Brown Sugar Glazed Apple Bread

A few days ago, I treated myself to a new cookbook. If you ask me, you can never have enough cookbooks. Even if you never make any of the recipes, a cookbook is a thing of beauty! Wait, um, I guess that’s not entirely true…Let me rephrase that: a cookbook that has a picture for every recipe is a thing of beauty! Much better…. I hate cookbooks that don’t have pictures. Like, I hate them with a passion! What’s worse? Cookbooks with random pictures next to recipes… You know, the kind of cookbooks with a recipe for chocolate chip cookies on the left page and a picture of a vanilla wafer on the right. Annoying!

I just hate those cookbooks! I refuse to buy them..

My new cookbook has a picture for every recipe. Just the way I like it! I eat with my eyes, you know… Whenever I go to a restaurant, I always try to pick the most good-looking dish, paying close attention when waiters and waitresses bring food to other tables, hardly paying attention to the menu… But it’s not like I’m the kind of girl that goes up to people asking what’s on their plate. I wasn’t raised that way! So I’m usually left to guessing or asking the waiter, who usually doesn’t remember what was on the plate he carried five minutes ago… Oh yeah, I always try really hard to pick something spectacular, but I usually end up picking very boring dishes because I just don’t know the name of the good-looking dish and have to guess. I’m doomed. Somehow, the Rocking Rebel always picks the better dish…

Luckily he usually lets me eat half his dessert!

Anyway, I got this recipe from my new cookbook, ‘Sally’s Baking Addiction‘, by… you guessed it: Sally McKenney, from that cute, little (read: viral and immensely popular) blog with the same name! Her cookbook is great! Not only does every single recipe has an accompanying picture, the recipes are great! Next on my to-bake list? Her Sweet Peach Pie and Glazed Cherry Crumb Cake. They sound amazing and look delicious! Just like this recipe. One thing though…

Why is it called bread? Why are some things that are so obviously cakey and sweet and delicious called bread? Why is banana bread a kind of bread? Why is pumpkin bread a kind of bread? Why is this apple bread a bread? I don’t get it… In my mind, anything cakey and sweet that contains a ton of sugar and no yeast is cake. Especially when it’s smothered with a sugary glaze!

No-Knead Bread? Bread…

Cinnamon Buns? Bread…

Brown Sugar Glazed Apple Bread? Cake… Definitely cake!

But whatever you want to call it, this thing is good! It’s packed with juicy apples and chopped pecans and it’s flavored with brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Sounds pretty interesting, right?

It’s also really easy to whip up! Just a little mixing, a little chopping, a little peeling, more chopping, a little stirring and folding and you’ve got the cake, um… bread in the oven! An hour later, the ca… – bread is done and your house smells of cinnamon and caramel and… cake!

(See? It looks like cake, it smells like cake, can’t we just agree to call it cake?)

When the cake has cooled, it’s time to cook up the glaze. Yes, there’s a little cooking involved. This isn’t one of those powdered sugar and water glazes. This stuff is sooo much better! And it’s almost as easy to make! Just combine some whipping cream, light brown sugar and butter in a saucepan, heat, allow to cook for a minute, allow to simmer for a minute, whisk in some powdered sugar and you’re done!

Bread done, cake done, time to glaze!

But that’s when it gets really difficult. Well, the glazing isn’t difficult, it’s keeping your hands off the cake/bread/loaf/thing that’s difficult! See, this beautiful, gorgeous, cinnamony, brown sugary loaf is best when it’s completely cool. It’s also a real treat when served warm, but if you ask me, it’s best once the glaze has had time to set and turn into a crumbly layer of brown sugar caramel….

Luckily, this cake, um… bread keeps very well! For up to five days if you have the patience!

But… I’m pretty sure this cake – can’t we just agree that this is cake? – won’t last that long in our house!

Enjoy guys! And if you haven’t already, enter my giveaway by clicking on the link in the sidebar!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Brown Sugar Glazed Apple Bread

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

65 mins

Total time

1 hour 35 mins

 

Author: Adapted from Sally McKenney

Serves: 10

Ingredients

For the bread:

• 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Finally, fold in the chopped pecans and diced apple.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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!

3.2.1284