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 easy recipe
Gluten-Free Apple Spice Bread with Cinnamon Frosting

An easy gluten-free quick bread with all the fall vibes!

Where are my apple fans? Can’t wait for you to try this new Gluten-Free Apple Spice Bread with cinnamon frosting!

By now you know we are HUGE apple fans! We eat them plain, in salads, in smoothies and love to bake with them!

Some favorite apple recipes include our Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Apple Crumble Bars and of course my Grandmother’s Apple Crisp!

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!

gluten-free apple spice bread with cinnamon frosting easy recipe

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

gluten-free apple spice bread with cinnamon frosting easy recipe

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…

gluten-free apple spice bread with cinnamon frosting easy recipe

The batter comes together in 5 simple steps:

  1. Grate the apples and let drain of any excess water, gently squeezing out especially if super juicy!
  2. Cream butter and sugar. 
  3. Add eggs, apple sauce and vanilla and mix to combine.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients with a whisk, pastry cutter or fork. Then add to wet ingredients.
  5. 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 frostingIt 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!

Who wants a slice?

gluten-free apple spice bread with cinnamon frosting easy recipe

For more Apple Recipes, have you tried our:

Apple Crumble Bars

Apple Crisp

Apple Coffee Cake

Apple Cinnamon Smoothie

Apple Cinnamon Energy Bites

For more muffins and quick breads, click here.

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Recipe

 

gluten-free apple spice bread with cinnamon frosting easy recipe
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5 from 2 votes

Apple Spice Bread with Cinnamon Frosting

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.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Breads and Muffins
Cuisine: Nut-Free optional, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Optional
Keyword: gluten-free quick bread, easy gluten-free bread recipe, apple cinnamon, apple recipes, apple bread, gluten-free apple bread
Servings: 1 loaf
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter or dairy-free butter, room temperature
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs, whisked
  • ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour we used GF Jules Flour (affiliate link)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon all spice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 cups loosely packed shredded apple grate with a box grater, then after measuring, gently squeeze out excess water, especially if apples are fresh and juicy!

Cinnamon Frosting (optional)

  • ½ cup cream cheese, room temperature
  • ¼ cup butter or dairy-free butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • cups powdered sugar

Topping

  • walnut halves and pieces as desired (optional)

Instructions

Apple Spice Bread

  • 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.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

3 thoughts on “Gluten-Free Apple Spice Bread with Cinnamon Frosting

  1. 5 stars
    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!

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