Apple Butter Loaf Cake

sliced apple loaf cake with cinnamon sticks and apples

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.

Course Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cinnamon, loaf pan, swirl

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 5

Servings

Calories 281kcal

Author Elizabeth Van Lierde

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

Store in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To freeze, cool completely, 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.

Nutrition