Apple Fritter Old-Fashioned Donut Loaf

Ingredients

Cinnamon Streusel

• 115 g all-purpose flour
• 80 g granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 85 g cold butter, cut into small cubes
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Apple Fritter Donut Loaf
Dry Ingredients

• 260 g all-purpose flour
• 15 g cornstarch
• 1¾ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  

Wet Ingredients

• 130 g dark brown sugar, packed
• 90 g granulated sugar
• 120 g neutral oil, such as avocado, grapeseed, or vegetable oil
• 200 g plain, full-fat unsweetened Greek yogurt, room temperature
• 135 g whole milk, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

Apples

• 200 g Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into roughly ½-inch pieces
  You can use another firm baking apple if you prefer. Weighing the apple after peeling and chopping will give you the most consistent result.

Vanilla Crackle Glaze

• 150 g powdered sugar
• 20 g milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• Pinch of fine sea salt

For Topping

• Coarse sanding sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw or another large-crystal sugar

Instructions

Step 1:
Prepare the PanPreheat the oven and line a loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides to help lift the loaf out after baking.

Step 2:
Make the Cinnamon StreuselIn a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Add the cold cubed butter and vanilla bean paste. Work them into the dry ingredients with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture contains both fine crumbs and larger buttery clusters.
Refrigerate the streusel while you prepare the batter. Keeping it cold helps create those chunky, crisp pockets throughout the loaf.

Step 3:
Make the Apple BatterIn a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, Greek yogurt, milk, and vanilla bean paste until smooth and well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently whisk or fold just until no streaks of flour remain. Avoid overmixing.
The finished batter will be fairly thick. That's exactly what you want so it can support the apples and streusel.

Step 4:
Fold in the Apples
Peel and cut the apple into roughly ½-inch pieces. If the pieces seem particularly wet or juicy, lightly blot them with a paper towel.
Gently fold the apples into the batter just until evenly distributed.

Step 5:
Layer the Batter and Streusel
​Spread just under half of the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan.
Sprinkle half of the chilled cinnamon streusel over the batter.
Spoon the remaining batter over the streusel in dollops, then gently spread the dollops together without disturbing the streusel layer too much. Do not fill the loaf pan more than about two-thirds full.
Finish with the remaining chilled streusel and a generous sprinkle of coarse sanding sugar.

Step 6: 
Bake until the center of the loaf reaches 205–210°F (96–99°C) and a tester inserted into the cake portion comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter.
Let the loaf rest in the pan for about 20 minutes, then use the parchment overhang to carefully lift it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack.

Step 7:
Make the Vanilla Crackle Glaze
While the loaf cools, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla bean paste, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
The glaze should be thick but still pourable. If necessary, add a few drops of milk at a time until you reach the right consistency.

Step 8:
Glaze the Loaf
Allow the loaf to cool until it is warm but no longer hot.
Pour the glaze generously over the top, allowing it to naturally drip down the sides. Let the glaze sit until it forms that slightly crisp, crackly finish before slicing.
Serve the loaf slightly warm for a softer, tender crumb, or chill it for a firmer texture that's even more reminiscent of a cake donut.

A Few Tips

• Keep the streusel cold. Cold butter helps create distinct, buttery clusters instead of melting straight into the batter.
• Don't overmix the batter. Mix only until the flour disappears to keep the loaf tender.
• Weigh the apples after peeling and chopping. Too much apple can add excess moisture and make the center difficult to bake through.
• Don't glaze it while it's hot. A hot loaf will melt the glaze. Warm is perfect if you want that thick, crackly coating.
• For the best texture: Let the glaze fully set before slicing, even though waiting may be the hardest part of the recipe.

​Recipe from Obsessed Cakes