This Apple Fritter Bread is sweet and deliciously moist. With the texture of pound cake, this dessert loaf has the melt-in-your-mouth flavors of apple, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
If you love sweet apple desserts, then you should try our Glazed Apple Fritters and Cinnamon Apple Muffins (video).

Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
This Apple Fritter Bread has such a great mix of apple flavor, cinnamon spice, and rich sweetness. I can’t get enough of it! This loaf is perfect for coffee and dessert, or to grab a slice for a quick breakfast.
- TASTE: The apple pieces burst with sweet-tart flavor in your mouth. And the flavors of the rich brown sugar, tangy buttermilk, and sweet glaze come together beautifully.
- TEXTURE: This bread has a buttery texture with the denseness of a pound cake. There is a juicy layer of apples on top.
- TIME: This recipe takes an hour and 10 minutes.
- EASE: This bread is really easy to make. It has a number of steps, but follow this recipe to make your own Apple Fritter Bread perfectly every time.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Apples- We used Granny Smith apples for their sweet-tart flavor, but you can also use Braeburn, Pink Lady, Galas, Honeycrisp, and other varieties.
- Golden brown sugar- This sugar has a little molasses for a richer flavor and also helps make the bread moist.
- Buttermilk- This adds tangy flavor as well as moisture to the Apple Fritter Bread.
- Lemon- Fresh lemon juice will keep the apples from browning and also add a little tart flavor.
- Butter- Unsalted is best as we are adding salt to the recipe.
- Powdered sugar- This very fine sugar makes a smooth icing when combined with milk to top our bread.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Caramel sauce- Instead of a glaze, you can top this apple fritter bread with warm caramel sauce.
- Add nuts- Try this bread with some chopped nuts, like pecans, walnuts, or almonds.
- Make it into muffins- If you prefer muffins, you can use this batter in prepared muffin tins and just bake for about 20-25 minutes.
- Make it gluten-free- If you want to avoid gluten, switch the flour for a gluten-free all-purpose flour. They can be interchanged at a 1:1 ratio.
How to Make Apple Fritter Bread
- Mix the wet ingredients. Using an electric hand mixer, combine the softened butter, granulated sugar, and golden brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
- Sift the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
- Mix in the flour and buttermilk. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix it in. Then add 1/2 of the buttermilk and mix. Add the remaining flour, mix, and then the rest of the buttermilk. Mix again.
- Make the apple mixture. Dice the Granny Smith apples and discard the cores. Then add the diced apples to a bowl with the lemon juice, cinnamon, and extra brown sugar (optional). Stir the apples and cinnamon mixture together.
- Bake the apple fritter bread. Now line a loaf pan with parchment paper and coat it with nonstick spray. Pour half the batter in, then half the apple mixture, and then the rest of the batter.
- Bake. Add an apple layer on top with the rest of the apples and another 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Bake for 50 minutes in a 350-degree-Fahrenheit oven, or until a toothpick can be inserted in the middle of the loaf and come out clean.
- Glaze the apple fritter bread. Using a whisk, combine the powdered sugar with the milk in a small bowl. When the bread has slightly cooled, transfer it to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Then drizzle the glaze on top.
Pro Tip: Use a spoon or measuring cup with a pouring spout to more easily glaze the bread evenly.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t add the flour all at once- Add the flour mixture in parts as it’s a lot easier to get rid of clumps and smooth out the batter this way.
- Dice the apples small- Keep your dice small for the apple pieces so they are not too big, overwhelming the bite of bread and making it soggy.
- Make your own buttermilk- If you haven’t any buttermilk, don’t skip it. Make your own by combining 1/2 cup of milk with 1/2 Tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar.
- Place parchment under before glazing- To keep it neat, place some parchment paper under the wire rack before adding the glaze for easy clean up.
FAQs
Apple fritters have a lot of moisture so one thing you can do to avoid your apple fritter bread from getting soggy is pat the diced apples dry with a paper towel before mixing them with other ingredients to get rid of excess moisture. Also storing it correctly will help.
This apple fritter bread freezes really well. You just need to wrap it well with foil and plastic wrap once it has fully cooled and store it in a ziplock bag to freeze. Thaw in the fridge overnight for a delightful breakfast.
Serving Suggestions
This Apple Fritter Bread is one dessert that goes well with everything. Enjoy it with cookies, coffee, donuts, or other breads.
- Cookies: Pair this apple bread with Pecan Shortbread Cookies, Coffee Cookies, Monster Cookies, or Gingersnap Cookies.
- Donuts: Serve this Apple Fritter Bread with some Chocolate Donuts, Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts, Perfect Sugar Donuts, or Zeppole Recipe – Italian Donuts.
- Breads: Pair this bread with others, such as this Double Chocolate Banana Bread, Pumpkin Bread, Panettone Bread, or Buttermilk Cornbread.
- Beverages: Enjoy a slice of this bread with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Hot Chocolate, Brown Sugar Boba, or Caramel Frappuccino (Starbucks Copycat).
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: This bread is easy to make ahead as it stores really well. Make the bread and then store it at room temperature for a day, then glaze it before serving.
Storing: This Apple Fritter Bread can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped tightly for a day or two. Longer than that and it should be refrigerated. It will stay fresh for about a week.
Freeze: Yes, this apple fritter bread freezes really well. Just wrap the loaf or individual slices tightly with foil and plastic wrap once it’s cool. Then place them in the freezer for up to 6 months (flavor is best within the first month though). To defrost, just place them in the fridge overnight.
More Delicious Apple Desserts!
Full Recipe Instructions
Apple Fritter Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup golden brown sugar divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups Granny Smith apples (about 2 small apples)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup unsalted softened butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup golden brown sugar using an electric hand mixer.
- Then add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, sift 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Now add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix it in.
- Then add 1/2 of buttermilk to the batter and mix again.
- Then add the remaining flour, mix. Add the other 1/4 cup of buttermilk and mix again.
- Now dice up 2 Granny Smith apples and discard the cores.
- Add the diced apples to a bowl along with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and top with extra brown sugar if you want (optional).
- Now line a loaf pan with parchment paper and coat it with nonstick spray. Then pour half the batter into the pan. Add half the apples, then the remaining batter.
- Top with the rest of the apple mixture and another 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out clean after inserting it in the middle of the loaf.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze by combining 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk.
- Once the fritter bread has slightly cooled, transfer it to a wire cooling rack and let it cool completely before drizzling the glaze on top.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nefer Lieber says
Delicious, a gift to eat & enjoy
Dina says
Thank you! Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂