This bread feels like the perfect breakfast for a lazy morning in the middle of the holiday season. It has a yummy swirl of my favorite holiday spice, cinnamon, paired with one of the only fruits still in season in Minnesota, apples. This recipe is a little healthier than some quick breads because it uses applesauce instead of eggs and some of the butter, which also makes this recipe vegan. This bread also uses half whole wheat flour, which provides a nice nutty texture that works well with the apples.
The first time I made this bread I used a Honeycrisp apple, which I think was a little too juicy. The pink lady apple I used the second time around worked much better. Any apple that is typically used for baking would work well in this recipe, though.
If you give this recipe a try, I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 large apple, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together and set aside.
- With a stand mixer, combine white sugar and coconut oil. Add the applesauce, almond milk, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until combined. Add the flours and baking powder and beat until just combined. Fold in half of the apples and just over half of the walnuts.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Add the remaining batter and top with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Cut through batter with a knife to swirl.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then top bread with remaining apples and walnuts and lightly pat into the batter. Bake for another 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Cassie is a Registered Dietitian and the blogger, recipe creator, and photographer behind this blog. 
Angie Athanassiades says
September 30, 2016 at 11:49 pmHello 🙂 I made this cake for my birthday last year and I loved it!!! It’s become my comfort cake – I hardly ever eat sugar, but once every couple of months, I make this – with slightly less sugar – and LOVE it. Thank you!!
Susan says
September 18, 2016 at 4:58 amThis recipe is the best! My non-vegan family members request that I make this for family gatherings. Thank you for posting this yummy recipe!
Caitlin says
December 16, 2015 at 8:11 pmHi! Pan’s in the oven now! I made a few subs:
White sugar>raw sugar
Unsweetened Vanilla flavor almond milk>unsweetened coconut milk
All purpose & whole wheat flours>Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour)
Walnuts>pecans
Seems to be baking up perfectly! Smells delish!
Dani says
January 11, 2015 at 7:46 pmI tried this recipe and it was sooooo delicious! Moist and sweet, almost a cake really. It needed a little bit longer in my oven but was worth the wait. You’ve made a household of Australian vegans very happy 🙂
Cassie says
January 12, 2015 at 5:54 pmAwesome! So glad to hear you liked it!