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Cinnamon Applesauce Bread

Cinnamon applesauce bread with a golden, deeply browned top and a moist, tender crumb—made by folding applesauce into a cinnamon-spiced batter and baking in a loaf pan. Finished with a cinnamon-sugar topping for a lightly crackled crust.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp allspice
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 0.25 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
Topping
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, then grease a 9x5 loaf pan for easy release.
  2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt until evenly combined.
Mix the batter
  1. Beat unsalted butter and brown sugar until fluffy, then add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
  2. Stir in unsweetened applesauce and sour cream or Greek yogurt, then fold in the flour mixture until just combined.
Bake
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle cinnamon sugar topping over the top.
  2. Bake for 55-65 minutes at 350F until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is deeply golden.
Cool and slice
  1. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out so the loaf holds its shape.
  2. Cool completely before slicing to keep the crumb moist and prevent crumbling.

Notes

For the best texture, fold the dry ingredients just until no dry streaks remain—overmixing can make the crumb tough. Store airtight at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze the fully cooled loaf wrapped well for up to 2 months. For a lighter option, swap sour cream with plain Greek yogurt (or use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream) while keeping the bake time the same.