Gluten-Free Apple Spice Bread with Cinnamon Frosting
An easy quick bread, this Gluten-free Apple Spice Bread with luscious cinnamon frosting is a perfect fall treat! Tasty with or without the frosting, it's moist, soft & fluffy, packed with apples and so yummy! Bonus: your house will smell amazing while it bakes.
Gluten-Free Apple Spice Bread with Cinnamon Frosting
An easy gluten-free quick bread with all the fall vibes!
And now we can’t get enough of this gluten-free Apple Spice Bread!
It’s moist, has the best flavor and can be enjoyed plain (my husband loves it this way) or served with a luscious cinnamon frosting and topped with walnut for a little something extra!
The frosting is the best finishing touch and makes it special enough to serve as a dessert as well!
And it is a super EASY recipe!
Before we get to the ingredients, I want to point out that there is a cooking video on this page so you can see how easy it is to make.
And as with all our recipes, there is a printable recipe with exact measurements and directions at the bottom of the page.
So let’s make the Gluten-Free Apple Spice Bread with cinnamon frosting!
You’ll need 13 ingredients for the bread:
apples (3-4 depending on the size)
butter or dairy-free butter
2 eggs
unsweetened apple sauce
sugar
vanilla extract
gluten-free all purpose flour (with xanthan gum) (we used GFJules, affiliate link)
baking powder
baking soda
salt
cinnamon
all spice
nutmeg
A note on the apples, you can use any kind of apples you love or have on hand. And they can be “older” apples as they are going to be grated.
And as an aside, you may have noticed that we are affiliate for GFJules. To learn more about why we love GFJules flour and why we have used it for 10 years, click here.
Bonus: at the bottom of that post is a one-time use affiliate Discount Code.
And importantly, purchasing through an affiliate link does not change your cost at all. It generates a small percentage of the sale for me, and purchasing through an affiliate link helps me fund this website and all the recipes I share, so thank you!
Back to the gluten-free Apple Spice Bread with cinnamon frosting…
The batter comes together in 5 simple steps:
Grate the apples and let drain of any excess water, gently squeezing out especially if super juicy!
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, apple sauce and vanilla and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients with a whisk, pastry cutter or fork. Then add to wet ingredients.
Stir in grated apple.
The batter will be thick but spreadable, and it will already smell fabulous!
Spread batter into a prepared baking pan (I just greased and floured the pan, but parchment paper works great too).
And bake!
Your kitchen will smell amazing!
Pro tip: With gluten-free baking, sometimes the top may be done but the center needs a few extra minutes, cover loosely with foil and continue baking. With this bread, my oven is consistently 45 minutes uncovered!
And do not over bake — you will know it is done when a toothpick comes out clean and it pulls away from the edges of the pan slightly.
Let cool in the baking pan for 20-30 minutes, then remove from pan and continue to cool completely on baking rack before topping with the cinnamon frosting.
You are certainly welcome to enjoy the bread without frosting! It will be soft, moist and have the best apple cinnamon flavor! My family loves it plain!
Let’s take a look at the Cinnamon Frosting…
You’ll need 5 ingredients:
cream cheese
butter or dairy-free butter
cinnamon
vanilla extract
powdered sugar
And it mixes up quickly with a stand or hand mixer, until smooth and creamy. It is truly a luscious frosting!
A few tips about the frosting…
You can frost the entire bread, none of it or just a few pieces at a time.
If you decide to frost it all, you can store it in the refrigerator as you would a cake and it will stay well for a few days.
If you want it to be freshest, frost it close to serving. You can even store the frosting in the refrigerator (it stays creamy) and frost as needed.
Lots of options, so do what works best for you!
And then I also recommend topping with walnuts for some crunch!
The texture will be fabulously soft and moist. And the bread has a wonderful warm, cozy spice flavor with lots of cinnamon, a little all spice and nutmeg.
Topped with the cinnamon frosting and walnuts it is sooooo delicious and as good as dessert!
This easy quick bread is a perfect fall treat! Tasty with or without the luscious cinnamon frosting, it's moist, soft & fluffy, packed with apples and so yummy! Bonus: your house will smell amazing while it bakes.
Keyword: gluten-free quick bread, easy gluten-free bread recipe, apple cinnamon, apple recipes, apple bread, gluten-free apple bread
Servings: 1loaf
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family
Ingredients
½cupbutter or dairy-free butter, room temperature
¾cupsugar
2large eggs, whisked
¼cupunsweetened apple sauce
1teaspoonvanilla extract
2cupsgluten-free all purpose flourwe used GF Jules Flour (affiliate link)
1teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoon salt
1½teaspoonsground cinnamon
½teaspoonall spice
¼teaspoonground nutmeg
2cupsloosely packed shredded applegrate with a box grater, then after measuring, gently squeeze out excess water, especially if apples are fresh and juicy!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and grease and flour a 10 inch loaf pan (or line it with parchment paper). Set aside.
If you haven't already grated your apples, do so using a box grater. Let juice drain and gently squeeze out excess before adding to batter. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add butter and sugar and using a stand or hand mixer, mix until creamed (well combined)
Add eggs, apple sauce and vanilla and mix to combine.
In a separate small bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg using a pastry cutter, whisk or fork.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix to combine. Do not over-mix.
Add in apples and mix to just combine.
Spoon batter into prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick comes our clean. Pro tip, check at 45 minutes and if the center is not cooked fully but the top is done, cover loosely with foil and continue baking. Do not over-bake.
Let cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire baking rack. Slice and enjoy! OR let cool completely and top with cinnamon frosting and walnuts, then enjoy!**
Cinnamon Frosting
In a large mixing bowl, cream cream cheese and butter until well combined.
Add cinnamon, vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix slowly at first to combine, then increase speed and mix until creamy.
Generously spread on top of completely cooled bread. Top with walnuts as desired and enjoy! **
NOTE: frosting can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
Bread can be enjoyed plain and is fabulous!Or Bread can be topped with cinnamon frosting and walnuts as desired for something more special.**Options for frosting:For frosted bread to be freshest, frost shortly before before serving.If you frost the entire bread, it can be stored for several days in the refrigerator as you would a cake, loosely covered with wax paper, tooth picks keeping the paper from sticking to the frosting.Alternatively, store the frosting in a sealed container in the refrigerator and frost slices as serving.Unfrosted bread stores well in the refrigerator, wrapped in wax paper, then foil, for several days or freeze for several months.
3 thoughts on “Gluten-Free Apple Spice Bread with Cinnamon Frosting”
This is such good apple bread! I’m not particularly into frosting so I left that off. It was easy to make (if your husband peels and grates the apples… 😆). I made it exactly as written and it turned out perfectly!
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...
This is such good apple bread! I’m not particularly into frosting so I left that off. It was easy to make (if your husband peels and grates the apples… 😆). I made it exactly as written and it turned out perfectly!
This was delicious! I love it didn’t need a ton of sugar. Family approved! Will make again 🙂
Happy you loved it! Thank you!