This cinnamon sugar apple bread is a moist, sweet (but not too sweet), treat that’s chock-full of apple chunks, and topped with cinnamon sugar. It’s been miniaturized, so it’s the perfect amount for one person to enjoy. No worries about overdoing it!
Perfect for Labor Day weekend (the traditional start of fall—and apple season) and for Rosh Hashanah, when we eat apples and honey for a sweet new year.
The cinnamon sugar combo in this bread is also called “snickerdoodle.” You may wonder why. The answer is: nobody knows. But somehow that’s become the name in the US for cookies and other baked goods flavored with cinnamon sugar.
The cinnamon sugar combo in this bread is also called “snickerdoodle.” You may wonder why. The answer is: nobody knows. But somehow that’s become the name in the US for cookies and other baked goods flavored with cinnamon sugar.
I vividly remember the first time I heard of snickerdoodle cookies. We were at an outdoor concert at Tanglewood. A woman near us had a big batch of them, packaged up in a large Tiffany box!
I brought a full-size version to my brother’s house for the holidays once. They gobbled it up! Pretty good, considering it was competing with mom’s New York cheesecake.
I have reduced the sugar and the vanilla, because the original recipe was far too sweet for me. The result is a delicious, and easy to make, quick bread (think banana bread, but with apples rather than bananas), that’s full of apple flavor and topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.
If you can get them, use a Canville Blanc D’Hiver apple (which is a French tart apple). If not, Granny Smith, Mutsu, or GingerGold will work well. You want an apple that’s firm, crisp, and not too sweet.
I once accidentally made this with cayenne (!) instead of cinnamon. I mention it because it was much better than I would have expected. I’m not sure I’d do it again deliberately, but it did give me an idea (see the substitutions section).
Small Batch Cinnamon Sugar Apple Bread
A rich, delicious cake full of apples and dusted with cinnamon sugar. Serve it warm or cold. It's great topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato.

Ingredients
Bread
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 C flour
- 1/4 C butter (half a stick), at room temperature
- 6 T light brown sugar
- 4T granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 C milk
- 1 tart apple, peeled and diced
Topping
- 1/4 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the toaster oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter and flour a small baking dish.
- Mix the salt, baking powder, and flour in a small bowl.
- Beat the butter, sugars, and cinnamon in your mixer until the mixture is fluffy. If you have a KitchenAid, this should take about a minute, on speed 2. If not, mix on medium speed for two minutes, scraping down the sides.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and mix another few seconds (KitchenAid), or about a minute for standard mixers, scraping the sides.
- On low speed, alternately add the flour and the milk. Start with some flour, then some milk, then flour, then milk, then flour again. You should begin and end with flour.
- Add the chopped apple, and stir just enough to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon together in a small ramekin and sprinkle over the batter.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Substitutions and Variations for Cinnamon Sugar Apple Bread
- Add 1/2 tsp ground ginger and the seeds from two cardamom pods for some extra warm spiciness (skip the extra topping)
- Give it a bit of a kick with some brandy or Calvados
- If you’re brave, or like spicy sweets, go for the cayenne
- Top the bread with bourbon sauce (2 T bourbon, 1/4 C sugar, 2 T butter, heated in a small pan) instead of the cinnamon/sugar.