Apples at the market are a sure signal that fall is on it’s way. Gone are the greens, reds, even purple shades of various tomatoes, in come the yellow, green, and red gradients of apples.
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Apple Bread
At first I take pleasure in eating them on their own, enjoying the fresh, crisp natural flavors, but it doesn’t take long before I’m ready to turn the oven on and start baking again. This simple Apple Bread is the perfect recipe for fall, especially when it’s drizzled with an autumn-inspired Spiced Icing full of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Quick Apple Bread
I love making quick breads because I have a massive sweet tooth. Who wouldn’t appreciate an excuse to eat cake for breakfast and an afternoon snack? Not only that, but quick breads are also a cinch to make.
While I adore having a slice (or a few) in my house, one loaf is enough, so I made a few changes to the big batch apple bread recipe. For one, I cut pretty much everything in half. Then I swapped out the all-purpose flour for whole wheat, because the trade is hardly noticeable and the nutty quality of whole-wheat works quite well with the fall flavors in the bread.
And because I’m firmly on Team Icing, I cut half the sugar in the bread itself since I knew the icing would provide plenty of sweetness. Lastly, I increased the amount of cinnamon and sprinkled in a little nutmeg to give the batter a little flavor boost.
The result: A mellow, moist cake with just enough spice and sweetness to make it acceptable for an indulgent breakfast or an afternoon snack. For me, this Apple Quick Bread is the perfect reminder of why I love fall.
More Dessert Recipes:
SPICED APPLE DESSERT PIZZA WITH CHEDDAR COOKIE CRUST
Apple Quick Bread with Spiced Icing Recipe
Ingredients
Apple Quick Bread:
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ cups shredded apples (2 medium), such as Golden Delicious, Rome, Granny Smith, or Jonathan
- 1 cups sugar
- ⅓ cup cooking oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
Spiced Icing:
- 4 tblsp butter, unsalted
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2-3 tblsps milk
Instructions
For the Apple Quick Bread:
- Grease and flour one 8 x 4 x 2-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder; set aside.
- In a large bowl combine eggs, apples, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture just until moistened.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in a 325° F oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool on wire racks. Let the bread cool completely before beginning the icing.
For the Spiced Icing:
- Melt the butter over medium low heat on your stovetop. Continue to watch until the butter turns a golden brown color and the smell is sort of nutty. Once butter gets to this point, quickly remove and whisk in powdered sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons of the milk until mixture is smooth and pourable. If the mixture is too thick, add the remaining milk.
- Drizzle icing over the completely cooled cake and serve.
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