Soft, moist, and loaded with juicy cinnamon apples — this Apple Fritter Bread gives you everything you love about a bakery fritter in loaf form. It smells unbelievable, slices beautifully, and stays tender for days.
Sweet, spiced, and slightly crisp around the edges, this apple bread is the kind of baked loaf that makes your whole kitchen smell amazing.
Apple Fritter Bread Ingredients
We tested this recipe multiple times to get that perfect crumb and swirl balance. It’s moist without being dense and packed with apple pieces that stay where they should instead of sinking.
Here’s everything that actually made a difference:
What the Testing Showed
Metal vs. Glass Pans
Baking the loaf in a metal pan gave the best, most consistent results — even rise, tender crumb, and a nice golden edge. The loaf baked in glass turned out a little drier, even though it looked fine on the surface. That’s because glass holds heat longer and keeps cooking the bread after it’s out of the oven. If you’re using glass, take it out a few minutes earlier and cool it completely in the pan.
Apple Type & Cut Size
Firm, crisp apples such as Honeycrisp or Gala held their shape the best. Softer varieties released too much liquid, which made the batter gummy around the swirl. Chopping the apples small (½-inch pieces) and tossing them in a bit of flour before layering stopped them from sinking — that step made a visible difference.
The Cinnamon Swirl
We tested mixing the apples directly into the batter vs. layering — layering was far better. It keeps distinct ribbons of apple and cinnamon running through the bread instead of spreading it all over. One light swirl with a knife through the middle is plenty.
Bake Time & Texture
Baking around 50 minutes was the sweet spot. Overbake even slightly and this loaf dries fast around the edges. It’s done when a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The bread will finish setting as it cools — don’t rush that part. Cooling fully is what gives you clean slice.
Storage
This apple fritter bread stays soft for up to three days in an airtight container at room temp. It’s even better slightly warm — 10 seconds in the microwave brings back that fresh-baked texture. It also freezes beautifully: slice, wrap, and thaw as needed.
More Quick Bread Recipes
An easy quick bread recipe is an excellent addition to your recipe box. Look no further than our strawberry rhubarb bread, snickerdoodle bread and cream cheese banana bread to get you started.
Apple Fritter Bread
Ingredients
For the Apple Cinnamon Filling
- 1 cup small-diced apples, approximately 1 large Gala (peeled, cored & diced)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice blend
For the Batter
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup buttermilk
For the Glaze
- 1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8½ x 4½-inch metal loaf pan with Baker’s Spray and set it aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the chopped apples, light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and apple pie spice blend to create the apple cinnamon filling. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set flour mixture aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together on medium speed with an electric mixer, the unsalted butter and sugar for 1 minute or until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat for an additional 30 seconds or just until fully incorporated.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on low until just combined.
- Add the buttermilk to the batter and beat again, on low speed, just until fully incorporated. You may need to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a mixing spoon between additions.
- Add the remaining half of the dry ingredients to the batter and beat just until combined. Do not overmix your batter.
- Spread half of your batter into the bottom of your prepared loaf pan in an even layer with a mixing spoon. Your batter will be thick.
- Spoon about two-thirds of your apple filling onto the first layer of batter in your pan. Spread it out evenly.
- Top with the remaining batter and spread it out so that all the apples are covered and you have an even layer.
- Spoon the remaining chopped apple mixture over the top of the batter and, using a butter knife or offset spatula, swirl the batter very carefully. You do not want to mix it all completely together. Make sure that all the apple pieces are mostly covered to avoid burning them while baking.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes uncovered. Tent your bread with a piece of aluminum foil for the additional bake time to help prevent it from getting too brown. Bake the bread for an additional 20 minutes covered or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Total bake time 50-55 minutes depending on oven temperature.
- Allow your bread to cool in the pan on the counter for 10-20 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely at room temperature for about 1 hour.
- While your bread is cooling, you can make your glaze by stirring together the sifted powdered sugar and heavy cream until smooth and a pourable consistency. You may need to add a little extra powdered sugar if it is too loose (start with 2 tablespoons) or heavy cream if too thick (start with 1 teaspoon) until you have your desired consistency.
- You can spoon, or pour, your glaze over the completely cooled loaf of apple fritter bread. You will want to allow your glaze to set for 15 minutes to firm up before slicing and serving your bread.
Notes
- If your apples release water after you’ve chopped them, be sure to drain it off before adding them to the batter.
- Always start and end with the flour mixture when mixing with an additional wet ingredient for your batters.
- Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your bread as the suggested baking time approaches.
- If using a glass baking dish, the cooling time will be longer because glass holds the heat longer. It will need to cool about 30-40 minutes before getting it out of the dish. It will then need to cool at room temperature for about 2 hours so it can be sliced better.
- Place bread on a wire rack before pouring the glaze on top of the bread so that any excess glaze will run through the rack rather than leaving a puddle around your bread.
Nutrition
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