Servings: 10 slices or 1 loaf
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup plain unsweetened kefir
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1½ cups apple peeled, diced
For the topping
- 1 medium apple peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted and cooled butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk until combined. Stir in the kefir.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently until just combined. Fold in the diced apple. The batter will be thick and spoonable.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Scatter the topping apple over the batter. Sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Bake for 60-75 minutes, beginning to check at 60 minutes. The center should look set, and a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly before the center is done, tent loosely with foil.
- Cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes, then lift the loaf out onto a rack. Cool at least 30 minutes more, preferably longer, before slicing.
Notes
- Use a firm, crisp apple such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith. You'll need about 3 medium apples in total, cut into roughly ½-inch dice.
- Judge doneness by the center, not the top. The sugared topping browns before the middle is set.
- Kefir swap: buttermilk in the same amount, or plain whole-milk yogurt thinned with a splash of milk.
- More spice: replace the cinnamon and nutmeg in the batter with 1½ teaspoons apple pie spice. Keep plain cinnamon on the topping.
- Add-ins: fold in ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans, or ⅓ cup raisins or dried cranberries, with the apple.
- Fruit swap: replace half the diced apple in the batter with a firm, ripe Bosc pear, peeled and diced the same size.
- Crunchier top: use 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar in place of the brown sugar on top.
- Flour swap: replace up to half the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat flour for a heartier crumb.
- Glaze: once completely cool, whisk ½ cup powdered sugar with 1 to 2 teaspoons kefir or milk and drizzle over the top.
- Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerated up to 5 days. Freeze wrapped slices up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 278mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 368IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 1mg
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