering if I could use your recipe for the streusel used for the apple muffins and put on top of this Apple Loaf. Thank you
This was a HUGE hit at our family gathering. I did make some changes to the recipe only because I didn’t have the correct ingredients. I used salted butter and cut down on the added salt. I also didn’t have unsweetened applesauce, so I used what I had which was sweetened strawberry applesauce. My granny smith apples were very tart so I also added a little more brown sugar and left out the nutmeg because I despise nutmeg and added a little extra cinnamon to make up for it. The results couldn’t have been better. This bread is so moist. My granddaughter couldn’t get enough of it. Thank you so very much.
Somewhere between cakey and bready. A pretty uninspired loaf. I wouldn’t make it again. In my experience applesauce ruins a batter.
HiSally,
I have a question. My son — un like you — does not like chunks of apple (or chunks of anything) in his bread. Could I substitute the chunks of apples with applesauce? Please let me know. Thanks!
Hi Paulina, we wouldn’t recommend replacing the apples with applesauce here. He may prefer our Harvest Spice Bread where the apples are grated instead of cut into chunks.
Can I double this recipe and use a bundt cake pan?
Hi Rena, I would make the batter twice (instead of doubling all in 1 pan, where you could easily overmix the batter). Then, you can use it all to bake in a Bundt pan. I’m unsure of the best bake time, though. I also have this apple Bundt cake recipe.
So moist and delicious! Thank you for always delivering the best tried, true and tested recipes! Love your website too!
Thank you so much, Laurie!
I finally got around to baking this and it was a fan favorite. Sweet and moist but not so sweet that it stopped us from having some for breakfast. You’re right that it really needs no topping! Thanks for your easy and clear instructions. Glad to add something other than pumpkin bread to my fall baking arsenal!
This is a fabulous loaf, the apple layer is what makes it perfect. I ate mine drinking Trader Joes spiced cider to have the full apple effect.. lol
Thanks for all the tips..
This is wonderful fall breakfast or snack. Very moist and delicious. I added a bit more apple than the recipe called for. You could even add a drizzle of frosting over top of the bread, but this bread is so flavorful you don’t need it!
This is seriously delicious! The little pockets of cinnamon apple chunks are yummy and the cake is light and moist. I used a nordic ware loaf pan and it was done in 50 minutes. I find the cast aluminum bakes faster. This is definitely one I will go back to again and again as it shouts fall! Thank you, Sally and team. PS I actually did this for my October 2022 Challenge but didn’t post. The grands love to see my monthly bakes.
Excellent! Nice fall flavors. Very moist.
My bread cooked in a metal pan in about 50 mins. Keep an eye on it.
Delicious! Thank you.
Fabulously yummy recipe! I used three mini pans and measured out the batter and apples— deciding it would have been much easier had I used one pan – but they came out perfectly fine and delicious! The mini breads need to cool before removing from the pans otherwise they may crumble and stick but once cool they’re fine. I served one slightly warm, worth the crumble— and the other two were very welcome take home gifts. ❤️
Can’t wait to try this! I have a question: I was thinking of freezing the loaf prior to mailing it to my dad. However, I also wanted to glaze the top with your salted caramel recipe. Would it be okay to freeze the already glazed loaf, or do glazes not freeze well? Thanks in advance!
Hi Jessica! It’s best to freeze the bread without a glaze.
I substituted greek yogurt for applesauce, and used buttermilk instead of whole milk, as that’s what I had on hand. Turned out great! Thanks for another fab recipe!
Hi Lorena, I am also looking to use buttermilk instead of whole milk. Did you notice any issue wit the rise? Did you add more baking soda? Thanks!! 🙂
Do you think I can replace the applesauce with apple butter?
Hi Linda, The best substitutes would be sour cream or plain yogurt. This recipe calls for unsweetened applesauce and apple butter is usually made with a lot of sugar (which is why it’s so yummy!). We would be afraid it would make this bread too sweet without altering any other ingredients. We do LOVE apple butter so enjoy it as a topping where you can really let it shine.
Between my daughter and me, we have made this bread 8 times in the last 2 months. It is such a hit, just like all of your recipes. Thank you!
Can I add walnuts, and if so how much should I use?
Hi Kristan! We recommend 3/4 cup (98g) or 1 cup (130g) of chopped walnuts. Fold into the batter before layering with apples in the loaf pan.
I made this recipe as a snack bread for lunches. I substituted the applesauce with sour cream. I used Granny Smith apples as suggested. The bread and the recipe was flawless. It took exactly 60 minutes in my convection oven.
I appreciate all the time you put into your explanations and directions – as everyone’s kitchen and circumstances are different. I look forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you!
I want to make this recipe but wanted to do it in my angel cake pan. Do I need to double the recipe? Thanks it sounds delicious and love all the recipes I have tried from you.
Hi Julie, I would make the batter twice (instead of doubling all in 1 pan). You can use it all to bake in your tube pan. I’m unsure of the best bake time, though. I also have this apple Bundt cake recipe that could be used as well.
Great recipe.! Can I add some oatmeal for texture?
Hi Joyce, so glad you enjoy this one! Adding oats would take some testing and tweaking of the other ingredients, since they can dry out baked goods quite a bit. If you’re looking for an oat + apple combo, you might enjoy these apple cinnamon baked oatmeal cups.