Hello lovelies,
If there’s one thing that excites me every single year when it comes to baking during the autumn season, it’s cramming all the autumnal flavours into a loaf cake!
I don’t know what it is but there is something about an autumnal loaf cake that just hits differently. Don’t you agree?
In saying that, I know for a fact this autumnal loaf cake I’m sharing with you today will hit that spot perfectly. It won’t disappoint, I can assure you that.
I cannot take full credit for today’s recipe, it is in fact inspired by the incredibly talented baker called Megan, also known online as ‘Olives + Thyme’. She has an array of delicious looking bakes and when I saw this Maple Apple Loaf Cake recipe, you know I had to re-create asap.
{ Megan’s Original Recipe: https://olivesnthyme.com/maple-apple-loaf-cake/ }
A simple, spiced loaf cake which is filled to the brim with tart apples, then topped with a crunchy, brown sugar walnut streusel, it’s then baked to perfection and topped with a simple maple icing. It screams warm, cosy, comforting vibes and what’s not to love about that?
If you’d like to recreate this loaf cake yourself, you know the drill by now. Keep on scrolling below and you’ll find today’s recipe.
Category: Desert / Sweet Treat
Servings: 8-10 Slices
Prep Time: 25-30 Minutes
Bake Time: 1 Hour
Decorating Time: 5 Minutes
Overall Time: 1.5+ Hours
Ingredients You Need For The Brown Sugar Walnut Streusel:
- 60g Of Plain Flour
- 50g Of Light Brown Sugar
- 1/2tsp Of Pumpkin Spice
- 75g Of Chopped Walnuts
- 57g Of Unsalted Butter, Soft & Cubed
Ingredients You Need For The Spiced Apple Loaf Cake:
- 240g Of Plain Flour
- 3tsp Of Pumpkin Spice
- 1.5tsp Of Baking Powder
- 1/4tsp Of Bicarbonate Of Soda
- 113g Of Unsalted Butter, Browned & Softened
- 200g Of Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 79ml Of Buttermilk
- 2tsp Of Vanilla Bean Paste / Extract
- 1tsp Of Maple Flavouring
- 250g Of Braeburn Apples, Peeled & Chopped
Ingredients You Need For The Maple Glaze:
- 125g Of Icing Sugar
- 2-3tsp Of Milk
- 2tsp Of Maple Flavouring
How To Make The Browned Butter:
- Firstly, gather together your equipment and ingredients and line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper.
- Secondly, the day before baking, make the brown butter. The butter will need roughly around 2-4 hours to cool enough to become a the texture of softened butter.
- In a large saucepan over a medium heat, melt the 113g of unsalted butter. Once the butter begins to foam, continuously whisk until the butter goes a dark golden colour, has brown bits forming and lets off a nutty aroma.
- Once browned, remove from the heat and pour into a clean bowl, allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring to the fridge for 2-4 hours or overnight.
How To Make The Streusel Topping:
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 180C Fan / Gas Mark 5.
- In a large bowl, add the 60g of plain flour, 50g of light brown sugar, 1/2tsp of pumpkin spice and 75g of chopped walnuts.
- Work in the 57g of softened cubes of unsalted butter until the mixture comes together in coarse pieces of sand, with some larger pieces mixed in.
- Place into the fridge to chill whilst you make the loaf cake.
How To Make The Loaf Cake:
- Now, in a large bowl, whisk together the 240g of plain flour, 3tsp of pumpkin spice, 1.5tsp of baking powder and 1/2tsp of bicarbonate of soda until combined.
- Next, in a separate large bowl, beat together the 113g of browned, softened butter and 200g of light brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- One at a time, between well between each addition, beat in the two large eggs, 2tsp of vanilla extract and 1tsp of maple flavouring until combined.
- In this order: dry ingredients, buttermilk, dry ingredients, buttermilk, dry ingredients – add the dry ingredients into the wet alternating with the buttermilk. Carefully and slowly beating each time until just combined.
- Using a spatula, fold in the 250g of the peeled and chopped braeburn apples into the loaf cake batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, making sure the loaf mixture is evenly spread into the corners and along the sides of the tin.
- Sprinkle the streusel across the top of the entire loaf.
- Place the loaf into the oven and bake for 50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.
How To Make The Maple Glaze:
- Whilst the loaf is cooling, it’s time to make the glaze.
- In a large bowl, add 125g of icing sugar, 2-3tbsp of milk and 1tsp of maple flavouring and mix together until a thick but pourable paste has formed.
- Transfer the icing into a piping bag and snip the very tip of the bag off. Whilst the loaf cake is still warm, drizzle the icing over the top of the loaf cake.
- Finally, After 30 minutes of the cake cooling, carefully remove from the tin and place onto a wire rack to cool completely. Then, cut into slices and serve!
That’s your Maple Apple Loaf Cake prepared, baked, glazed and cooled, ready for you to enjoy!
Notes:
- This loaf cake should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Getting a decent golden brown colour on the butter is essential. It brings massive amounts of flavour to the loaf cake and works beautifully alongside the spices.
- I used this maple flavouring: https://amzn.eu/d/4Aw0MO7
So many delicious flavours and textures that all work so beautifully together.
Huge shoutout to Megan for creating such a dreamy, autumnal masterpiece and sharing it with us – i’m absolutely obsessed and I can guarantee you will be too!
Let me know in the comments below if you make this loaf cake yourself and if you do, what your thoughts are on it. Is this not the best loaf yet?
Sending you all tons of love & hugs as always,
Elle xo
