55g (or ¼ cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
180g (or ¾ cup) Greek yogurt
73g (or ⅓ cup, packed) dark brown sugar
130g (or ⅔) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
250g (or 2 cups) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon table salt
1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
100g (or a scant ¾ cup) chopped pecans
1 large Granny Smith apple (about 220g or 7½ ounces), peeled and diced
For the glaze:
55g (or ¼ cup) unsalted butter
80ml (or ⅓ cup) whipping cream
200g (or ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons, packed) light brown sugar
6og (or ½ cup) powdered sugar
Instructions
First, preheat your oven to 175°C/350°F (standard oven setting) and line a 25x12-cm (or 10x5-inch) loaf pan with baking parchment. You could also butter it or spray it with non-stick spray, but I always prefer lining my pans with parchment paper.
Combine the butter, yogurt, dark brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Using a handheld mixer fitted with the whisk attachments beat the ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix for another few seconds.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition (again, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula every now and then). Add the vanilla and mix briefly until combined.
Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl, then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir together with a rubber spatula until roughly mixed, then mix briefly (only a few seconds) with the mixer until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then mix for another few seconds.
Finally, fold in the chopped pecans and diced apple.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. After 30 minutes of baking time, cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent the top from browning too much. Allow to cool to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack.
As the loaf cools, make the glaze. Combine the butter, cream and light brown sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Crank up the heat and allow to come to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook for 1 minute, then crank down the heat to low and allow the glaze to simmer for another minute.
Take the glaze off the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before spooning it over the bread. I took the bread out of the pan before I glazed it. Leave to cool and harden. Glaze is best once hardened. Bread will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Recipe by The Tough Cookie at https://thetoughcookie.com/2014/03/25/brown-sugar-glazed-apple-bread/