Caramel Apple Bread

Now that the 24DC is behind me, I'm working some baked goods back into my life. I really missed cooking and baking during the challenge, which frowns upon all things containing sugar, butter, and cream. Jordan is starting the 24DC as soon as his kit arrives, so very soon it'll be back to grilled chicken and green beans, but I was itching to bake something recently for both of us to enjoy before he takes the big Advocare plunge.

I made this Caramel Apple bread back in the fall and we both loved it. It's definitely a fall-ish food; great for when the best apples are in season and full of cinnamon and ginger flavors with a sweet caramel-y glaze on top. But it's also delicious all the other seasons and a piece of cake (bread?) to make, so I threw the "seasonal food" excuse out the window and made us a loaf the other night.

(image via Cooking Club)

Caramel Apple Bread

Bread:

1 3/4 cups AP Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples (I used Honeycrisp)

1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Glaze:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (I ran out of brown sugar and subbed in plain old granulated. It worked just fine I think!)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup heavy cream (I didn't promise this was low cal!!)

1 tsp light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

350 degrees. Generously grease 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan. Combine dry ingredients and whisk together in a bowl. Blend brown sugar, oil, sour cream and eggs until smooth and then incorporate into dry ingredients. Stir in apples and ginger. Pour in loaf pan. Bake 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean but slightly moist. Cool for 10 minutes.

While cooling, bring all the glaze ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Cool slightly. Remove bread from pan and poke holes in top of bread with a wooden skewer (about every inch or so) Spoon about 1/4 cup of the warm glaze over the hot bread allowing the glaze to seep into the holes. Cool completely. Once cooled, warm the remaining glaze until spreadable and spoon over the bread.

Or you could be like me and glaze/eat the bread while it's still warm and awesome. That works too.