Apple Cinnamon Streusel Bread
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This Apple Cinnamon Streusel Bread is made with apples cooked down in cinnamon and sugar, so you don’t have hard apple chunks in the bread! Pair that with a soft and fluffy cinnamon bread, a crumbled streusel topping, and a little icing, and this Apple Cinnamon Streusel Bread is the perfect fall treat. Best part? It makes 2 loaves! You know that’s my favorite way to make a Sweet Bread recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Here’s the secret: instead of folding in raw apple pieces, you’ll cook the apples down first with cinnamon and sugar until they’re soft and caramelized. It gives the bread that warm apple flavor in every bite without any hard bits hiding inside.
Then, that apple mixture gets baked into the softest, fluffiest cinnamon bread, and topped with a crumbly, buttery streusel. Once it’s cooled, a quick drizzle of icing ties it all together.
And because I always love when a sweet bread recipe makes extra (because if you’re baking, you might as well share!), this one makes two full loaves. One for you and one to gift – or maybe both for you, no judgment here.
There’s just something about baking with apples that makes the whole house smell like fall.
This Apple Cinnamon Streusel Bread is everything I want in a cozy fall bake: soft, cinnamon-swirled bread, tender cooked apples (no crunchy chunks here!), and a buttery streusel topping that bakes up golden and crisp. A drizzle of icing on top makes it extra special.
There’s something so fun about baking in the fall – the weather is starting to get cooler, it’s fun to be in the kitchen again after a busy summer, and the flavors are just right. Fall really delivers with the foods and flavors (cinnamon, nutmeg, apple, pumpkin, sage, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, pecans, and more). If you want to see more of my Fall Recipes, click here.
Tips for the Best Apple CINNAMON Streusel Bread
- Use tart apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp for a perfect balance of sweetness.
- Don’t skip cooking the apples first — that’s what gives this bread its melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Store it covered at room temperature for a couple of days, or freeze a loaf for later.
Apple Cinnamon Streusel Bread
Ingredients
Apple Cinnamon Mixture
- 5 cups chopped apples (tart apples work best) (4-6 apples, depending on size)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1½ cups water
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water (additional water to mix with cornstarch)
Apple Cinnamon Loaf Cakes
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (1.5 sticks/12 tablespoons)
- 1½ cups white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- cooked down apple mixture
Cinnamon Streusel Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick/8 tablespoons)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup white flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Easy Vanilla Icing (optional)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3-4 tablespoons milk or cream
Instructions
Apple Cinnamon Mixture
- Start by making the apple cinnamon mixture. This can take about 20 minutes, depending on how long it takes to cook them down, so plan ahead. This apple mixture can also be made a day or two ahead and stored in the fridge.
- In a medium bowl, place chopped apples. (Leave the skins on the apples; once you cook them down you won't be able to taste them.)Toss the apples with the lemon juice and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir well. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, gently place the chopped apples in the saucepan. Stir well. Reduce heat to medium-high.
- You'll continue cooking the apples until they are soft and reduced down by about half. This could take 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your pan, and level of heat on your stove. Continue stirring as it reduces. (You want the apples to be soft but not mashed. The main thing is you don't want them hard, so there aren't hard pieces of apple in the bread.)
- Once they're soft and the water mixture is starting to thicken, get the cornstarch mixture ready. In a tiny bowl, mix the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water with a fork until smooth.Pour this cornstarch mixture into the apple mixture (keep the heat at medium-high while you pour it in), and continue mixing until the mixture thickens.
- Stir for 1-2 more minutes until thickened then remove from heat and set aside.
Cinnamon Streusel Crumble Topping
- After making the apple mixture, while it cools, make the cinnamon streusel crumble topping.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, white sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Mix with fork to combine well. Pour the melted butter on top of the mixture. Mix until butter is well incorporated and mixture is incorporated but slightly crumbly. Set aside.
Apple Cinnamon Loaf Cakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 loaf pans (8"x4" or 9" x 5") with oil or nonstick cooking spray. I also love adding a strip of parchment paper to keep the apples from sticking.Once pans are prepared, set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the melted butter and white sugar, and mix until creamy.Next add the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk and mix well until smooth.
- Add in flour mixture and stir until well combined. It will be thick before you add in the apple mixture.
- Lastly, add in the warm apple mixture, and carefully mix it in.
- Add a little batter to each prepared pan, so they are about half full, then sprinkle with some of the streusel topping, then add the remaining batter and top generously with the remaining streusel crumb topping.
- Bake the loaves in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 15-20 minutes until pans are cool to the touch. Gently run a knife around the edges of the cakes before releasing them from the pan. Turn the cakes out onto a platter or cake plate.
- Prepare vanilla icing by whisking the ingredients together and drizzling over the baked loaves.
- Slice and enjoy!(Store this Apple Cinnamon Bread in an airtight container for up to a week.)
I hope you love this Apple Cinnamon Streusel Bread as much as we do! Click here to see my other Apple Dessert recipes – and be sure to tag me @plumstreetcollective on Instagram if you make this bread.
