Apple Cinnamon Bread

We got a new washer and dryer delivered on Saturday which actually fit through our very narrow doorway. Of course, we had to take off the storm door, the front door, the vestibule door, and the basement door to do so – but the delivery guys got them in! By Sunday, I was too exhausted from removing doors and putting them back on to actually do any laundry, so I decided to bake to relax. This bread is light in texture, studded with apples, cinnamon, and light brown sugar. It’s delicious with coffee in the morning, or could pass as dessert with the addition of a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Apple cakes are my favorite!

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups flour
•  1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk, room temperature
• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a small bowl, mix light brown sugar and cinnamon together, set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour and baking powder to combine.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture until well combined. Mix the milk into the batter until smooth.
5. Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Add half of the chopped apples, and sprinkle half of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture over the apples. Top with the remaining batter, apples, and sugar-cinnamon, lightly pressing the apples into the batter. Swirl brown sugar through the apples with a knife.
6. Bake for 60 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let loaf rest in pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
7. In a Pyrex measuring cup, whisk the confectioners sugar and tablespoon of milk until smooth. Drizzle over cooled loaf.