This Apple Butter Loaf Cake recipe is like your standard apple cinnamon bread with a gorgeous apple butter – brown sugar swirl running down the middle. It’s an easy quick bread recipe casual enough for breakfast or brunch yet elegant enough for the holidays.
Why you’ll love this apple cinnamon bread recipe
Puts good use of all those apples! As soon as the leaves start to change, it’s all about apple picking. And since I get too excited at the apple orchard (along with consuming too much apple cider and apple cider donuts!), I always have so many apples when I get home. And too many apples means more apple cinnamon rolls, apple pancakes and this apple bread bursting with the flavors of fall.
Enjoy it any time of day! One of the best aspects of this recipe is that it can literally be enjoyed any time of day. Breakfast, brunch, dessert or even as an afternoon pick-me-up with a hot, steaming cup of joe.
Perfect for the holidays! The bonus is the beauty and elegance this loaf brings to any holiday table. I love to serve it during a casual holiday brunch with my girlfriends, but my family goes just as crazy when I set it out on the holiday dessert table. There is always room for some apple bread in our house – and I know your family will love it too!
Ingredients for apple cake recipe
The ingredient list for this one is broken up into two parts – cinnamon sugar swirl and apple cake. Let’s take a look at each one to see what we need.
Cinnamon sugar swirl
- Brown sugar
- Apple butter
- Cinnamon
Apple loaf
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Apple
How to make apple bread
- Prep loaf pan: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the swirl: In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, apple butter and ground cinnamon and set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon and set aside.
- Whisk wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, cream together granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Whisk in eggs, milk and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Mix batter: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and fold together gently until batter is evenly combined. Gently fold apples into the batter.
- Pour and swirl: Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan. Spoon out ½ of the apple butter swirl mixture onto the first half of the batter and swirl together gently with a knife. Pour the remaining batter on top. Top with the remaining apple butter mixture and swirl the top together gently.
- Bake, cool and slice: Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center is removed clean. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing.
Serving suggestions
The apple cake is best served warm, with at least 20 minutes of cooling time after being taken out of the oven. This helps the cinnamon swirl set up and makes it more manageable to slice. That being said, there is nothing wrong with keeping this little guy for a few extra days and popping a slice (or two!) in the toaster oven just until warmed through.
How to store
Store the apple cinnamon loaf in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Warm it in the microwave or toaster oven just before serving.
To freeze, cool the loaf completely on a cooling rack, then wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Transfer to a plastic freezer storage bag, seal tight, label, date and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on the kitchen counter when ready to enjoy.
Tip: I like to make a few extra loaves during the peak of apple season and stash them in the freezer. This way, I have breakfast, brunch or dessert already prepped and ready come the holiday season.
Recipe Variations
- Fruit Butter: Get a little wild and use a different variety of fruit butter for the swirl – pumpkin or pear butter would be divine.
- Spices: Up the spice level by adding an extra oomph with 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
- Nuts: Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts for another level of flavor and an added crunch factor.
Looking for more apple recipes? Check these out!
- Herb Apple Stuffing
- Apple Chai Bundt Cake
- Gorgonzola and Apple Salad
- Bacon and Apple Macaroni and Cheese
- Apple Cider Whiskey Cocktail
If you make this Apple Butter Loaf Cake recipe, be sure to tag me on Pinterest and Instagram!
I seriously love seeing what you guys are making and sharing your creations with the College Housewife community!
Apple Butter Loaf Cake
ingredients
For swirl:
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup apple butter
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
For Loaf:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup 1 stick butter, at room temp
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup peeled and cored, diced apple chunks
instructions
- Prep loaf pan: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the swirl: In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, apple butter and ground cinnamon and set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon and set aside.
- Whisk wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, cream together granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Whisk in eggs, milk and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Mix batter: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and fold together gently until batter is evenly combined. Gently fold apples into the batter.
- Pour and swirl: Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan. Spoon out ½ of the apple butter swirl mixture onto the first half of the batter and swirl together gently with a knife. Pour the remaining batter on top. Top with the remaining apple butter mixture and swirl the top together gently.
- Bake, cool and slice: Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center is removed clean. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing.
notes
A terrific, terrific recipe! I had a jar of apple butter I was struggling to get rid of. This did the trick. The cake batter is not too sweet, and the apple butter naturally adds this heavenly aroma to the final product. The only thing I did different was the mixing method, reverse creaming instead of the traditional way in the recipe instructions. Highly recommend this recipe, as the taste, texture, and sweetness are all on point. You can even add some chopped nuts for some crunch.