Description
This moist and flavorful Cinnamon Apple Bread combines tart Granny Smith apples with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Toasted walnuts add a delightful crunch to the tender, sweet bread perfect for breakfast or a comforting snack. The recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and is baked to golden perfection with a cinnamon sugar topping and fresh apple slices for a beautiful presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Topping
- 1 1/2 tbsp demerara sugar (or turbinado sugar)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 3/4 of 1 Granny Smith apple, quartered, cored, thinly sliced (approx 3 mm / 1/8″ thick)
Cinnamon Apple Mix
- 3 cups diced Granny Smith apple (1/2” cubes, skin on, approx 2 large apples)
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp allspice (or mixed spice)
Batter
- 1 3/4 cups plain / all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda, sifted
- 1/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt (or sour cream), at room temperature
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup canola oil (or other neutral flavored oil)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped into 1cm pieces
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F), or 180°C (fan) and position the oven rack in the middle.
- Prepare Loaf Pan: Use a 21.5 x 11.5 x 7 cm loaf pan. Spray it with canola oil and line the long sides and base with parchment paper with some overhang to easily lift the bread out later.
- Make Topping: In a small bowl, mix together the demerara sugar and cinnamon powder. Set this aside for topping the bread later.
- Prepare Cinnamon Apple Mixture: In a bowl, combine the diced Granny Smith apples with cinnamon, brown sugar, ginger powder, and allspice. Let it sit while you prepare the batter; the sugar will help draw moisture out of the apples, enhancing the flavor.
- Mix Batter: In one bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the brown sugar, yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk gently just until combined.
- Add Apples and Walnuts: Fold in the cinnamon apple mixture, including all the juices, and the toasted walnuts. The batter should be thick but dollopable—not runny or stiff.
- Assemble in Pan: Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface with a spatula.
- Add Apple Slices Topping: Take 1/4 of the thinly sliced apple slices and fan them out overlapping on top of the batter; repeat this two more times to cover about 3/4 of the surface. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Bake: Bake the bread for 60 minutes. Then loosely cover the loaf with foil and continue baking for an additional 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the bread rest for 15 minutes in the pan. Then use the parchment paper overhang to lift it out and transfer to a wire rack. Allow it to cool completely for at least 1 hour before slicing to ensure clean cuts.
- Serve: Enjoy the bread plain or lightly toasted with butter for a delicious treat.
Notes
- Use tart Granny Smith apples for the best balance of sweetness and acidity.
- Demarara or turbinado sugar adds a nice crunchy texture for the topping.
- Ginger and allspice contribute warmth and depth to the spice profile.
- Sifting the baking soda helps incorporate it evenly and prevents lumps.
- Using room temperature eggs and yogurt ensures a smooth batter and better rise.
- Toast walnuts to deepen their flavor and enhance texture.
- Line the loaf pan with parchment paper on long sides and base for easy removal; no need to line short sides.
- Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing to avoid crumbling.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Cinnamon apple bread, apple bread recipe, spiced apple bread, homemade apple bread, quick bread, walnut bread
