This spiced apple pear loaf is the perfect seasonal recipe! I don’t want to call it a dessert, because I love having a slice of loaf for breakfast and snacks. So, yeah, in my opinion, it’s not exclusively a dessert. If you have lots of apples (and a pear or two) hanging around, this is great way to use them up.
If you’re looking for other baked good recipes check out my Sweet Potato Bundt Cake and my Chocolate Raspberry Loaf.
Why you’ll love this apple pear recipe
- Seasonal: it’s October and it’s prime apple season (at least where I live) so I’m always looking for new ways to use up apples. Sure eating them raw is great, and apple pie is yummy, but baking them into a loaf is a new one for me. I also had some pears hanging around, and decided to throw those in too.
- Flavourful: this loaf really screams fall with the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. It’s like all the flavours of an apple pie but in loaf form (for those people *like me* who don’t love pie)
- A nice addition to any meal: you can serve this with any meal and people will be happy. Breakfast with some yogurt or dessert with some applesauce or whipped cream. It would make a really nice thing to bring if you’re heading to someone’s house.
What you’ll need to make this apple pear loaf recipe
- Apples: I used Honeycrisp because I had lots. Honeycrisp are juicy and sweet and hold their texture when baked, so it is a good one to bake with. Check out the FAQ for my recommendations for which apples to bake with.
- Pear: I’m not sure which variety I used, but it was ripe. Not overly ripe, but perfect for eating raw.
- Spices: I used cinnamon and nutmeg. I would like to try adding ground cloves and/or ground cardamom, but to me those are more winter flavours.
- The other usual baking supplies: flour, sugar, butter, eggs, etc. All the ingredients and amounts are in the recipe card below.
Additions & Substitutions
Additions:
- Spices: you could get creative with your spice choices. I went with cinnamon and nutmeg, but if you want to use ground cloves or cardamom, that might be nice too.
Substitutions:
- Only apples: if you don’t have pears on hand, you could make this recipe with apples only
- Vegan: while I haven’t tried it, you might be able to make this recipe vegan. Use vegan butter instead of regular butter, and a flax egg instead of an egg egg.
FAQ
Can you make apple loaf cake with oil? Possibly. I haven’t tried it, but you could try replacing the butter with oil.
Can you have this apple loaf for breakfast? Absolutely! You could pair it with some yogurt for a little protein.
What are the best apples to bake with? It’s best to choose apples that hold their shape and don’t turn to mush when cooked. Some good options are honeycrisp, granny smith and golden delicious.
Get my FREE Snack Guide & Recipe Book
My Snack Guide & Recipe Book includes: the benefits of snacking, a guild to build balanced, healthy & filling snacks, as well as 30 snack recipes. You can grab your copy right here.
Spiced Apple Pear Loaf
Equipment
- 1 Loaf pan
Ingredients
Fruit
- 2 ½ cups apple & pear, diced, skin on about 1 1/4 cup each
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
Batter
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup butter, unsalted, melted
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, add your diced apple and pear. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Toss to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the egg, vanilla, sugar and melted butter.
- In a separate medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, and combine until everything is just combined. Do not overmix. It will seem dry, but that's okay.
- Add 1/2 cup of your apple pear mix to the bottom of your loaf pan. Spread it out so it covers the bottom of the pan.
- Add the remaining apple pear mix (and all the juices) to the batter. Combine well. Add this batter to the loaf pan, on top of the apple and pears on the bottom.
- Use a spoon or small offset spatula to spread the batter in the loaf pan. Make sure it reaches all the corners.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until golden brown on top and knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Let cool for at least 10 minutes in the loaf pan.
- Remove from the loaf pan, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, slice the top of the loaf off (horizontally), so it's flat. Then flip over, and remove the parchment paper so the bottom is now the top.
- Slice and enjoy!
If you try this apple pear loaf , take a picture and share them with me over on IG @harvesttablenutrition. I love to see all your creations.
0 Comments