The apple tree in the garden decided to give us some fruit this year. Not loads, but not a meagre amount either.
There was a small amount of deliberation while we tried to work out what variety of apple they were. My dad swore they were Bramley apples. I was 100% sure that they weren’t, because I have never seen a Bramley that was green and red. They looked like Braeburns to me. Dad then tried to back up his statement by saying that he thought it was a spliced tree – as in one trunk, each branch a different variety of apple. I have no idea if this kind of tree actually exists, but it sounds wrong. A little too sci-fi for my liking.
Anyway, it turns out I am right and we are currently munching our way through our small glut of juicy, crisp Braeburn apples. Delicious.
Apple and cinnamon is one of my favourite combinations. I love cinnamon and sneak it into anything I can and as it is best friends with apple, it was only a matter of time before something like this loaf came into being.
Although not dry by any means, this loaf isn’t as moist (I dislike that word so much but can’t think of another that does the job as well) as a cake. It does need a little something to go with it. Which is where maple cream cheese comes in.
It is ridiculously simple to make – just mix some maple syrup and cream cheese together – but compliments the loaf so well and brings out the flavour of the cinnamon as well as the sweetness of the apples. And the smokey undertones of the syrup finish the whole thing off perfectly. This is a combo that I may be spreading on a lot of things.
Apple Cinnamon Loaf with Maple Cream Cheese Spread
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sorghum flour
- 1/4 cup ground almonds,
- 1/4 cup flax meal
- 1/4 cup sweet rice flour, also known as glutinous rice flour
- 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar, or soft light brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 large sweet eating apple, or 1 and a quarter medium-sized apple (you can eat the rest).
- 4 heaped teaspoons full fat cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 175 Celsius / 155 fan / 340 Fahrenheit. Line a 2lb loaf tin with non-stick baking paper.
- In a bowl combine together the flours, ground almonds, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- In a separate bowl mix together the egg, oil, apple sauce and almond milk.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Chop 3/4 of the apple into small chunks and stir through the batter to distribute.
- Transfer the batter to the tin and level the top with a knife.
- Slice the remaining apple and lay across the top.
- Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until golden brown, firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Can be eaten slightly warm.
- To make the maple cream cheese spread – mix together the cream cheese and maple syrup. Taste and adjust accordingly (you may wish it sweeter or even a little sharper). Serve on the side with the loaf.
- Store the loaf in an airtight container in a cool place. Keep any left over maple cream cheese spread in the fridge.
© The Pink Rose Bakery 2014
Recipe adapted from my Date and Raisin Breakfast Loaf
Also shared as part of:
The Pink Rose Bakery 