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apple cake loaf sliced with cinnamon cream cheese icing and a sliced apple beside it
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Apple Cake Loaf

This apple loaf is soft, moist, and filled with delicious apple pieces. It’s topped with a cinnamon cream cheese glaze and so easy to make!
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Bake Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 10 slices
Calories 268kcal
Author Gabby

Equipment

Ingredients

Apple Cake Loaf

  • cup canola oil (or other neutral oil)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cups apple* chopped into small pieces (roughly 1 ½ apples)
  • cup milk (regular or vegan)
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing (optional)

  • 4 tablespoon cream cheese, softened (regular or vegan)
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar (icing sugar/confectioner's sugar)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1-2 tablespoon milk (regular or dairy free)

Instructions

Apple Cake Loaf

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5 baking pan with parchment paper, letting it hand out over the sides. This will make it easier to remove the loaf from the pan later. Set aside.
  • Chop apples into small cubes (roughly 0.5″) and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar together. Whisk in the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.
  • Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the chopped apples. Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 37-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing (optional)

  • Add powdered sugar, cinnamon, cream cheese, and 1 tablespoon of milk to a bowl and whisk until fully combined, adding more milk if needed to adjust consistency.
  • Pour the glaze over the cooled loaf right before serving. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

PLEASE NOTE: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients. Metric measurements are found above under the "Metric" tab.
APPLES: You can use any kind of apples! The best are Gala, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith. You can also use Fuji or Pink Lady. You can leave the peel on, as the pieces are small enough that you don’t notice it.
MEASURING FLOUR: Properly measure your flour using the scoop and level method or a kitchen scale. This is crucial as too much flour will lead to a dry loaf.
OIL: Any neutral oil will work here, like sunflower, canola, or vegetable oil. Oil helps with the fluffy texture of the loaf. You can also use melted butter or unsweetened apple sauce, though the texture may be affected slightly.
CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE GLAZE: If the glaze is too thick, add a little more milk. If it's too thin, you can add ½ tablespoon more cream cheese or more powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.
STREUSEL: If you'd rather top the loaf with streusel, you can use this delicious cinnamon streusel recipe. Sprinkle over top of the batter before baking. 
It is important to note that any substitutions to the original recipe will slightly change the texture of the muffins. This includes different sweeteners and flours.
Storage and Freezing:
Store the loaf at room temperature for up to 4 days. I don't recommend refrigerating as this can dry out the loaf. If topping with the cinnamon cream cheese glaze, note that it may not set as well if the temperature is too warm. I recommend leaving the loaf unglazed until just before serving.
The apple loaf can also be frozen (without the cinnamon cream cheese icing): After it has cooled completely, wrap the loaf tightly in ceran wrap, then wrap in tinfoil and place in a large ziploc bag. You can also freeze individual unglazed slices the same way. Freeze for up to two months.
Note: Calorie information provided above includes cinnamon cream cheese glaze.

Nutrition

Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg