Layered Apple and Cinnamon Loaf

This Layered Apple and Cinnamon Loaf is such a delicious loaf that features the quintessential fall flavor combos- apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

If you love apples as much as I do in the fall, let me recommend a few of my other apple recipes. Classic apple pie is a staple in our house in the fall. It is filled with lightly sweetened apples and flaky pie crust. Apple cider coffee cake in another sweet apple cake.

What Makes This Loaf So Good?

Let me just tell you about this loaf, there is so much to love! Not only is the cake part of it delicious, but it is also similar to a classic vanilla pound cake.

Then the loaf is layered with cinnamon brown sugar and fresh apples. This is all baked-together tastes and feels like fall should be. Think cooler temps, sweaters, and pumpkin patches. This cake goes so well with all of this.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour- I like to use unbleached flour in my baking recipes.
• Whole wheat pastry flour- if you have never used this flour before, whole wheat pastry flour is a low protein flour and is perfect for baking cakes like this as it keeps them tender.
• Baking Powder- Used for leavening.
• Cinnamon- Cinnamon, and apple are flavors that were meant to be together!
• Brown sugar- this is used in the filling.
• Fresh apples- I will discuss more about choosing apples below.
• Oil- canola oil is what I used, but you can use any neutral flavored oil you prefer.
• Granulated Sugar- This is used in the cake batter. Again, you can use any granular sugar you like here.
• Eggs- this recipe is made for large eggs.
• Greek Yogurt- I started adding Greek yogurt to my baked goods quite a while and love the effect. It makes them so tender! You can also use sour cream if you have it on hand.

Step-By-Step For Making The Apple Cinnamon Layered Loaf

1. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
2. Chop your apples to about ½ inch.
3. In a small bowl, mix together both flours, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.
4. In a medium-sized bowl add your oil and granulated sugar. Mix.
5. Add in your eggs, vanilla, and greek yogurt.
6. Last, mix in your dry ingredients.
7. Now, add half your batter to the loaf pan.
8. On top of the batter sprinkle half your apples and half the cinnamon brown sugar mix.
9. Pour in the last half of the batter, then top again with the remaining apples and brown sugar mix.
10. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
11. Allow cooling slightly before removing it from the pan.
12. Then, you can eat it warm, or wait until it has cooled. I promise it is really good either way.
13. Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!

Notes For The Apple Cinnamon Layered Loaf

• I love the mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. If you are new to using whole wheat flour in your baked goods, I recommend using this balanced approach. Not only will your friends and family appreciate a moderated, but your body will as well. Also, I love to use whole wheat pastry flour. This is a lower protein flour, and perfect for cakes, cookies, etc. When you use a higher protein flour, your baked goods will always be a little tougher. So, if you have not used whole wheat pastry flour, I recommend it!
• Do not overmix. One of the biggest mistakes I see in baked goods is overmixing. When you overmix, your loaf will not be as soft and tender as it could be. When I say this, what I mean is you only need to mix until the ingredients are combined, no need to overdo it.
• I love using brown sugar in this recipe for layering. You can use granulated sugar and it is good, but the brown sugar really adds a depth of flavor to this loaf.

What Apples Work Best For This Recipe?

You really can use any apples you love, but let me make a suggestion on which apples I would avoid. Softer apples like red and golden delicious are ones I always avoid.

My favorite is Granny Smith or Gala. I always have them on hand in the fridge too, so that makes it easier. Fuji apples are another great one to use. Honeycrisp is also really good, but they are so expensive, I rarely buy them.

Important Things To Know About Baking This Loaf

• The most important thing about baking this loaf is not to overbake. All baked goods will continue to cook even after they are removed from the heat source. This is called carry-over cooking/baking.
• This is so important as this can happen with your loaf easily if you aren't mindful of it.
• As whole wheat flours will absorb more moisture, this is extra important in whole wheat baked goods like this one. Let me tell you how I have the best success cooking with whole wheat.
• I underbake just SLIGHTLY. What does this do? Well, when our carry-over cooking happens, this loaf comes out perfectly slightly underbaked. If you pull the loaf out when it is perfectly baked, by the time the carry-over cooking happens, it winds up being a little dry. I hear this complaint about whole wheat baked goods all the time.
• Also, I used this awesome Calphalon 8x4 inch loaf pan. It has been a favorite for a long time!