Apple Fritter Bread Recipe

Name: Apple Fritter Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1/3 cup brown sugar; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 2/3 cup white sugar; 1/2 cup butter (softened); 2 eggs; 2 tablespoons Pie Hole Pecan Pie Whiskey (or bourbon, ginger ale, water, apple juice); 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup buttermilk; 21 ounces apple pie filling (,or fresh apples - see notes below); 1 cup Confectioners Sugar; 2 tablespoons Pie Hole Pecan Pie Whiskey (Or bourbon, ginger ale, water, apple juice)

Sweet, buttery apple fritter bread has gooey layers of cinnamon topped apples in this easy to make quick bread recipe. So good on a chilly afternoon with a cup of hot coffee.

Total time 1 hour 10 minutes

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Easy quick bread recipe is made with apple filling and full of all the cinnamon goodness of apple fritters but without the frying!

This sweet loaf is delicious for a fall breakfast (or try these pumpkin scones), brunch, or afternoon snack!

A slice of apple fritter bread with a loaf in the background. Text overlay.

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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
🧾 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
🥫 Storage
💭 Tips for success
📖 Variations
👩🏻‍🍳 Frequently asked questions
📚 Related recipes
📞 The last word
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

It's easy! You just need a loaf pan, a large mixing bowl, and 60 minutes of oven time!
Cozy fall snack - perfect in the afternoon with a cup of coffee or tea.
It makes the house smell better than any fancy candle you could buy.

🧾 Ingredients

For this recipe you'll need the following ingredients.

Brown sugar for flavor and moistness
White sugar for extra sweetness
Cinnamon adds a spicy, autumn flavor but you can substitute apple pie spice if you like
Butter helps the texture of the quick bread stay moist and it also adds flavor.
Eggs help bind the other ingredients together during baking. I use large pasture raised eggs.
Whiskey adds flavor but if you don't want to use it then substitute apple juice, water, or ginger ale.
All-purpose flour is used in this recipe. Cake flour would be too delicate and the bread would collapse.
Baking powder and baking soda are both used as leavening in this recipe. The baking soda reacts with the buttermilk to help the bread rise.
Salt balances the sweetness. If you use plain table salt instead of the kosher salt called for in the recipe decrease the amount by about ¼.
Buttermilk works with the baking soda to help the bread rise plus it gives it a nice, moist texture, and a little tang.
Apple pie filling is used to keep this simple but I'm also giving you instructions for using fresh apples.

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan, line with parchment, then generously grease the parchment. This keeps the apple bread from sticking.
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside.
Beat the white sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, and beating about 1 minute after each addition.
Stir in the whiskey.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl.
Stir the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture.
Stir in the buttermilk.
Spoon half the batter into the pan, evening out the top with the back of your spoon or a spatula.
Add half the apples and sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Add the remaining batter in and top with the remaining apples and cinnamon mixture.
Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
If it begins to brown too much on the top just tent it with aluminum foil.
Let cool completely before removing from pan.

🥫 Storage

You can store apple bread for 2 days wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container. It will last a few more days if you refrigerate it.

It freezes well for up to three months. I like to slice it and put parchment paper between the slices before I freeze it - that way I can get just one slice out at a time.

💭 Tips for success

This apple fritter bread recipe is amazing as a breakfast bread, an addition to the brunch table, or an afternoon snack with coffee.

I used apple pie filling just to save time.
The one thing I would do differently is to take a minute to chop the apples up. The bread will slice more easily I think.
Be sure to let this cool before trying to remove it from the pan. I don't know if you can tell but I was in a hurry and the warm cake broke in pieces.
I also added Pie Hole Pecan Pie Whiskey for flavor. There isn't much but it really kicked it up and gave it a little blast of pecan.

📖 Variations

For those of you that asked I'm adding a variation with fresh apples as well as Dutch apple bread.

Apple Bread Recipe with Fresh Apples

Instead of apple pie filling use 1 cup apples, peeled and diced. Usually a blend like Honey Crisp, Macintosh, and Granny Smith apples gives the best flavor.
Add 1 teaspoon (or more) of apple pie spice or cinnamon mixed with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Mix well so that all the apple cubes are coated with cinnamon.
Follow remaining instructions substituting the fresh cubed apples for the apple pie filling.

Find more information about the different flavors of apple varieties in this article from the University of Illinois

Dutch Apple Bread Recipe Variation

This is similar but has a crunchy streusel topping.

For the streusel:

Stir 6 tablespoons flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt together in a bowl. Blend in ¼ cup of softened butter with your fingers until the streusel is crumbly.

Follow the recipe for the apple bread. Just before putting the batter in the oven top it with the streusel topping then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake as directed in the recipe.

👩🏻‍🍳 Frequently asked questions

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.

Do I need yeast for homemade apple bread?

No. This apple bread recipe is a quick bread, which means it doesn't need time to rise because it uses baking powder/baking soda as the leavening. It's easy to make and it freezes so well!

Why does quick bread fall in the middle?

Did your bread fall or sink in the middle? Too much liquid in the batter is the main cause but sometimes it means the baking powder or baking soda was weak or you used too little, the batter stood too long before you baked it, or it is underdone.

Why does my quick bread crack on top?

Cracking on top of most quick breads is desirable and not something to worry about.

Why is my quick bread so dense?

It's possible the leavening was old or weak or you let the batter stand too long before baking. Once you've added liquids bake your quick breads immediately.

Loaf of apple bread sliced open to show tender apples inside.

I love apples and I have recipes for everything from Apple Pie to Apple Sangria here on Restless Chipotle. Here are some of my favorites.

Dutch Apple Pie is irresistible with a sweet, buttery, streusel topping! This easy recipe always comes out just right with a lavish layer of crumble, over tender autumn spiced apples. If you’ve wondered how to make that perfectly crumbly crumb topping you’ll find the secret right here.
Spiced apple rings are just as gorgeous as they are delicious! Tangy apples are simmered in cinnamon syrup until they are infused with crimson color and spicy cinnamon flavor. These are also great in place of the pie filling in this apple bread recipe. Just chop them up.
Apple cider sangria is a sweet, white sangria with plenty of warm fall flavor! It’s perfect for autumn parties and holiday gatherings. Be careful though, this gentle adult beverage carries a big wallop
Traditional Irish Apple Cake with Whiskey Brown Butter sauce is an imagination inspiring addition to your table whether as dessert after dinner or a mid-afternoon pick me up. One bite and you’ll be imagining faded chintz sofas, crackling fires, and steaming cups of good Irish tea.

📞 The last word

I've added instructions for making this with fresh apples as well as making it into Dutch Apple Bread. After all, life's all about choices, right?

Sweet, buttery quick bread, cinnamon topped chunks of apple, and super easy... what's not to like?

My Fritter Addiction Started Here

When I was little we lived near Philadelphia for awhile. There was a restaurant nearby that was absolutely my favorite place to eat, mostly because they set out a big basket of apple fritters when they seated you.

They were light, cinnamony, and jam-packed with apple flavor. I have never had anything like them anywhere else.

📖 Recipe

First published March 25, 2015. Last Updated July 21, 2021 for readability.