Cinnamon Spice Applesauce Bread with Honey Butter

Applesauce Bread with Cinnamon Honey Butter — This applesauce bread is packed with fall flavors and comes together quickly. I serve mine with homemade honey butter, because why not? 

Spiced Applesauce Bread Recipe

You won’t need scented candles ever again. Just make this applesauce bread. The scent of apples, cinnamon, coconut oil, and bread baking makes your house smell absolutely heavenly.

The bread is supremely moist and soft, with just enough cinnamon to complement the applesauce, without being overpowering. It’s actually more like an apple spice cake that happens to baked in a loaf pan, so we’ll call it bread. You know, because bread is healthier than cake so you can have extra.

I didn’t add ginger and allspice so it’s not quite as spicy as spice cake, but you can always add them if you want. I used every softening and moistening trick in the book to keep this loaf supple and tender. Applesauce, coconut oil, and sour cream all lend moisture to the bread. I loathe dry bread and cake, and this is anything but.

I love baking with coconut oil in place of other cooking oils especially for quick breads, muffins, cookies, and far prefer it to melted butter. Oil in general keeps things softer, springier and bouncier than butter.

The crust is slightly firmer and chewier, while the interior soft, fluffy, and springy. It’s great zapped in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it with a big dollop of honey butter, or toast it.

What’s in Applesauce Bread? 

For this applesauce bread recipe, you’ll need: 

• Eggs
• Cinnamon applesauce
• Granulated sugar
• Melted coconut oil
• Light brown sugar
• Sour cream
• Vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon and nutmeg
• Salt
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda and baking powder

And for the cinnamon honey butter, you’ll need: 

• Unsalted butter
• Honey
• Cinnamon

How to Make Applesauce Bread 

To make this homemade applesauce bread, whisk together everything but the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Once the mixture is well combined, stir in the remaining ingredients. Turn the batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.

This quick bread will need to bake for roughly an hour, or until the top is set and firm and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, tent your bread with a sheet of foil if it’s looking a bit darker before you anticipate the center to cook through fully. 

Let the applesauce bread cool for 30 minutes in its pan before slicing and serving it. It needs that extra bit of time to set up. 

How to Make Honey Butter

To make the cinnamon honey butter, simply stir together the softened butter, honey, and cinnamon. You can add as much or as little cinnamon as you’d like, it’s up to you! 

Can I Make This Into Muffins? 

Probably, but you’d need to drastically shorten the cook time. Baking this as a loaf is easier though, in my opinion, so definitely try this recipe as written first! 

Can I Use a Coconut Oil Substitute? 

I didn’t notice any overt coconut flavor, but if you’re concerned you can use another oil (such as vegetable or canola). Between the applesauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, any coconut flavor is masked though. 

Can I Use a Sour Cream Substitute? 

Yes, plain Greek yogurt can be used in place of the sour cream. You don’t want to use regular yogurt here though, as it’s much runnier than Greek yogurt. 

Can I Bake This in a Smaller Loaf Pan? 

No, you need to use a 9×5-inch loaf pan for this recipe. The batter will overflow if you use a smaller pan and you’ll wind up making a huge mess. 

Can I Make This with Homemade Applesauce? 

I don’t see why not! You’ll want to use smooth applesauce for this recipe though, not chunky. 

Can I Freeze Applesauce Bread? 

Yes, you can freeze this loaf for up to 6 months. Simply wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap or store in a freezer-safe bag. When you’re ready to eat it, set it out on the counter to thaw. 

Tips for Making Applesauce Bread with Honey Butter

I used store-bought cinnamon applesauce. If you use plain applesauce, you may want to bump up the cinnamon in the batter. I haven’t tried using reduced sugar applesauce, and while I’m sure the recipe works, it won’t be as sweet. I love the bread as is and wouldn’t make the sacrifice.

I served this applesauce bread with cinnamon honey butter, but you could also try a simple butter and confectioners’ sugar glaze, a vanilla cream cheese glaze, or just eat it plain. It’s soft, moist, and flavorful enough that it doesn’t ‘need’ anything. But you know.

And I’m sure would make great French toast, but this loaf never made it long enough to turn into French toast. It was gone in just over a day. That drippy, glistening honey butter gets me every time.

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Applesauce Bread with Honey Butter

This applesauce bread is packed with fall flavors and comes together quickly. I serve mine with homemade honey butter, because why not?

Yield: one 9x5-inch loaf

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Cooling Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

Bread

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup cinnamon applesauce (plain may be substituted, consider adding more cinnamon)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (canola or vegetable oil or melted butter may be substituted)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup sour cream (lite okay; Greek yogurt may be substituted)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon (not teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• pinch salt, optional and to taste
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Honey Butter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, extremely soft
• 1/4 cup honey, or to taste
• pinch cinnamon, optional and to taste

Instructions

Make the Bread

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside (don’t use an 8-by-4-inch pan; it’s too small)
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients, through optional salt.
3. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix. Batter will be thick and with a few lumps. Don’t try to stir the lumps smooth.
4. Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the surface lightly with a spatula.
5. Bake for about 56 to 63 minutes (I baked exactly 60), or until top is set and firm, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, tent bread with a sheet of foil (lay it loosely over top of pan) if your bread is looking a bit darker before you anticipate the center to cook through fully; I tented mine.
6. Allow bread to cool in pan on top a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before turning out onto rack to cool completely.

Honey Butter

1. Combine the butter (make sure it’s extremely soft and squishy), honey, and optional cinnamon in a small bowl and whisk vigorously until smooth and fluffy.
2. Extra portion will keep airtight in the fridge for at least 1 month.

Notes

Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or may be frozen for up to 6 months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 153mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 1gSugar: 25gProtein: 3g

More Fall Quick Bread Recipes: 

The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread — This pumpkin chocolate chip bread is truly the best homemade pumpkin bread you’ll ever make. It’s moist, packed with chocolate chips, and tastes like fall!

Carrot Apple Bread — This apple carrot bread tastes like carrot cake that’s been infused with apples. It’s a no mixer recipe that goes from bowl to oven in minutes! 

Pumpkin Banana Bread — Fast, easy, and everyone will go nuts for this comforting loaf.

Cinnamon Sugar Crust Cinnamon Ribbon Bread — The cinnamon-sugar crust is like sweet bark that encases the moist, light, soft and fluffy bread.

Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Bread — The cream cheese layer that runs through the bread is like having a layer of cheesecake baked into pumpkin bread

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread — Super soft, tender, moist pumpkin bread with a slightly crunchy cinnamon sugar topping!

Apple Fritter Bread — The bread tastes as decadent as the apple fritters of my childhood, no deep frying required and it’s more like cake disguised as bread.