Spiced Apple Bread
This Spiced Apple Bread is tender, buttery, and full of fall flavor—with a spiced apple swirl and vanilla glaze, it’s basically cake in a loaf pan.
Recipe and image compliments of Brit from Whisked Away Kitchen
Spiced Apple Bread
Ingredients
Spiced Sugar
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Cinnamon Apples
- 2 small Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Bread
- 1½ cups 190g all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup Hiland Unsalted Butter softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Hiland Milk at room temperature
- ¼ cup Hiland Sour Cream at room temperature
Glaze (optional)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-2 tablespoons Hiland Milk or Hiland Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the two long sides for easy removal.
- Make the spiced sugar by whisking together the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl. Set aside.
- For the cinnamon apples, toss the diced apples with dark brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl until evenly coated. Set aside.
- Make the bread. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Fold in half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add the milk and sour cream, mixing until blended. Add the remaining flour mixture and fold into the batter until smooth and no dry streaks remain; be careful not to overmix.
- To assemble, spread half of the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Top with half of the cinnamon apples, draining any excess liquid first. Sprinkle half of the spiced sugar mixture evenly over the apples.
- Carefully spread the remaining batter over the layers. Use a knife or a skewer to gently swirl through the batter in a few figure-eight motions to create a swirl.
- Scatter the remaining cinnamon apples over the top and finish by sprinkling with the rest of the spiced sugar.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Allow the loaf to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Then, use the parchment paper to lift the bread out and transfer it directly to the rack to cool completely.
- For the optional glaze, whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and milk together until smooth. Add more milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a thick but drizzling consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bread.
Spiced Apple Bread is cozy, sliceable, and totally indulgent—just how we like it
With rich spice, sweet apples, and a soft crumb, this loaf walks the line between dessert and comfort bread—and no one’s complaining about it.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Incredibly Moist and Tender: The secret is a bit of sour cream in the batter. It makes the crumb so soft and keeps it from drying out.
- Spiced Sugar Swirl: Instead of just mixing everything together, we layer the batter with apples and spiced sugar. This gives you pockets of cinnamon and soft apple in every slice.
- Simple Techniques: No fancy skills needed. If you can cream butter and sugar, you can make this bread.
- Your Kitchen Will Smell Amazing: The mix of apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg is just pure comfort.
Ingredient Notes
Apples: Granny Smith are great because they’re tart and hold their shape, but any baking apple like Honeycrisp will work.
Spices: Feel free to play with the amounts. Love cinnamon? Add an extra dash.
Hiland Sour Cream: This is the magic ingredient for moisture. Don’t skip it! Full-fat is best here.
Dark Brown Sugar: The molasses in dark brown sugar gives the spiced swirl a deeper flavor. For the best results, make sure to pack it firmly into your measuring cup.
Room Temperature Ingredients: Take your eggs, milk, and sour cream out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start. It makes the batter smooth and helps the bread rise evenly.
Step by Step Instructions
- Get set up. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease your loaf pan. This is the perfect time to get your ingredients to room temp if you haven’t already.
- Make your toppings. In one small bowl, mix the dark brown sugar and spices for the topping. In another bowl, toss your chopped apples with a little cinnamon and sugar.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. Whisk your flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. This makes sure the baking powder is evenly distributed so your bread rises perfectly.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until it looks light and fluffy. This should take 2-3 minutes. This step adds air to the batter, making the bread light.
- Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, letting each one mix in fully before adding the next. Then mix in the vanilla.
- Combine everything. Use a spatula to fold in about half of the flour mixture and mix until it’s just combined. Pour in the milk and sour cream and mix. Finally, add the rest of the flour and mix just until you can’t see any dry spots. Don’t overmix!
- Layer the batter. Spread half of the batter into your prepared pan. Top with half of the cinnamon apples and sprinkle with half of the spiced sugar. Carefully spread the rest of the batter over the top. Use a knife to gently swirl it all together. Top with the remaining apples and spiced sugar.
- Bake and cool. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Let it cool in the pan for a bit before moving it to a wire rack. This prevents it from breaking.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Measure flour carefully. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off. Don’t scoop directly from the bag—you’ll pack in too much and the bread can get dense.
- Test for doneness with a toothpick. The bread is done when a toothpick poked in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- Let the bread cool completely before slicing. I know it’s hard to wait, but it slices so much cleaner and the texture is better.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
- Keep the cooled bread (without the glaze) wrapped tightly in plastic wrap on the counter for 2-3 days.
- It also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Just wrap it well in plastic and foil and thaw it on the counter when you’re ready for a slice.
Warm, fragrant, and glazed to perfection, this loaf is pure fall baking bliss!
Serving Ideas
- A plain slice is the perfect breakfast with a hot cup of coffee.
- For a real treat, warm a slice in the microwave for about 15 seconds and add a little pat of butter.
- It’s also fantastic with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a simple dessert!
For more delicious recipes, visit Hiland Dairy’s recipe page.
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