Apple Bread with Cinnamon Swirl
- By Jennifer Segal
- Updated October 10, 2024
- 565 Comments
- Leave a Review

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This delicious apple bread has a generous cinnamon swirl and a crisp, sugared top. It’s easy to make and the perfect cozy fall treat.
This cinnamon swirl apple bread will give you all the cozy fall feels. Packed with tart apples, it has a generous cinnamon swirl running through the center and a crisp, sugared top. Like other fall quick breads—pumpkin bread, cranberry orange bread, and banana bread—this apple bread recipe is easy to whip up and perfect any time of day.
My kids insist I ruin everything with nuts, so I’ve intentionally kept this recipe nut-free, but I think a handful of walnuts or pecans would be a delicious addition to the batter. Just be sure to let the bread cool completely before slicing—or even let it sit overnight. It stays moist for days! A special thanks to Caitlyn over at Erhardts Eat for the recipe inspiration!
“I made this recipe, and entered it in my local Apple Bake Contest in Pennsylvania that me and my sisters always enter and it won best of show!!! It’s so good! 🍁♥️”
What You’ll Need To Make Apple Bread With Cinnamon Swirl

- Light Brown Sugar: Adds a rich, caramel-like sweetness and depth to the cinnamon swirl. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
- Cinnamon: Provides a warm, aromatic spice that infuses the bread with classic cinnamon flavor.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and contribute to the bread’s structure and moisture.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the bread and helps with browning.
- Butter: Adds richness and a tender crumb to the bread.
- Milk: Moistens the batter and helps achieve a soft, tender texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the bread with its aromatic richness.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the foundational structure for the bread. To ensure accuracy, always measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off—it makes a difference!
- Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the bread rise and become fluffy.
- Tart Baking Apples: Contribute a tart contrast to the sweetness and add texture to the bread. Granny Smith apples are ideal.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
In a small bowl, stir the brown sugar and cinnamon until evenly combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the eggs and granulated sugar.

Beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the melted butter followed by the milk and vanilla, and whisk just until evenly combined.

Add the flour, salt, and baking powder to the batter.

Mix on low speed until evenly combined.

Add the apples to the batter and fold with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated.

Line the long side of the pan with a parchment paper “sling” and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray again. Spoon about 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle about 2/3 of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture on top of the batter.

Spoon the remaining batter over top.

Sprinkle the batter with the remaining brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Using a butter knife, swirl the layers by making a zig-zag motion through the batter once in each direction (don’t overdo it!)

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool on a rack for about 30 minutes.

Use the parchment sling to lift the bread out of the pan and onto the rack. Let cool completely before slicing, a few hours or overnight. Store loosely covered with aluminum foil on the countertop.

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Apple Bread with Cinnamon Swirl

Ingredients
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ½ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup peeled cored, and finely diced tart baking apples, from 1 apple (preferably Granny Smith)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray an 8½ x 4½-inch (22 x 11-cm) loaf pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Line the long side of the pan with a parchment paper “sling” and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray again.
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon until evenly combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the eggs and granulated sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the melted butter followed by the milk and vanilla, and mix just until evenly combined.
- Add the flour, salt, and baking powder to the batter and mix on low speed until evenly combined.
- Add the apples to the batter and fold with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated.
- Spoon about ⅔ of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle about ⅔ of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture on top of the batter. Spoon the remaining batter over top, followed by the remaining brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Using a butter knife, swirl the layers by making a zig-zag motion through the batter once in each direction (don't overdo it!).
- Bake for about 50 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool on a rack for about 30 minutes, then use the parchment sling to lift the bread out of the pan and onto the rack. Let cool completely before slicing, a few hours or overnight. Store loosely covered with aluminum foil on the countertop for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Delicious. Easy to make and didn’t crumble. The bread didn’t rise much but I’m thinking my loaf pan being old may be a little larger than normal.
Easy and delicious. I substituted plain oat milk and it worked great. Next time I may add a touch more cinnamon because I found the swirl to be overly sweet but overall another winner!!
This recipe is the best quick bread I have made so far. Cuddos to you ! Its moist , flavorful and delicious ! The best part is add on any flavors that you want.
Delicious, delicious! My friend a Cindy brought a loaf of this bread over yesterday & both my husband & I have enjoyed it so much! He asked me to request the recipe. Jen, you have another winner! Many thanks for sharing!🌺
I made this recipe twice all ready. My family loves it.
Definitely another winner in my book. I doubled the recipe and it worked out well. I never hesitate to double your recipes because they are always perfect! I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem with any of them. I prefer Granny Smith apples, but had some honeycrisp and they were good as well. They did only take 40 minutes to bake.
Is it possible to add more apples to this recipe because I love apples? How much more?
I don’t recommend it, Dushyanthi, as it will make the bread too moist (and it could also cause it to fall apart). Sorry!
I made this recipe twice this afternoon (back to back), one loaf with 1:1 gf flour and one with regular flour.
I’m supposed to be gluten free so I only tried that loaf and it is SO good! Very nice texture and so much fall flavor! I made the gf loaf first and it ended up a little flatter than the “normal” loaf. I’m not sure if this was because my eggs were colder in this one, or if something about the way I made it was slightly different or if it was just because of the gf flour. Regardless, it’s SO delicious. Definitely will be making this again soon!
Hello Jen, do you have any recommendations if using a sugar substitute?
Hi Judy, I wish I could help but I’ve never worked with sugar substitutes. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it with one!
Made it today! Used 3 Tbls Stevia (Great Value brand) to replace the 1/2 cup white sugar and it turned out wonderful! I did add a handful of chopped pecans and used 2 small loaf pans instead of the larger single pan and baked 30 minutes at 350 degrees. I must tell you this was the first time I tried this recipe so I also made a another batch with regular sugar just to know if there were any differences, this was also fantastic! The only differences I noted, the real sugar loafs were a little bit sweeter and a slightly smother texture but had I not made them both at the same time, I would not have noticed the difference. Going to get the brown sugar Stevia and try next time to replace all the sugars. May try a double batch and use a Bundt pan for a larger cake like presentation. Overall this is excellent! Thanks for another great recipe!
I would use Lakanto golden sugar for the brown sugar and either regular Lakanto or allulose for the white sugar. It should turn out very well with those substitutes. Lakanto is an erythritol monk fruit blend that works great in baking and allulose is the closest thing to real sugar I’ve found for a keto or sugar free substitute.
Jenn, between the cookbook and the website I use your recipes all the time. As always, this one is delish. I used almond milk which came out fine. The hardest part about making this was waiting for the bread to cool in order to eat it!
🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
PUT THIS ON REPEAT!
This is easy to make, great presentation, wonderful aroma, delicious flavor, and I went with your comment Jenn to add some chopped walnuts – our family loved it with that addition.
I love apple recipes. I’ve collected them for decades – and have all different “favorites” (apple pie, apple spice cake, German Apple cake, regular apple cakes, etc) – but how is it that I never had a loaf cake??
I think this is the PERFECT accompaniment to a brunch, potluck, open house, etc. I dropped it off to someone who is mourning right now and lost her mom….the cinnamon aroma was of comfort to the family, and the right kind of snack during a tough time.
Hello Jen! My son is allergic to eggs. What can I use instead as a substitute? Thank you so much!
Hi Sarah, Two of the best substitutes I’ve heard about (I haven’t personally tried either of them) are a combination of water, oil, and baking powder and carbonated water. Scroll down to the bottom of this article for more information about both. I would assume many baking recipes would also work with some kind of store-bought egg substitute. Hope that helps!