Cinnamon Pound Cake

This season for cinnamon, spice, and everything nice including this Gluten Free Apple Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting. Laced with aromatic apple pie spices and the natural sweet bite of homemade applesauce, this Gluten-Free Cinnamon Pound Cake is the ultimate ending for any meal while also being perfect with your afternoon tea.

Loaf cakes like mini loaf cakes and Copycat Starbucks loaf cakes are always a festive and cheerful treat. They’re easy to make and even easier to devour. This fall-inspired version utilizes the bounty of seasonal apples along with a quick vanilla-cream cheese frosting that takes it over the top.

Jump to:

• Cinnamon Pound Cake Video
• Why you will love this recipe
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Variations and Substitutions
• Storage
• Equipment
• Tips
• FAQs
• More bread ideas
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Cinnamon Pound Cake Video

Why you will love this recipe

• Make Ahead - If you’re looking for a sweet treat to take to a party or give as a holiday gift, this is it. The cake can be made several days in advance and then frosted before serving. You can also make the frosting in advance and keep it refrigerated until ready to use.
• Texture - Fresh apples, coconut oil, and butter keep this cake incredibly tender and moist. It will be love at first bite!
• Simple Ingredients - This apple loaf cake is as easy to shop for as it is to make. Baking staples like gluten-free flour, cinnamon, and brown sugar make it possible for you to recreate this anytime the craving hits or you need a special confection to serve.
• Customizable - This apple loaf recipe can make four mini loaves, or one large one. It’s completely up to you!

Ingredients

• Gluten-Free Flour - 1:1 baking flour makes it easy to measure for this gluten-free apple cake. Bob’s Red Mill is my go-to.
• Baking Powder/Baking Soda
• Salt - Enhances all of the flavors of the ingredients and balances the sweetness
• Apple Pie Seasoning - Every blend will be a little different but often includes cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. It may also contain cardamom, mace, cloves, or ginger.
• Cinnamon - Adds even more warmth to the cake and is also used to create the cinnamon-brown sugar swirl in the middle.
• Liquid Coconut Oil - This neutral flavored oil easily mixes into the batter and keeps the cake tender and moist.
• Gala Apples - These are sweeter apples with great crunch. Their texture makes them ideal for both baking and eating raw.
• Water - Water is added to the apples when blending to help break them down and create the applesauce.
• Eggs
• Butter - This adds richness to the cake and also the cream cheese vanilla frosting. You can use dairy-free or dairy butter.
• Sugar
• Singing Dog Vanilla Extract - Made with premium hand-selected vanilla beans, this extra is gluten-free and the highest quality.
• Brown Sugar - This is combined with cinnamon to create a swirl in the middle of each loaf similar to a streusel.
• Singing Dog Vanilla Vanilla Frosting - Made with all-natural ingredients and free of preservatives, this frosting mix gives you creamy results every time with irresistible organic vanilla flavor.
• Cream Cheese - Makes the frosting tangy, complimenting the natural sweetness of the apples and warm spices.
• Powdered Sugar
• Almond Milk - Helps make the frosting extra creamy.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 ℉. Lightly grease four mini loaf pans.
• Add the apples and water to a food processor or blender. Pulse until it becomes the consistency of applesauce. You may need a rubber spatula to push the sides down. You will need ¼ cup of pureed apples for this recipe.
• Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, apple pie spice, and cinnamon to a bowl and whisk to combine.
• Add the sugar and softened butter to a mixing bowl with the mixer fit with a paddle. Mix for 90 seconds, scraping the sides down halfway through.
• Next add the eggs, applesauce, vanilla, and coconut oil and mix on low until combined.
• Slowly add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, careful not to over-mix.
• In a separate small bowl add the cinnamon and brown sugar for the swirl mix and use a fork to combine.
• Carefully spoon batter into each mini loaf pan filling it ⅓ up.
• Sprinkle 2-3 teaspoons of the swirl mixture over the top.
• Top off the swirl mixture with more batter, filling each mini loaf pan ⅔ of the way up. Evenly spread it out.
• Allow the mini loaves to bake for 23-27 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are golden brown.
• Allow the mini loaves of apple bread to cool for 45 minutes on a baking rack before carefully removing them from the pans.
• To make your frosting add your room-temperature cream cheese to a mixing bowl. Mix it for about two minutes using a paddle attachment until it’s smooth, creamy, and a little fluffy. Add your remaining ingredients and mix to thoroughly combine and until smooth, about another two minutes.
• Once your loaves have cooled completely divide the frosting between them. Use an offset spatula to frost your loaves.

Variations and Substitutions

• Add mini chocolate chips or white chocolate chips to the batter.
• Give your mini apple cake loaves a crunch by adding chopped pecans or walnuts.
• Make your loaves extra festive by decorating them with sprinkles.
• If you don’t have fresh apples you can use ¼ cup of applesauce in this recipe. Make sure that there is no sugar added so the apple bread doesn’t become too sweet.

Storage

• Once frosted, keep the apple bread loaves in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last for up to a week.
• The frosting can be made up to four days in advance. Before frosting the loaves allow it to come to room temperature and give it a quick mix.
• The unfrosted loaves can be frozen. Allow them to cool completely and then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap before transferring them to freezer-safe bags. They’ll last for up to three months.

Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups/spoons
• Mixer with paddle attachment
• Food processor
• 4 mini loaf pans
• Offset spatula
• Baking rack

Tips

• To help the batter come together smoothly and easily, make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature including the eggs and butter.
• Just like you want your ingredients at room temperature for the cake batter, you also want them at room temperature for the cream cheese frosting. Allow the cream cheese and butter to sit out before mixing.

FAQs

Can gluten-free apple bread be made dairy-free?

This recipe can be made completely dairy-free. Use plant-based butter and cream cheese for both the cake and the cream cheese frosting.

Can I make one large loaf instead of four mini loaves?

Yes! The bake time will vary.

More bread ideas

• Protein Banana Bread
• Gluten-Free Slider Buns

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