When fall rolls around, who doesn't crave a good apple recipe. This moist Apple Fritter Bread with Maple Glaze with layers of fresh apples and spiced cinnamon goodness is just the thing. Enjoy a slice of this homemade sweet treat for dessert, breakfast, or snack.
Why this Apple Fritter Loaf Cake Recipe is Fantastic: It is made with real fruit - no canned apple pie filling here. Just sweet crisp apples, homemade cake batter, & swirls of brown sugar.
Who doesn't love a good loaf cake recipe? My Raspberry Lemon Loaf recipe is one of my most popular for good reason.
My guess is this apple fritter cake will be a favorite in no time too. It's a fantastic combo of a classic American donut, apple fritters, & a buttery pound cake.
This was inspired by a summer favorite, Southern Peach Pound Cake another loaf pan baked good. Ok, now we bake!
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Ingredients Apple Fritter Bread
Here is everything you need to make homemade apple fritter bread with fresh fruit. It has just a touch of cinnamon (since one of the kids isn't biggest fan) and let's the apples be the star.
Don't skip the maple frosting - it sets this over the top. Use real maple syrup, no pancake syrup that's mostly high fructose corn syrup.
This apple loaf cake recipe will rival any fancy gourmet bakery or local coffee shop.
Here are important notes for some ingredients:
- Apples - diced baking apples such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp etc
- Salted Butter - softened for a rich batter
- White Sugar - to sweeten the batter
- Eggs - large at room temperature is best
- Vanilla - floral notes pair with apples well
- All-Purpose Flour - classic pantry staple for baked goods
- Baking Powder - activates with the milk for a fluffy light cake that rises a bit without any yeast needed
- Whole Milk - for a moist loaf cake batter
- Brown Sugar - for the swirls
- Spices - cinnamon & nutmeg
- Maple Syrup - the real deal for the glaze
- Powdered Sugar - for the glaze to drizzle on top
The simple dough recipe is made without yeast which the traditional fritter donut has. This is more a country-style quick bread.
See the recipe card for full list, quantities, & any substitutions/variations.
How to Make Apple Fritter Bread
If you love a good old-fashioned apple fritter but don't want to fry donuts, this is the recipe for you.
Here are the easy steps for making loaf cake loaded with apples:
- Make the Batter
- Layer Batter, Apples, & Brown Sugar
- Bake, Cool, & Drizzle on the Maple Glaze
See the step-by-step instructions with photos below plus the recipe card at the end of the post.
1 - Make the Batter
To begin, preheat the oven to 350°F. Prep your standard loaf pan (9x5) with butter &/or a dusting of flour. I added butter even though it is a nonstick pan.
In a large mixing bowl add the room temperature butter and white sugar. Cream together for 2 minutes with an electric hand mixer.
Add the 2 eggs and vanilla to the bowl. Mix again for 2 minutes to combine. Scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed.
To the wet ingredients add the dry ingredients & whole milk. Mix with the hand mixer until combined and no dry streaks of flour remain - scraping down the sides as needed.
In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon, mix & set aside.
2 - Layer Batter, Apples, & Brown Sugar
After the batter is done, prep the apples. This is so they stay fresh and don't turn brown before getting to add them to the cake.
Wash, dry, peel, & core the apples. Cut the apples into small ½" chunks.
In a medium bowl add the diced apples, sugar & cinnamon. Mix and set aside.
In the prepared loaf pan add ½ the cake batter.
Top the batter with ½ of the apple mixture.
Finish with ½ of the brown sugar spice mixture. It will look like this.
Repeat with the remaining half of each mixture.
3 - Bake, Cool, & Drizzle on the Maple Glaze
Once the oven reaches 350°F it is ready for the fritter bread.
The cake will look like this with a bunch of apples and spices on top. It should be about ¾ full.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 50-60 minutes. Since all ovens run differently, start checking for doneness around 45 minutes.
A toothpick should come out mostly clean when it is ready - a small streak of dough plus crumbs is normal. Do NOT over bake or it will be dry. Let the cake cool (which actually has it continue to cook a bit) in the pan for 10 minutes.
Release the cake from the pan and set it on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Once completely cool, mix the maple syrup & powdered sugar together until smooth in a small bowl. Drizzle it over the top of the fritter bread.
Once the maple drizzle has set, about 5 minutes. Slice & serve. Enjoy!
Serving & Storing
This is great to enjoy any time of day. Serve for dessert or a snack.
Or like my Apple Crumb Coffee Cake, enjoy for breakfast or brunch with a cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy it on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.
Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter or cool dry place for 3 days or in the fridge for 5 days. See recipe card for more information including freezing instructions.
This is a popular recipe between September - December when apples are in harvest. Enjoy it from fall to winter.
Recipe Tips & Behind the Scenes
Here's my recipe for success - including what I learned when testing, fun stories, recipe history, and more.
- #1 Tip - do not over bake the cake or it will be dry & crumbly. Ovens cook differently so check it 5-10 minutes early just in case.
- Use the right kind of apples, the best apples for baking like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, & Golden Delicious.
- Do not use pancake syrup for the glaze, just real maple syrup.
- This is made in a standard loaf pan (9x5 inches)
- I first made this when the kids were toddlers & cut it into sticks. They would pick it up and dip it into a bit of apple sauce - because all kids love anything with a "dip!"
- If you also like bundt pan cakes; try my Banana Bread Bundt Cake recipe.
FAQ
I have only made this in a 9x5 standard 1 ¼ pound size. The loaf pan fits about 8 cups. As for what other sizes and cooking time/temperature that has not been recipe tested.
I have not tested it. The water content and the baking time for other fruits would be different. If pears are used, make sure they are very firm & not soft/over ripe or they will be mushy. (I have not tested this)
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Apple Fritter Bread with Maple Glaze
Equipment
- Standard Loaf Pan
Ingredients
Bread Batter
- ½ cup salted butter 1 stick softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup whole milk
Sugar & Spice Layer
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Apple Layer
- 2 large Apples peeled & diced; Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Fuji or Honeycrisp
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Maple Glaze
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prep your standard loaf pan (9x5) with butter &/or a dusting of flour.
Make the Batter
- In a large mixing bowl add the soft butter and sugar. Cream together for 2 minutes with an electric hand mixer.½ cup salted butter, ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- Add the eggs and vanilla to the bowl. Mix again for 2 minutes to combine. Scrape down the sides with a spatula.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter. Mix for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. It is ready when there are no dry streaks of flour and everything is smooth.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ½ cup whole milk
Prep the Layers
- In a small bowl combine the brown sugar & spices. Mix and set aside.½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- In a medium bowl add the diced apples, sugar, & cinnamon. Stir to combine so the apples are all evenly coated. Set aside.2 large Apples, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Layer & Bake the Fritter Bread
- To the prepared loaf pan add ½ the batter. Top with ½ the apple mixture. Lastly sprinkle on ½ the brown sugar spice mixture over the apples.
- Repeat with remaining batter, apples, & brown sugar mix.
- Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes. Insert a toothpick & it should come out mostly clean with a lil crumb that is slightly moist attached. Do not over bake or it will be dry - as it rests in the pan it will cook a bit more. NOTE: (streaks of cinnamon/brown sugar are normal just no gooey batter)
- Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Then gently remove it from the pan and set on a wire rack to continue cooling.
- Once it is completely cool, whisk together the maple glaze in a small bowl. Adjust with more or less powdered sugar as needed so it is a thick glaze (maple syrup thickness varies)⅔ cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Drizzle the maple glaze evenly over the top of the bread. Let it set for a few minutes.
- Slice & serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Serve while fresh, best enjoyed in the first 2 days.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter or cool dry place for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- I do not recommend freezing the bread once topped with the glaze. Baked fritter bread does freeze well once cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and sealed in an air-tight ziploc freezer bag. Defrost and top with glaze before slicing and serving.
- Use baking apples for best results - Granny Smith, Fuji, Golden Delicious, or HoneyCrisp (do not use Red Delicious, Gala, McIntosh etc since they become too soft & mealy)
Nutrition
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